The CEILING.MATH function takes three arguments, number, significance, and mode. Number is the numeric value to round up, and is the only required argument. With no other input, CEILING.MATH will round number up to the next integer. The significance argument is the multiple to which number should be rounded. In most cases, significance is provided as a numeric value, but CEILING.MATH can also understand time entered as text like “0:15”. The default value of significance is 1. The mode argument controls the direction negative values are rounded. By default, CEILING.MATH rounds negative values up toward zero. Setting mode to 1 or TRUE changes behavior so that negative values are rounded away from zero. The default value of mode is 0 or FALSE, so you can think of mode as a setting that means “round away from zero”. Mode has no effect when number is positive.
Examples
By default, CEILING.MATH rounds to the nearest integer, using a significance of 1. Provide a value for significance to round to a different multiple:
Rounding negative numbers
By default, positive numbers with decimal portions are rounded up to the nearest integer and negative numbers with decimal portions are rounded toward zero: Control for rounding negative numbers toward zero or away from zero is provided via the optional mode argument. Mode defaults to zero. When mode is zero, or omitted, CEILING.MATH rounds negative numbers toward zero. When mode is 1 or TRUE, CEILING.MATH rounds negative numbers away from zero. Mode has no effect on positive numbers.
CEILING.MATH vs CEILING
The CEILING.MATH function together with the CEILING.PRECISE function replace the original CEILING function, which is now classified as a “compatibility function”. The behavior is very similar, but CEILING.MATH provides explicit control over how negative numbers are rounded. CEILING.MATH differs from CEILING in these key ways:
Notes
To round to the nearest multiple (up or down) see the MROUND function. CEILING.MATH works like CEILING, but provides control for rounding negative values. The mode argument has no effect on positive numbers. If number is an exact multiple of significance, no rounding occurs.
Dave Bruns
Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.
