Excel is a spreadsheet developed by Microsoft. This application will help you to create, view, edit, and share your files with others as soon as possible. Sometimes, you want to round up the given value to the nearest multiple. To do so, Excel provides a CEILING function.
In this article, we are going to see the Excel CEILING Function with its syntax, description, and examples. Get an official version of MS Excel from the following link:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/microsoft-365/excel
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What is the CEILING Function?
CEILING is one of the built-in functions in Microsoft Excel. It comes under Math functions. We can use this function in our spreadsheet whenever we want to round a given number to the nearest specified multiple.
1) Syntax
- This is the basic syntax of the Excel CEILING Function.
=CEILING(number, significance)
2) Arguments
- Number – The input number that needs to be rounded.
- Significance – It is the specified multiple to round the value.
3) Motive
- This function helps to round the given number to the nearest specified multiple.
4) Return Value
- It returns the rounded number.
Note:
1) If any argument is a non-numeric value (letters and special characters) and then it returns #VALUE! Error.
2) In case, both arguments are negative integers, then the output value is rounded away from zero.
3) If the number is negative and the significance is positive and then the output value is rounded toward zero.
What Will CEILING Function Do?
As we said earlier, the CEILING function will return a rounded number based on the nearest specified multiple. This function is categorized as “Math” in Excel. For example, CEILING(2.3, 1) returns the value 3. Let’s see an example scenario to make you understand it easily.
Step 1: For example, we have a set of integer values in the range B3:C8. and we want to round those values with the help of the CEILING Function.
Step 2: Now, we need to apply the following formula in any cell where we want to get the result.
=CEILING(B3,C3)
Step 3: Now, click on the Enter button to get the result.
Step 4: In order to fill down the remaining cells, you just need to drag the first cell. It will auto-fill the remaining values, as shown in the below image.
We hope that the given scenario helped you to understand the CEILING function. Move to the below section if you have any confusion related to the working nature of this function.
Alternate Example
Here we will see how to apply the CEILING function in the spreadsheet with simple examples.
1) Suppose you want to round the integer values on your spreadsheet, then you can directly apply the formula in the cell.
2) For example, we want to round the integer 620 by 52. We can apply the following formula in a cell where we want the result.
=CEILING(620,52)
3) Hit the Enter button to get the result, as shown in the below image.
By doing so, you can quickly round the integers using the CEILING function.
Input that Causes Error
- If any argument is a non-numeric value (letters and special characters) and then it returns #VALUE! Error.
Input Negative Values
- If both arguments are negative integers, then the output value will round away from zero.
- The following image shows the negative input numbers and negative significance values, as a result, the output values are rounded away from zero.
- If the number is negative and the significance is positive and then the output value will round towards zero.
- In the following image, you can see the positive significance values and the negative input numbers, when applying the CEILING function, it will return the output values like below.
From the above examples, you can clearly understand the usage of the CEILING function.
Citations
To understand the usage of the CEILING function, we have referred to the following articles. They helped us to know the purpose of this function. You can also check them out using the links: Excel CEILING function[1], and What is CEILING function?[2].
- https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/excel/excel-ceiling-function/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floor_and_ceiling_functions
Verdict
With the help of the given scenarios and examples, you can easily understand the purpose of the CEILING function in Excel and how to apply it in the spreadsheet. The screenshots help to learn it even easier. Drop your feedback in the below comment section. Thanks for visiting AawExcel. Keep Learning!!
If you want to know what people think about this CEILING Function of Excel, then we suggest you look for it on the Quora interaction webpage. From there you can get to know more about the Excel CEILING function. Here, we have provided the link to Quora’s official website.
Video Tutorial
The following video will show you how to use the Excel CEILING function in the spreadsheet with proper examples.
