More than one solution but how about

=MID(D5,LEN(D5)-9,5)&"-"&RIGHT(D5,5)

where D5 contains the 10 or 11 digit number

"JoeSpareBedroom" <dishborealis@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:9pbvg.5612$oa1.1467@news02.roc.ny...
>I have a column of UPC numbers, most of which are 10 characters, which is
>all we need for our purposes. But, some contain an 11th check digit at the
>beginning, which we do NOT want, since it interferes somewhat with reading
>accuracy.
>
> Examples:
> Some look like: 3600012345
> Others look like: 73600012345
>
> I want to remove the 7, and also split the remaining 10 digits with a
> dash, so we get this:
> 36000-12345
>
> No calculation is ever done with these characters - they're used only as
> text. I know how to use the RIGHT() & LEFT() functions, so I can strip off
> the chars I want, but I do NOT know how to have Excel check to see if
> there are 11 digits and automatically get rid of the first one. I can do
> it in Access or Paradox, but I'd rather not add an extra chore, since I'll
> be receiving these files once a week. I suppose I could sort the whole
> list, which would put all the 11-char string in one place, and then use
> two different string formulae to handle the different groups, but that's
> not very elegant.
>
> Help!
>