Rounding numbers is an essential skill in Excel. It allows you to simplify numbers and calculations, while still maintaining an appropriate level of accuracy. In this comprehensive guide, we will cover everything you need to know about accurately rounding up numbers in Excel, including:
Table of Contents
Why Round Numbers in Excel?
There are a few key reasons you may want to round numbers in Excel:
- Simplify numbers – Rather than working with long decimals, you can round to simplify. For example, rounding $123.4567 to $123.46.
- Reduce false precision – Calculations in Excel often produce numbers with extra digits that don’t add value. Rounding removes this false precision.
- Ease calculations – Rounded numbers can make calculations like addition and subtraction easier.
- Present data – Rounding allows you to present clean numbers in a readable format.
Excel Rounding Functions
Excel has several functions dedicated to rounding numbers:
- ROUND – Rounds to a specified number of digits
- ROUNDUP – Always rounds up (away from zero)
- ROUNDDOWN – Always rounds down (towards zero)
- MROUND – Rounds to a specified multiple
The key rounding function is ROUND. But ROUNDUP and ROUNDDOWN are useful for always rounding in a particular direction.
Using the ROUND Function
The ROUND function rounds to a specified number of digits:
=ROUND(number, num_digits)- number – The number you want to round
- num_digits – The number of digits to round to
For example, to round 123.456 to 2 decimal places:
=ROUND(123.456, 2)Gives 123.46
Use a 0 to round to an integer:
=ROUND(123.456, 0)Gives 123
And a negative num_digits to round to the left of the decimal:
=ROUND(1234, -2)Gives 1200
Rounding Up with ROUNDUP
The ROUNDUP function always rounds up (away from zero).
Syntax:
=ROUNDUP(number, num_digits) For example to round 15.252 up to 2 decimals:
=ROUNDUP(15.252, 2)Gives 15.26
Rounding Down with ROUNDDOWN
ROUNDDOWN always rounds down (towards zero).
Syntax:
=ROUNDDOWN(number, num_digits)For example to round 15.252 down to 2 decimals:
=ROUNDDOWN(15.252, 2) Gives 15.25
Rounding to Multiples
To round to a multiple, use the MROUND function:
=MROUND(number, multiple)For example to round to the nearest 100:
=MROUND(1234, 100)Gives 1200
This rounds to the nearest multiple of 100.
Controlling Rounding Direction
By default, the ROUND function rounds up or down based on standard rounding rules:
- Round up if the next digit is 5 or more
- Round down if the next digit is 4 or less
But you can control the direction using:
- ROUNDUP – Always round up
- ROUNDDOWN – Always round down
Rounding Based on Criteria
To round numbers based on criteria, you can nest the rounding functions inside IF statements.
For example, to round down under 250 and round up over 250:
=IF(A1<250,ROUNDDOWN(A1,0),ROUNDUP(A1,0))Troubleshooting Rounding Errors
When rounding, be aware of a couple issues:
- Cumulative errors – Errors can compound across multiple rounding operations
- Inconsistent presentation – Formatting numbers as rounded for presentation only can lead to confusion
Thoroughly test your rounding approaches before rolling out across a model or dashboard.
Best Practices for Rounding
Follow these best practices when rounding numbers in Excel:
- Be consistent and clear on your rounding approach
- Use dedicated rounding functions like ROUND
- Specify the number of digits to round to
- Test calculated columns with rounding to validate
- Make rounded presentation numbers visually distinct
Additional Tips
- Use cell formatting for presentation only, not to permanently round
- Try rounding your data at the end of calculations to avoid accumulating errors
- Document your rounding methodology for future reference
By mastering Excel’s rounding functions, you can simplify numbers and calculations without sacrificing accuracy. This allows you to present clean data and make sound decisions based on your Excel analysis.
