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    CEILING.MATH

    Math & Trig

    Rounds a number up to the nearest integer or to the nearest multiple of significance, with explicit control over how negative numbers are rounded.

    Translations
    EnglishCEILING.MATH
    FrenchPLAFOND.MATH
    SpanishMULTIPLO.SUPERIOR.MAT
    GermanOBERGRENZE.MATHEMATIK
    ItalianARROTONDA.ECCESSO.MAT
    PortugueseTETO.MAT
    DutchAFRONDEN.BOVEN.WISK
    PolishZAOKR.W.GÓRĘ.MATEMATYCZNE
    RussianОКРВВЕРХ.МАТ
    TurkishTAVANAYUVARLA.MAT
    CzechZAOKR.NAHORU.MAT
    HungarianPLAFON.MAT
    SwedishRUNDA.UPP.MAT
    DanishAFRUND.LOFT.MAT
    FinnishPYÖRISTÄ.KERR.YLÖS.MAT
    Syntax
    CEILING.MATH(number, [significance], [mode])

    Arguments

    • numberThe number to round up.
    • significanceOptional. The multiple to round to (default 1).(optional)
    • modeOptional. For negative numbers: 0 = round toward zero (default), nonzero = round away from zero.(optional)
    Examples
    =CEILING.MATH(4.3)
    5

    Rounds up to nearest integer

    =CEILING.MATH(-5.5,2,0)
    -4

    Negative rounded toward zero

    =CEILING.MATH(-5.5,2,1)
    -6

    Negative rounded away from zero

    Tips & Best Practices
    • •Available since Excel 2013 — replaces the older CEILING with clearer behavior for negatives
    • •If significance is omitted, defaults to 1 (round to integer)
    • •Modern alternative: CEILING.PRECISE always rounds toward +∞ regardless of sign
    Common Mistakes
    • •Assuming the mode argument works the same way in every situation - it only affects negative numbers, so testing exclusively with positive inputs can hide bugs that only show up once negative values are involved
    • •Confusing CEILING.MATH's default rounding direction for negatives (toward zero) with CEILING.PRECISE's fixed direction (always toward positive infinity) - the two functions behave differently on the same negative input unless mode is explicitly set
    • •Forgetting that significance and number should generally share intent even though CEILING.MATH is more forgiving about sign mismatches than the legacy CEILING function was
    Related Functions
    CEILING.PRECISEAlways rounds toward positive infinity regardless of sign, removing the need for a mode argument that CEILING.MATH requires for negative-number control.
    FLOOR.MATHRounds down instead of up, using the same significance and mode argument structure as CEILING.MATH.
    MROUNDRounds to the nearest multiple rather than always rounding up, a different rounding strategy than CEILING.MATH's always-up behavior.
    Frequently Asked Questions

    What does the mode argument in CEILING.MATH actually control?

    It only affects how negative numbers are rounded - 0 (the default) rounds toward zero, while any nonzero value rounds away from zero. It has no effect on positive numbers.

    What's the difference between CEILING.MATH and CEILING.PRECISE?

    CEILING.PRECISE always rounds toward positive infinity regardless of sign, with no mode argument. CEILING.MATH gives you explicit control over negative-number rounding direction via its mode argument.

    Why does CEILING.MATH give a different result than the old CEILING function for the same negative input?

    The legacy CEILING function required matching signs between number and significance and had less flexible negative-number handling. CEILING.MATH's mode argument gives explicit, more predictable control over that behavior.

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