The 8th class maths textbook pdf is the official NCERT Mathematics book for Class 8 — 13 chapters across 170 printed pages — and every chapter file is downloadable from this page. If you came for the file, it is in the table below; if you came to know what is inside the book, the rest of the page answers that.
The PDF alone lists the topics; it does not say how the book is weighted. This page adds the measured breakdown — how many named sections and end-of-chapter exercise questions each chapter carries, read from the textbook itself — so you can see which chapters are long, which are quick, and which hold the topic you were asked about.
Download the 8th Class Maths Textbook PDF — official NCERT files
Every file in the table below is NCERT’s own PDF, hosted on ncert.nic.in — the same official server that serves the first chapter directly, so you can open the Rational Numbers chapter PDF to verify the source before downloading any of the others.
| Ch. | Chapter | Pages | Official PDF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rational Numbers | 14 | |
| 2 | Linear Equations in One Variable | 6 | |
| 3 | Understanding Quadrilaterals | 16 | |
| 4 | Data Handling | 14 | |
| 5 | Squares and Square Roots | 20 | |
| 6 | Cubes and Cube Roots | 8 | |
| 7 | Comparing Quantities | 14 | |
| 8 | Algebraic Expressions and Identities | 10 | |
| 9 | Mensuration | 18 | |
| 10 | Exponents and Powers | 8 | |
| 11 | Direct and Inverse Proportions | 16 | |
| 12 | Factorisation | 12 | |
| 13 | Introduction to Graphs | 14 |
Class 8th Mathematics: the NCERT PDF at a glance
- 13 chapters, one official NCERT PDF per chapter — all linked in the table above.
- 170 printed pages across the whole book.
- 104 named sections and 196 end-of-chapter exercise questions, counted from the textbook itself.
- Every chapter has its own study-page entry further down this page; published pages are linked there.
The 13 chapters fall into four strands, and the chapters inside one strand build on each other. Revising by strand is faster than jumping between chapters.
| Strand | Chapters | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Number work and powers | Ch 1, 5, 6, 10 — Rational Numbers; Squares and Square Roots; Cubes and Cube Roots; Exponents and Powers | Properties and powers of numbers — the foundation the rest of the book assumes. |
| Algebra | Ch 2, 8, 12 — Linear Equations; Algebraic Expressions and Identities; Factorisation | Solving equations and manipulating expressions; factorisation reverses expansion. |
| Geometry and measurement | Ch 3, 9 — Understanding Quadrilaterals; Mensuration | Shapes, angles, area, surface area and volume. |
| Data and applied maths | Ch 4, 7, 11, 13 — Data Handling; Comparing Quantities; Direct and Inverse Proportions; Introduction to Graphs | Reading data, commercial calculations, and relationships in real situations. |
For a different class or subject, the NCERT books directory is the starting point.
What each chapter of the Class 8 Maths book actually teaches
| Ch. | Chapter | Sections | Activities | Figures | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rational Numbers | 8 | — | — | 3 |
| 2 | Linear Equations in One Variable | 3 | — | — | 10 |
| 3 | Understanding Quadrilaterals | 15 | — | — | 29 |
| 4 | Data Handling | 9 | — | — | 19 |
| 5 | Squares and Square Roots | 11 | — | — | 39 |
| 6 | Cubes and Cube Roots | 6 | — | — | 6 |
| 7 | Comparing Quantities | 7 | — | — | 20 |
| 8 | Algebraic Expressions and Identities | 10 | — | — | 15 |
| 9 | Mensuration | 12 | — | — | 29 |
| 10 | Exponents and Powers | 5 | — | — | 13 |
| 11 | Direct and Inverse Proportions | 3 | — | — | 23 |
| 12 | Factorisation | 12 | — | — | 13 |
| 13 | Introduction to Graphs | 3 | — | — | 8 |
In the table above, a “section” is one of NCERT’s own numbered headings and “questions” is the count of end-of-chapter exercises. Understanding Quadrilaterals is the most section-heavy chapter at 15, while Linear Equations, Direct and Inverse Proportions and Introduction to Graphs have just 3 each.
