How to use the ROUNDUP function
What is the ROUNDUP function?
The ROUNDUP function calculates a number rounded up based on the number of digits to which you want to round the number.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
How to round numbers?
Rounding is a method to simplify a number by reducing its digits while keeping its approximate value close to the original value.
There are a few common ways to round:
- Round to a set number of decimal places, rounding 2.13579 to 2 decimal places gives 2.14.
- Round up or down to the nearest integer, rounding up 2.3 gives 3. Rounding down 2.3 gives 2.
- Round to a set increment, rounding to the nearest 10 rounds 17 to 20.
- Round to significant figures, rounding 2.333 to 3 significant figures gives 2.33.
When rounding, look at the first digit after where you want to round. If it's 5 or more, round up. If less than 5, round down. Rounding makes numbers cleaner and easier to work with in many everyday situations, however, they may also cause rounding errors like rounded values can compound errors. Rounding measurements and constants may reduces precision. It is better to round numbers after performing calculations than before.
What is a decimal place?
A decimal place refers to each position held by a digit in a number. The first decimal place is the tenths place (1/10), the second is the hundreds place (1/100) and so on.
What is a comma?
Commas are frequently used in large numbers to help read and interpret the values easier. Commas separate thousands place values in large numbers. For example:
- 10,000 - ten thousand
- 100,000 - one hundred thousand
- 1,000,000 - one million
The comma creates groups of three digits, making it easier to count the zeroes and understand the scale.
In decimal numbers with both whole and fractional parts, commas separate the whole number groups of three digits. For example:
- 3,421.256
- 102,734,221.985
What is an integer?
An integer is a whole number that can be positive, negative, or zero, but not a fraction or decimal.
What other Excel functions round numbers?
| ROUND | Rounds a number to a specified number of digits |
| ROUNDUP | Rounds a number up, away from zero |
| ROUNDDOWN | Rounds a number down, towards zero |
| MROUND | Rounds a number to the nearest multiple of a specified value |
| CEILING | Rounds a number up to its nearest multiple. |
| ODD | Returns number rounded up to the nearest odd integer. |
| EVEN | Rounds a number up to the nearest even whole number. |
| FIXED | Rounds a number to the specified number of decimals, lets you ignore comma separators. |
2. Syntax
ROUNDUP(number, num_digits)
| number | Required. The value to round. |
| num_digits | Required. A number representing the digit you want to round up to. |
The ROUNDUP function rounds
- up to the given decimal if num_digit is larger than 0 (zero).
- up to the nearest integer if num_digit is 0 (zero).
- up the number to the left of the decimal point if num_digit is less than 0 (zero).
3. Example 1
The ROUNDUP function takes two arguments: the number to round and the number of digits to round to. Positive digits round to decimal places, 0 rounds to whole numbers, and negative digits round to tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.
Formula in cell D3:
- number = 11.3
- digits = 0
The function in cell D3 rounds 11.3 up to the nearest whole number (0 decimal places) which is 12.
Formula in cell D4:
- number = 11.7
- digits = 0
The function in cell D4 rounds 11.7 up to the nearest whole number (0 decimal places) which is 12.
How to round a number up to one decimal?
Formula in cell D5:
- number = 11.3
- digits = 1
The function in cell D5 rounds 11.3 up to 1 decimal places which is 11.3.
Formula in cell D6:
- number = 11.7
- digits = 1
The function in cell D6 rounds 11.7 up to 1 decimal which is 11.7.
Formula in cell D7:
- number = 11.39
- digits = 1
The function in cell D7 rounds 11.39 up to 1 decimal which is 11.4.
Formula in cell D8:
- number = 11.32
- digits = 1
The function in cell D8 rounds 11.32 up to 1 decimal which is 11.4.
Formula in cell D9:
- number = 11.35
- digits = 1
The function in cell D9 rounds 11.35 up to 1 decimal places which is 11.4.
How to round a number up to the nearest whole number?
Formula in cell D10:
- number = -1.2
- digits = 0
The function in cell D10 rounds -1.2 to up the nearest whole number which is -2.
Formula in cell D11:
- number = -1.9
- digits = 0
The function in cell D11 rounds -1.9 up to the nearest whole number which is -2.
How to round a number up to the nearest multiple of 10?
Formula in cell D12:
- number = 111
- digits = -1
The function in cell D12 rounds 111 up to -1 digits which rounds the value to tens. In this case: 120.
How to round a number up to the nearest multiple of 100?
Formula in cell D13:
- number = 111
- digits = -2
The function in cell D13 rounds 111 up to -2 digits meaning rounding the value to hundreds. In this case: 200.
How to round a number up to the nearest multiple of 1000?
Formula in cell D14:
- number = 111
- digits = -3
The function in cell D14 rounds 111 up to -3 digits meaning rounding the value to thousands. In this case: 1000.
4. Example 2
What is the volume of a sphere if the radius (r) is 6 units? Round the number up to two decimals.
Here is what we know:
- A sphere has the following math formula:
Volume = (4 × π × r3)/3 - The radius (r) is 6 units.
Formula in cell C22:
The volume formula in cell C22 returns 904.78 cubic units. Here is how the formula works in simple terms:
- Calculate pi (π) using the PI() function.
- Cube the radius. 63 = 6 * 6 * 6 = 316 cubic units.
- Multiply 4 by pi by the radius cubed. 4 * π * 63 = 2714.33605270158
- Divide the product by 3. 2714.33605270158 / 3 = 904.77868423386
- Round the ratio down based on two decimals. 904.77868423386 becomes 904.78 cubic units.
Explaining the formula in cell C22
Step 1 - Calculate pi
The PI function returns the number pi (¶).
Function syntax: PI()
PI() returns 3.14159265358979
Step 2 - Cube the radius
The caret character allows you to raise a number to the power of n. The radius is 6 units. The caret character followed by number 3 lets you cube a given number.
C19^3 becomes 6^3 which returns 316
Step 3 - Multiply 4 by pi by the radius cubed
The asterisk character * lets you multiply numbers in an Excel formula.
4*PI()*C19^3 becomes 4 * 3.14159265358979 * 316
and it returns 2714.33605270158
Step 3 - Divide the product by 3
The division character lets you calculate the ratio between two numbers.
4*PI()*C19^3/3
becomes
2714.33605270158/3
and it returns 904.77868423386.
Step 3 - Round up the ratio to two decimals
ROUNDUP(4*PI()*C19^3/3,2)
becomes
ROUNDUP(904.77868423386,2)
and returns 904.78
'ROUNDUP' function examples
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Functions in 'Math and trigonometry' category
The ROUNDUP function function is one of 62 functions in the 'Math and trigonometry' category.
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