Quick Navigation

CEILING Function

Excel 2007+

Summary

The Excel CEILING function rounds a number up to the nearest multiple of a specified significance value. It always rounds away from zero, making it ideal for pricing strategies, inventory calculations, and financial rounding where you need to consistently round up.

Syntax

CEILING(number, significance)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
number	`Number`	Yes	The value you want to round up to the nearest multiple
significance	`Number`	Yes	The interval or multiple for rounding (can be positive or negative)

Using the CEILING Function

CEILING excels at scenarios requiring upward rounding away from zero. Use it for retail pricing to round up to the next nickel or dime, tax calculations needing conservative estimates, or any situation where under-rounding could cause issues.

Common CEILING Examples

Basic Positive Rounding

=CEILING(2.5, 1)

Rounds 2.5 up to the nearest multiple of 1, result: 3

Negative Number with Negative Significance

=CEILING(-2.5, -2)

Rounds -2.5 away from zero to nearest multiple of -2, result: -4

Negative Number with Positive Significance

=CEILING(-2.5, 2)

Rounds -2.5 towards zero to nearest multiple of 2, result: -2

Pricing to Nearest Nickel

=CEILING(4.42, 0.05)

Rounds $4.42 up to nearest nickel for pricing, result: 4.45

Decimal Precision Rounding

=CEILING(0.234, 0.01)

Rounds 0.234 up to nearest hundredth, result: 0.24

Frequently Asked Questions

No rounding occurs; CEILING returns the exact value.

CEILING considers significance sign: negative significance with negative number rounds away from zero (downward).

Yes, #VALUE! error if either argument is non-numeric.

Common Errors and Solutions

#VALUE! Error

Cause: Either number or significance contains non-numeric data

Solution: Ensure both arguments are valid numbers

Unexpected rounding direction

Cause: Significance has wrong sign relative to number

Solution: Match significance sign appropriately for desired direction

Notes

Always rounds away from zero
If number is exact multiple of significance, returns unchanged
Available in Excel 2007 and later versions
Use CEILING.MATH for more advanced rounding modes

Compatibility

Available in: Excel 2007, Excel 2010, Excel 2013, Excel 2016, Excel 2019, Excel 2021, Microsoft 365

Not available in: Excel 2003 and earlier

Content last reviewed: December 9, 2025
Update frequency: As needed
Excel versions tested: Excel 2007+