Excel ROUND, ROUNDUP & ROUNDDOWN
Need to round prices, cut decimals, or always round up a fee? ROUND, ROUNDUP, and ROUNDDOWN cover those jobs. Walk the static examples below, then practice rounding a price column to whole numbers.
ROUND, ROUNDUP, and ROUNDDOWN at a glance
Three related functions cover most rounding jobs. ROUND follows half-away-from-zero rules. ROUNDUP always rounds away from zero (切り上げ). ROUNDDOWN always toward zero (切り捨て). The worked example below starts with ROUND; the sections after cover ROUNDUP and ROUNDDOWN.
Rounds to num_digits decimal places. Use 0 for whole numbers, 2 for currency-style cents. Half values (.5) round away from zero.
Always rounds away from zero — 12.1 to 0 decimals becomes 13. Use when you must never understate a quantity or fee.
Always rounds toward zero — 12.9 to 0 decimals becomes 12. Common for truncating decimals without the classic half-up rule.
ROUND example: round to whole numbers
This ROUND example rounds each unit price to 0 decimal places.
| Unit price | ROUND(…, 0) |
|---|---|
| 12.6 | 13 |
| 12.4 | 12 |
| 99.7 | 100 |
ROUND(A2, 0) returns 13 for 12.6 and 12 for 12.4. Change the second argument to 2 for currency-style cents.
ROUNDUP example: always round away from zero
ROUNDUP never rounds toward zero. Use it when a quantity or fee must not be understated.
| Value | ROUNDUP(…, 0) |
|---|---|
| 12.1 | 13 |
| 12.0 | 12 |
| -12.1 | -13 |
Round up to a whole number
ROUNDDOWN example: always toward zero (truncate)
ROUNDDOWN drops toward zero. For positive numbers it looks like cutting decimals off; for negatives it moves toward zero as well.
| Value | ROUNDDOWN(…, 0) |
|---|---|
| 12.9 | 12 |
| 12.1 | 12 |
| -12.9 | -12 |
Round down to a whole number
4 rounding gotchas
1. ROUND is not the same as ROUNDUP / ROUNDDOWN
For 12.4, ROUND and ROUNDDOWN both return 12, but ROUNDUP returns 13. Pick the function that matches the business rule, not just “round”.
2. num_digits can be negative
ROUND(1234, -2) returns 1200 — rounding to the nearest hundred. Negative digits move left of the decimal point.
3. Display format is not rounding
Narrowing a cell’s number format only changes what you see. The stored value stays full precision until you use ROUND (or paste values).
4. Banker’s rounding vs Excel ROUND
Excel ROUND uses half away from zero. Some other systems use banker’s rounding on .5. Stick to ROUND when you need Excel-compatible results.
Excel vs Google Sheets
Microsoft Excel (365 / Desktop)
Desktop Excel and Microsoft 365 support ROUND, ROUNDUP, and ROUNDDOWN with the same argument order. Japanese Excel menus label them 四捨五入 / 切り上げ / 切り捨て.
Google Sheets
Google Sheets uses the same function names and argument order. Results for typical half-away cases match Excel ROUND.
ROUND exercise for this guide
ROUND exercise
Round a price column to whole numbers with ROUND. The formula has to follow A2.
FAQ
How do I round a number in Excel?
Use =ROUND(A2, 0) for whole numbers, or =ROUND(A2, 2) for two decimal places. The second argument is how many digits to keep after the decimal point.
What is the difference between ROUND, ROUNDUP, and ROUNDDOWN?
ROUND follows half-away-from-zero. ROUNDUP always rounds away from zero. ROUNDDOWN always toward zero.
How do I round up in Excel?
Use =ROUNDUP(A2, 0) (or another digit count). Every non-zero fractional part pushes away from zero.
How do I truncate decimals in Excel?
Use =ROUNDDOWN(A2, 0) to drop toward zero, or =INT(A2) for positive numbers. ROUNDDOWN works for negatives too.
Does changing the cell format round the value?
No. Number formats only change display. Use ROUND (then paste values if you need the stored number changed).
Can I round to the nearest hundred?
Yes — use a negative digit count: =ROUND(A2, -2) rounds to the nearest hundred.
Do these work in Google Sheets?
Yes. ROUND, ROUNDUP, and ROUNDDOWN use the same names and argument order.
ROUND vs INT — which should I use?
INT always truncates toward −∞ for negatives. ROUNDDOWN always toward zero. ROUND uses half-away rules. Match the function to the rule you need.