Formatting Canadian Postal Codes

Summary: Postal codes in Canada consist of six characters, separated into two groups. This tip explains the format and then shows how you can use a formula to implement the format. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, Excel 2003, and Excel 2007.)

In Canada, postal codes consist of six characters with a space in the middle: a letter, a number, a letter, a space, a number, a letter, and a final number. Thus, A1B 2C3 is a properly formatted postal code. If you are retrieving postal codes from an external database, they might not have the required space in the middle. Excel makes it easy to add such a space.

Let's assume that the improperly formatted postal codes are in column C. In column D you could use a formula such as the following:

=LEFT(B12,3) & " " & RIGHT(B12,3)

This formula uses string-manipulation functions to place a space in between the first and last three characters. Thus, if B12 contained A1B2C3, then the cell with this formula would display A1B 2C3.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (1931) applies to Microsoft Excel versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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Formatting Canadian Postal Codes