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Math function

CEILING.MATH

Rounds a number up to the nearest integer or multiple of significance.

CommonDifficulty 1100 · ProficientUsage rank #140 of 520
Practice · 3 questions →

When to use it

Rounds up to the nearest integer or multiple. The mode argument decides what "up" means for negatives: by default toward positive infinity, or away from zero with mode 1.

The shape of it

Syntax
=CEILING.MATH(number, [significance], [mode])

Worked examples

  • Up to a whole number

    =CEILING.MATH(6.7) 7

    No significance means the nearest integer.

  • Up to a multiple

    =CEILING.MATH(23,10) 30

    Up to a multiple of 10.

  • Negative with mode

    =CEILING.MATH(-5.5,2,1) -6

    Mode 1 rounds away from zero. Without it the answer is -4.

Worth knowing

  • Replaces CEILING and CEILING.PRECISE; it handles negative numbers without errors.
  • Use it for pack sizes: =CEILING.MATH(units,12) gives the dozens to order.
  • For prices ending in .99, round up then subtract 0.01.

Where it goes wrong

  • Forgetting mode gives -4 for CEILING.MATH(-5.5,2), which surprises people who expect away-from-zero.
  • Significance of 0 returns 0.

Related

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