Try this...

=SUMIF(A2:A5,"*M*",B2:B5)

Better to use a cell to hold the criteria...

E2 = M

=SUMIF(A2:A5,"*"&E2&"*",B2:B5)

--
Biff
Microsoft Excel MVP


"r2rcode" wrote in message
...
Cat. No. Cost per
M 20 $2.00
W 10 $1.00
M/W 5 $1.00
M 20 $2.00

based on the matrix above i need a formula to compute the following:
1) search down column 1 for a "M" in the cell/word then total the quantity
in the corresponding row. (for this example "M" would add up to 45, "W"
would be 15).

2) then i need it to be able to total the cost spent for each category
(for
this example "M" would be 20*$2+5*$1+20*$2).