ExcelMathBeginner

CEILING

Rounds a number up to the nearest multiple of significance.

Read the syntaxReview worked examplesOpen the spreadsheet app
=CEILING(number, significance)
Open Spreadsheet Explorer

This static page keeps the function indexed for search, while the spreadsheet app handles interactive exploration and saved formulas.

What the function does

Overview

Rounds a number up to the nearest multiple of significance.

The CEILING function is used to round a number upwards, away from zero, to the nearest multiple of a specified significance. This is particularly useful in scenarios where you need to ensure a value meets a minimum increment, such as pricing items in specific denominations or scheduling tasks in fixed time blocks. For example, CEILING(2.3, 0.5) would return 2.5, as 2.5 is the smallest multiple of 0.5 that is greater than or equal to 2.3. Both `number` and `significance` must have the same sign; if they don't, the function will return a #NUM! error. If `number` is an exact multiple of `significance`, no rounding occurs. This function is part of a family of rounding functions, including CEILING.MATH and CEILING.PRECISE, which offer more flexible handling of negative numbers.

Quick reference

Syntax

=CEILING(number, significance)

Inputs

Arguments

numberThe number you want to round.
Example: A2
significanceThe multiple to which you want to round.
Example: 0.05

Formula patterns

Examples

1

Round Up to Nearest Quarter

=CEILING(2.17, 0.25)
roundingpricingincrements
2

Round Up Time to Next Hour

=CEILING(TIME(10, 15, 0), TIME(1, 0, 0))
timescheduling

Avoid these issues

Common Errors

1

#NUM!

Cause: The 'number' and 'significance' arguments have different signs.

Fix: Ensure both 'number' and 'significance' are either both positive or both negative. If you need to handle mixed signs, consider CEILING.MATH or CEILING.PRECISE.

2

#VALUE!

Cause: One or both arguments are non-numeric.

Fix: Verify that 'number' and 'significance' are valid numeric values or references to cells containing numbers.

Platform support

Compatibility

Excel 2007+Google Sheets

Available in all modern versions of Excel. CEILING.MATH and CEILING.PRECISE offer more flexible sign handling.

Source: Microsoft Support

Common questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Rounds a number up to the nearest multiple of significance.

number: The number you want to round. significance: The multiple to which you want to round.

#NUM!: Ensure both 'number' and 'significance' are either both positive or both negative. If you need to handle mixed signs, consider CEILING.MATH or CEILING.PRECISE. #VALUE!: Verify that 'number' and 'significance' are valid numeric values or references to cells containing numbers.