There are many useful rounding functions in Google Sheets to help you control how you want to round numbers.
In one of my previous posts on how to round numbers in Google Sheets, I covered the most common ways to round. What I didn’t cover in that post was the CEILING function.
In this tutorial, I will cover how to use the CEILING function in Google Sheets
Table of Contents
What is the CEILING Function?
The CEILING function lets you round a number up to the nearest specified integer multiple.
The syntax of the CEILING function is:
=CEILING(value, [factor])
- value – this is the value that will be rounded up to the nearest integer multiple of the factor specified. It can be a value entered into the function or a cell reference with the value
- factor – this is the number that the value will be rounded to the nearest multiple of. This argument is optional and will be set to 1 by default. It cannot be equal to zero. It can be a value entered into the function or a cell reference
- If the value is positive, the factor has to also be positive, however, if the value is negative, factor can be positive or negative
- This function is often used with a factor set to .1 or .01 in order to round a number to a certain decimal place
Here is an example of this function is used in Google Sheets:
In the above example, look at how it rounds for each different factor argument that I used in the formula.
Using the CEILING Function
Next, I will walk you through step by step how to use this function in your spreadsheet. Here are the steps:
1. First, select the cell where you want the function to calculate and type the equals signs on your keyboard (=), then type “ceiling” and press Tab
2. Next we need to enter the value that will be rounded. Select the cell that contains your value and add a comma (,) when you are done
3. Next you need to enter the factor that you want to round to the nearest multiple of. In my example, I am rounding to one decimal place, so I use a .1. Add a closing parenthesis when you are done “)”
4. Press Enter on your keyboard to calculate the formula
5. If you have additional rows to calculate for you can copy and paste your formula down to perform the function on those rows. Your data will now be rounded according to the factor you have specified
Closing Thoughts
CEILING is one of many useful rounding functions in Google Sheets. If you want to learn more rounding functions, make sure to click the link at the top of this post where we cover different ways to round.
Try using this in your own spreadsheet so that you get familiar with how changing the factor argument will affect your rounded number.
More Google Sheets Tutorials:
How to Stop Rounding
How to Use the FLOOR Function