# How to always round up in Excel

Use =ROUNDUP(value,0) to round up to the next whole number, or =CEILING(value,step) to round up to a multiple.

**Excel:** `=ROUNDUP(B2/C2,0)` (Every current version)

**Google Sheets:** the same formula works.

## Example

Sample data (row 1 is the header):

| A | B | C | D |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Order | Units | Per box | Boxes needed |
| W-11 | 130 | 24 |  |
| W-12 | 48 | 24 |  |
| W-13 | 7 | 12 |  |
| W-14 | 250 | 36 |  |
| W-15 | 61 | 20 |  |

Formula in D2, filled to D6: `=ROUNDUP(B2/C2,0)`

Result: 6; 2; 1; 7; 4

## How it works

130 units at 24 per box is 5.42 boxes, but you can't ship 0.42 of a box. ROUNDUP with 0 digits always moves up to the next whole number, so any remainder adds a box. Exact divisions, like 48/24, stay as they are.

## Other ways

- `=CEILING(B2/C2,1)`: CEILING rounds up to a multiple of its second argument; with 1 it's the same as ROUNDUP(…,0).
- `=INT(B2/C2)+(MOD(B2,C2)>0)`: Full boxes plus one more if anything is left over. TRUE counts as 1 when added.

## Common mistakes

- ROUND would give 5 boxes for 130 units, leaving 10 units unshipped.
- ROUNDUP rounds away from zero, so -5.4 becomes -6. CEILING.MATH lets you choose the direction for negatives.

## Questions

**How do I round up to the nearest 10?**

Use `=ROUNDUP(A2,-1)` or `=CEILING(A2,10)`.

**How do I always round down?**

Use `=ROUNDDOWN(A2,0)`, or INT for positive numbers.

Every formula and result on this page was checked by running it in the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine on 2026-10-29.

Source: https://spreadsheetpractice.com/formulas/always-round-up