Summary

The Excel ROUNDUP function returns a number rounded up to a given number of decimal places. Unlike standard rounding, where only numbers less than 5 are rounded down, ROUNDUP rounds all numbers up.

Purpose 

Round a number up to a given number of digits

Return value 

A rounded number.

Arguments 

  • number - The number to round up.
  • num_digits - The place at which number should be rounded.

Syntax 

=ROUNDUP(number, num_digits)

Usage notes 

The ROUNDUP function rounds numbers up. Unlike standard rounding, where only numbers less than 5 are rounded down, ROUNDUP rounds all numbers up. For example:

=ROUNDUP(3.1,0) // returns 4

ROUNDUP takes two arguments, number and num_digits. Number is the number to be rounded, and num_digits is the place at which number should be rounded. When num_digits is greater than zero, the ROUNDUP function rounds on the right side of the decimal point. When num_digits is less or equal to zero, the ROUNDUP function rounds on the left side of the decimal point. Use zero (0) for num_digits to round to the nearest integer. The table below summarizes this behavior:

Digits Behavior
>0 Round up to nearest .1, .01, .001, etc.
<0 Round up to nearest 10, 100, 1000, etc.
=0 Round up to nearest 1

Round to right of decimal

To round up values to the right of the decimal point, use a positive number for digits:  

=ROUNDUP(A1,1) // Round up to 1 decimal place
=ROUNDUP(A1,2) // Round up to 2 decimal places
=ROUNDUP(A1,3) // Round up to 3 decimal places
=ROUNDUP(A1,4) // Round up to 4 decimal places

Round to left of decimal

To round up values to the left of the decimal point, use zero or a negative number for digits:  

=ROUNDUP(A1,0) // Round up to nearest whole number
=ROUNDUP(A1,-1) // Round up to nearest 10
=ROUNDUP(A1,-2) // Round up to nearest 100
=ROUNDUP(A1,-3) // Round up to nearest 1000
=ROUNDUP(A1,-4) // Round up to nearest 10000

Nesting inside ROUNDUP

Other operations and functions can be nested inside the ROUNDUP function. For example, to round the result of A1 divided by B1, you can use a formula like this:

=ROUNDUP(A1/B1,0) // round up result to nearest integer

Other rounding functions

Excel provides a number of rounding functions, each with a different behavior:

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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.