Chapter 1: Rational Numbers
Chapter 1 lays the properties that govern operations on rational numbers — closure, commutativity, associativity, the roles of zero and one, and distributivity — and it is the foundation every later chapter assumes, so it is the place to start if you have just met negative fractions and want to know why the operations behave as they do.
Chapter 2: Linear Equations in One Variable
The shortest chapter and the real start of algebra: solving equations with the variable on both sides and reducing equations to simpler form, both driven by the same balancing move applied step by step — the skill to master before word problems arrive.
Chapter 3: Understanding Quadrilaterals
Geometry built from the polygon up — convex and concave polygons, the sum of the exterior angles of a polygon, then the quadrilateral family of trapezium, kite, parallelogram, rhombus, rectangle and square with the angle and diagonal properties of each.
Chapter 4: Data Handling
The data chapter: looking for information, circle graphs (pie charts) and drawing them, then chance and probability with equally likely outcomes — the place to go for “what is the chance that…” questions.
Chapter 5: Squares and Square Roots
The book’s longest chapter runs from properties of square numbers and Pythagorean triplets to finding square roots by repeated subtraction, prime factorisation and the division method, and finishes with square roots of decimals.
Chapter 6: Cubes and Cube Roots
The compact partner to Chapter 5: perfect cubes, some interesting patterns, the smallest multiple that makes a perfect cube, and cube roots by prime factorisation.
Chapter 7: Comparing Quantities
The commercial word-problem chapter: ratios and percentages, discounts and estimation in percentages, sales tax, VAT and GST, then compound interest with its formula deduced inside the chapter itself.
Chapter 8: Algebraic Expressions and Identities
Where algebra becomes mechanical — addition and subtraction of algebraic expressions, then multiplying monomials by monomials, by polynomials, and polynomials by polynomials; this is the chapter where sign errors typically start.
Chapter 9: Mensuration
Measuring shapes: area of a polygon, surface area of cube, cuboid and cylinder, volume of cube, cuboid and cylinder, and the difference between volume and capacity.
Chapter 10: Exponents and Powers
Taming very large and very small numbers: powers with negative exponents, the laws of exponents, and standard form for expressing small numbers.
Chapter 11: Direct and Inverse Proportions
Two relationships that appear everywhere outside the classroom — direct proportion and inverse proportion — and deciding which one applies is the skill this chapter drills.
Chapter 12: Factorisation
The reverse of Chapter 8: factorisation by common factors, regrouping and identities, factors of the form \((x+a)(x+b)\), then division of algebraic expressions — a chapter that rewards checking by multiplying back.
Chapter 13: Introduction to Graphs
Closes the book by teaching line graphs and their applications — reading and plotting points that describe real situations.
Which class 8 maths chapter do you need?
The list below routes each chapter to its own study page on this site — chapters marked Available are linked, and the rest carry their status in the table.
Chapter-wise notes for this subject are not published yet. The unit-wise syllabus on this page is complete and verified against the official CBSE curriculum document.
How to use the Class 8 Maths NCERT book PDF
The order below comes from the book’s own shape — the numbers in the directory above — so it is a study order, not an exam guess.
- First learning follows the book’s own order. Start with Chapter 1 (Rational Numbers) because its properties underpin everything that follows.
- The algebra thread runs in book order. Chapter 2 (Linear Equations in One Variable) comes before Chapter 8 (Algebraic Expressions and Identities), which comes before Chapter 12 (Factorisation). Factorisation reverses expanding, so it only makes sense after you can multiply expressions.
- Quick revision starts with the three shortest chapters. Linear Equations in One Variable is 6 pages, Cubes and Cube Roots is 8, and Exponents and Powers is 8; between them they carry 29 of the book’s 196 exercise questions. That is the fastest pass before an exam.
- The heavy three need the most time. Squares and Square Roots (39 questions), Understanding Quadrilaterals (29) and Mensuration (29) hold 97 of the 196 exercise questions — nearly half. These are where the revision hours should go.
