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ROUNDUP

Rounds a number up, away from zero, to a specified number of digits.

Quick Example​

=ROUNDUP(3.14159, 2)

Returns 3.15.

Syntax​

=ROUNDUP(number, num_digits)

Arguments​

  • number (required): The number you want to round up
  • num_digits (optional): The number of digits to which you want to round. Defaults to 0 if omitted.

Examples​

Round Up to Integer​

=ROUNDUP(3.1, 0)

Returns 4 (always rounds up)

Round Up to Two Decimal Places​

=ROUNDUP(3.141, 2)

Returns 3.15 (rounds up at the third decimal)

Round Up to Tens​

=ROUNDUP(1234, -1)

Returns 1240 (rounds up to nearest 10)

Round Up to Hundreds​

=ROUNDUP(1501, -2)

Returns 1600 (rounds up to nearest 100)

Round Up Negative Numbers​

=ROUNDUP(-3.1, 0)

Returns -4 (rounds away from zero, so more negative)

Always Round Up​

=ROUNDUP(2.01, 0)

Returns 3 (even tiny fractions round up)

How It Works​

Always Rounds Away from Zero​

Unlike ROUND which uses standard rounding, ROUNDUP always rounds away from zero:

  • Positive numbers round up (toward positive infinity)
  • Negative numbers round down (toward negative infinity)
  • Both directions move "away from zero"

Positive num_digits​

Rounds up to decimal places to the right of the decimal point:

=ROUNDUP(3.14159, 0)  // Returns 4
=ROUNDUP(3.14159, 1)  // Returns 3.2
=ROUNDUP(3.14159, 2)  // Returns 3.15
=ROUNDUP(3.14159, 3)  // Returns 3.142

Negative num_digits​

Rounds up to the left of the decimal point:

=ROUNDUP(1234, 0)   // Returns 1234
=ROUNDUP(1234, -1)  // Returns 1240
=ROUNDUP(1234, -2)  // Returns 1300
=ROUNDUP(1234, -3)  // Returns 2000

Negative Number Behavior​

For negative numbers, "up" means away from zero (more negative):

=ROUNDUP(-3.1, 0)   // Returns -4
=ROUNDUP(-3.14, 1)  // Returns -3.2
=ROUNDUP(-1234, -1) // Returns -1240

Common Use Cases​

Conservative Estimates​

=ROUNDUP(Material_Needed, 0)

Always order enough materials (round up quantities)

Inventory Planning​

=ROUNDUP(Units_Required/Package_Size, 0)

Calculate how many full packages to order

Billing​

=ROUNDUP(Hours_Worked * Rate, 2)

Round billing amounts up to favor the service provider

Capacity Planning​

=ROUNDUP(Attendees/Room_Capacity, 0)

Calculate minimum number of rooms needed

Buffer Calculations​

=ROUNDUP(Estimated_Time * 1.2, 0)

Add buffer and round up for scheduling

Error Handling​

Error Propagation​

If any argument contains an error, ROUNDUP returns that error:

=ROUNDUP(#DIV/0!, 2)

Returns #DIV/0!

Common Errors​

ErrorCauseSolution
#VALUE!Non-numeric argument or multi-cell rangeEnsure arguments are numbers
#REF!Invalid cell referenceVerify cell reference exists
#NAME?Function name misspelledCheck spelling: =ROUNDUP not =ROUNDU

Single Cell References​

=ROUNDUP(A1, 2)

If A1 is a multi-cell range, returns #VALUE!

Technical Details​

Implementation Notes​

  • Requires 1 or 2 arguments
  • num_digits defaults to 0 if omitted
  • Always rounds away from zero
  • Works with single values or single-cell references

Rounding Algorithm​

For positive numbers:

result = ceil(number * 10^num_digits) / 10^num_digits

For negative numbers:

result = floor(number * 10^num_digits) / 10^num_digits

Type Coercion​

Text that can be converted to numbers is accepted:

=ROUNDUP("3.14", 1)

Returns 3.2 (string is coerced to number)

Comparison: ROUNDUP vs ROUND​

ROUNDUP - Always Away from Zero​

=ROUNDUP(2.1, 0)  // Returns 3
=ROUNDUP(2.5, 0)  // Returns 3
=ROUNDUP(2.9, 0)  // Returns 3

ROUND - Standard Rounding​

=ROUND(2.1, 0)  // Returns 2
=ROUND(2.5, 0)  // Returns 3 (rounds 0.5 up)
=ROUND(2.9, 0)  // Returns 3

Comparison: Positive vs Negative Numbers​

Positive Number​

=ROUNDUP(3.14, 1)  // Returns 3.2 (rounds up)

Negative Number​

=ROUNDUP(-3.14, 1)  // Returns -3.2 (rounds away from zero = more negative)

Advanced Examples​

Calculate Required Packages​

=ROUNDUP(Total_Units/Units_Per_Package, 0)

If you need 47 units and packages contain 10, returns 5 packages

Round Up to Next Interval​

=ROUNDUP(A1/0.25, 0)*0.25

Round up to next quarter (0.25 increment)

Ensure Minimum Value​

=ROUNDUP(Calculated_Fee, 2)

Ensure fees are always rounded up, never down

  • ROUND - Standard rounding