Summary

The Excel FLOOR.PRECISE function rounds a number down to a given multiple. FLOOR.PRECISE defaults to a multiple of 1, and always rounds negative numbers away from zero.

Purpose 

Round number down to nearest multiple

Return value 

A rounded number

Syntax

=FLOOR.PRECISE(number,[significance])
  • number - The number that should be rounded.
  • significance - [optional] Multiple to use when rounding. Default is 1.

How to use 

The Excel FLOOR.PRECISE function rounds a number down to a given multiple, where multiple is provided as the significance argument. If the number is already an exact multiple, no rounding occurs and the original number is returned.

The FLOOR.PRECISE function takes two arguments, number and significance. The number argument is the numeric value to round down, 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 FLOOR.PRECISE can also understand time entered as text like "0:15". The default value of significance is 1.

Examples

By default, FLOOR.PRECISE rounds down to the next integer, with a significance of 1.

=FLOOR.PRECISE(3.75) // returns 3
=FLOOR.PRECISE(8.9) // returns 8

To round to a different multiple, provide a value for significance :

=FLOOR.PRECISE(5.75,3) // returns 3
=FLOOR.PRECISE(5.75,2) // returns 4
=FLOOR.PRECISE(5.75,0.5) // returns 5.5

Rounding negative numbers

The FLOOR.PRECISE function always rounds negative numbers down away from zero, and ignores the sign of significance.

=FLOOR.PRECISE(-4.1) // returns -5
=FLOOR.PRECISE(-4.1,1) // returns -5
=FLOOR.PRECISE(-4.1,-1) // returns -5

FLOOR.PRECISE vs FLOOR

The FLOOR.PRECISE function differs from the FLOOR function in these ways:

  1. Provides a default significance of 1, rounding to nearest integer
  2. Always rounds negative numbers down away from zero
  3. Ignores the sign of significance (uses the absolute value)

Notes

  • FLOOR.PRECISE always rounds negative down away from 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.
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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.