The CEILING.PRECISE function takes two arguments, number and significance. The number argument is the numeric value to round up, and is the only required argument. With no other input, CEILING.PRECISE 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.PRECISE can also understand time entered as text like “0:15”. The default value of significance is 1.
Examples
By default, CEILING.PRECISE rounds up to the next integer, with a significance of 1. To round to a different multiple, provide a value for significance :
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: The CEILING.PRECISE function always rounds negative numbers toward zero, and ignores the sign of significance. If you need control over rounding of negative values up or down, see the CEILING.MATH function.
CEILING.PRECISE vs CEILING
The CEILING.PRECISE function together with the CEILING.MATH function replace the original CEILING function, which is now classified as a “compatibility function”. The behavior is very similar, but CEILING.PRECISE differs from the CEILING function in these key ways:
Notes
CEILING.PRECISE always rounds negative numbers toward zero. If number is an exact multiple of significance, no rounding occurs. To round to the nearest multiple (up or down) see the MROUND function.
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.
