ROUNDDOWN removes digits toward zero at a specified decimal position. It turns 12.7 into 12 and -12.7 into -12 when you keep zero decimal places.
ROUNDDOWN function syntax
=ROUNDDOWN(value, [places])- value: the number or calculation to round.
- places: the decimal positions to retain. The default is 0, giving a whole number.
- Positive places retain decimals; -1 rounds toward zero to tens, -2 to hundreds, and so on.
Set up the example data
Enter this dataset starting in A1. The first row contains headings. Keep the result area separate from the source table.
| Value |
|---|
| 12.789 |
| 4.321 |
| -12.7 |
| 47 |
| 100 |
Round down to a whole number
Enter this formula in A9. With 12.789 in A2, keeping zero decimal places returns 12. The discarded digits do not increase the retained number.
=ROUNDDOWN(A2,0)Result: 12.
Keep two decimal places
For the value in A2, places 2 returns 12.78. With 4.321 in A3, the same pattern returns 4.32. This changes the numeric result, not only its appearance.
=ROUNDDOWN(A2,2)Result: 12.78.
Round toward zero to tens
The value 47 is in A5. Setting places to -1 returns 40. Use -2 for hundreds; values smaller than one hundred in magnitude then become zero.
=ROUNDDOWN(A5,-1)Result: 40.
Understand negative numbers
The value -12.7 is in A4. ROUNDDOWN returns -12, which is closer to zero. INT instead returns -13 because it rounds to an integer less than or equal to the input.
=ROUNDDOWN(A4,0)Result: -12.
Apply a discount before rounding
For a positive price of 100 in A6, multiplying by 0.85 applies a 15% discount. The result is already 85, so rounding to whole dollars leaves it unchanged.
=ROUNDDOWN(A6*0.85,0)Result: 85.
Round a total or apply a condition
SUM first adds A2:A3, then ROUNDDOWN returns the integer 17. Rounding each component first could produce a different total, so decide at which stage rounding belongs.
=ROUNDDOWN(SUM(A2:A3),0)Result: 17.
Round only positive values
This IF formula rounds positive inputs and keeps other values unchanged. For A4, the result remains -12.7. Change the condition to match your actual rule.
=IF(A4>0,ROUNDDOWN(A4,0),A4)Result: -12.7.
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