- Word problems live in Chapters 7 and 11. Practise Comparing Quantities first, for percentage, discount and interest fluency; then Direct and Inverse Proportions, which applies the same habits to real relationships.
Watch for these four mistakes before they happen:
| Mistake | Correct rule | How to check your answer |
|---|---|---|
| In Chapter 8, a monomial multiplying a binomial touches only the first term | Distribute to both terms, signs included | Re-expand it: \(2x(x+3)\) must give \(2x^2 + 6x\), not \(2x^2 + 3\) |
| In Chapter 12, factorisation by regrouping drops a factor or leaves a stray 1 | Every term of the original expression must appear inside the factors | Multiply the factors back — the original expression must return exactly |
| In Chapter 9, \( \text{cm} \), \( \text{cm}^2 \) and \( \text{cm}^3 \) get mixed up | Match the unit to the quantity: length, area, volume | Ask which dimension your answer has: one, two or three |
| In Chapter 11, the relationship is read the wrong way | When one quantity rises, ask whether the other rises (direct) or falls (inverse) | Name which quantity rises or falls before you set up the calculation |
Work every answer on paper, and keep one final rule in mind: textbook contents and the examinable syllabus are not always identical, so check the current official syllabus at cbse.gov.in before deciding what to study.
Related NCERT book pages
This page covers one book, and the rest of the site is organised the same way. Browse the NCERT books directory by class, or go to the Class 8 hub for the other Class 8 textbooks this site indexes.
Sources and data verification
This listing is maintained for the 2026-27 academic session using the NCERT textbook information available to us. NCERT remains the authority for confirming the latest edition.
- Where the counts come from: the NCERT Class 8 Mathematics textbook editions this directory holds — chapters, named sections and exercise questions read from the official chapter PDFs (hemh101–hemh113) on ncert.nic.in.
- What this page covers, and what it does not. It covers the 13 chapters, their named sections and their end-of-chapter exercise counts. It does not cover the CBSE syllabus or exam weightage, NCERT Exemplar, workbooks or state-board editions, and it publishes no figure index — this edition prints its diagrams without captions, so none is indexed here.
- Session. This listing is maintained for the current academic session using the NCERT files available on ncert.nic.in.
- Who settles what. NCERT publishes and updates these textbooks and PDFs; CBSE sets the curriculum, syllabus and examinations. Chapter contents and the examinable syllabus are not always identical, so the official syllabus is the final word on exams.
Reference: NCERT Class 8 Mathematics textbook, official edition on ncert.nic.in. Section titles quoted from the textbook; chapter lengths are from the official PDF.
Class 8 Maths book — quick answers
How many chapters are in the NCERT Class 8 Maths book?
Thirteen chapters across 170 printed pages. The book holds 104 named sections and 196 end-of-chapter exercise questions.
Is the 8th class maths textbook pdf free and official?
Yes. Every chapter file on this page is NCERT’s own PDF, hosted on ncert.nic.in and free to download. The download table links all 13 files, starting with the official Rational Numbers chapter PDF.
Which chapter of Class 8 maths covers compound interest and GST?
Chapter 7, Comparing Quantities. Discounts, estimation in percentages, sales tax/VAT/GST and compound interest are all inside it, from the section “Finding Discounts” to “Applications of Compound Interest Formula”.
Which chapter of Class 8 maths has pie charts and probability?
Chapter 4, Data Handling. The sections “Circle Graph or Pie Chart” and “Chance and Probability” carry both topics, including drawing pie charts and equally likely outcomes.
Which Class 8 maths chapters should I revise first?
Start with the three shortest chapters — Linear Equations in One Variable (6 pages), Cubes and Cube Roots (8 pages) and Exponents and Powers (8 pages) — which carry 29 questions between them. Then give the most time to Squares and Square Roots, Understanding Quadrilaterals and Mensuration, which hold nearly half of the book’s 196 questions.