Learn all methods to round decimals to whole numbers in Excel
Excel provides multiple functions to round decimal numbers to whole integers (no decimal places). The method you choose depends on whether you want standard rounding, always rounding up, or always rounding down.
=ROUND(number, 0)
Standard rounding (5 rounds up, <5 rounds down)
=ROUNDUP(number, 0)
Always rounds UP to the next whole number
=ROUNDDOWN(number, 0)
Always rounds DOWN to the previous whole number
| Original | ROUND | ROUNDUP | ROUNDDOWN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 3.5 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 3.9 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
The ROUND function follows standard mathematical rounding rules: decimals 0.5 and above round up, decimals below 0.5 round down.
=ROUND(number, 0)
The 0 means "zero decimal places" = whole number
Step 1: Click the cell where you want the result
Step 2: Type =ROUND(
Step 3: Click the cell with your number (or type it directly)
Step 4: Type , 0) and press Enter
=ROUND(12.3, 0) → 12
=ROUND(12.5, 0) → 13 (0.5 rounds up)
=ROUND(12.8, 0) → 13
=ROUND(99.4, 0) → 99
=ROUND(99.9, 0) → 100
The ROUNDUP function always rounds UP to the next whole number, no matter how small the decimal.
=ROUNDUP(number, 0)
Even 0.1 will round up to the next whole number
=ROUNDUP(12.1, 0) → 13 (rounds up)
=ROUNDUP(12.5, 0) → 13 (rounds up)
=ROUNDUP(12.9, 0) → 13 (rounds up)
=ROUNDUP(3.01, 0) → 4 (even tiny decimals round up)
💡 When to use: Inventory (need whole units), packaging (can't order partial boxes), billing hours (round time up)
The ROUNDDOWN function always rounds DOWN, removing all decimals (truncating).
=ROUNDDOWN(number, 0)
Removes all decimals, keeps only the whole number part
=ROUNDDOWN(12.1, 0) → 12 (rounds down)
=ROUNDDOWN(12.5, 0) → 12 (rounds down)
=ROUNDDOWN(12.9, 0) → 12 (rounds down)
=ROUNDDOWN(99.99, 0) → 99 (even .99 rounds down)
💡 When to use: Age calculations, years of service, completed cycles, conservative estimates
The INT function returns the integer portion by rounding down to the nearest integer.
=INT(12.3) → 12
=INT(12.9) → 12
=INT(99.99) → 99
Note: INT is identical to ROUNDDOWN(n, 0) for positive numbers
The TRUNC function removes the decimal part without rounding.
=TRUNC(12.3) → 12
=TRUNC(12.9) → 12
=TRUNC(99.99) → 99
Note: TRUNC behaves like ROUNDDOWN for whole numbers
CEILING rounds up to the nearest multiple, FLOOR rounds down.
=CEILING(12.3, 1) → 13 (rounds up to nearest 1)
=FLOOR(12.9, 1) → 12 (rounds down to nearest 1)
Round dollar amounts to whole numbers for simplicity
Price: $1,234.67
=ROUND(1234.67, 0) → $1,235
Calculate whole units needed (can't order 23.7 items)
Needed: 23.7 units
=ROUNDUP(23.7, 0) → 24 units
Average employees per department (people are whole numbers)
Average: 7.8 people
=ROUND(7.8, 0) → 8 people
Display survey results as whole numbers
Rating: 4.6 stars
=ROUND(4.6, 0) → 5 stars
| Value | ROUND | ROUNDUP | ROUNDDOWN | INT | TRUNC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 5.5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 5.9 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 12.3 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| 99.99 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 99 | 99 |
=ROUND(A2, 0)
5+ up, <5 down
=ROUNDUP(A2, 0)
Any decimal rounds up
=ROUNDDOWN(A2, 0)
Remove all decimals
=INT(A2)
Same as ROUNDDOWN
=TRUNC(A2)
Cuts off decimals
The 0 means
"zero decimals"