Why does IF say a number stored as text is greater than 100?
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=IF(--B2>=$F$1,"Bulk","Standard")Text always ranks above numbers in a comparison. Convert first: =IF(--B2>=$F$1,"Bulk","Standard").
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
C2, filled down toC7 - Works in
- Every current version
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in C2, filled down to C7. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
When a comparison mixes text and a number, Excel ranks every text value above every number, so "99" >= 100 is TRUE and the imported quantities all look large. The double minus turns the text into a number first, so the comparison is between numbers.
=IF(--B2>=$F$1,"Bulk","Standard")Result"Bulk"
B2"150"The value in B2.
-B2-150Makes the value negative.
--B2150Makes the value negative.
$F$1100The value in F1.
--B2>=$F$1TRUEThe >= operator tests at least.
IF(--B2>=$F$1,"Bulk","Standard")"Bulk"IF: Returns one value if a test is true, another if false.- logical_test
--B2>=$F$1TRUE - value_if_true
"Bulk" - value_if_false
"Standard"not used
- logical_test
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =IF(--B2>=$F$1,"Bulk","Standard"). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =IF(VALUE(B2)>=$F$1,"Bulk","Standard") | Bulk, Standard, Standard… | VALUE does the same conversion. |
| =IF(B2>=$F$1,"Bulk","Standard") | Bulk, Standard, Bulk…Different result | Without converting, text compares as larger than any number. "99" and "40" are labeled Bulk. |
Common mistakes
- Real numbers pass through
--unchanged, so the formula works on a mixed column. - Text that isn't a number, like "n/a", makes
--return #VALUE!.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Why does IF say a number stored as text is greater than 100
C2, show "Bulk" when the quantity is at least the amount in F1, otherwise "Standard", treating quantities stored as text as numbers. Fill down to C7.Questions
How do I find the numbers stored as text?
=ISTEXT(B2), or look for left-aligned numbers with a green triangle.
Do SUM and MAX have the same problem?
They skip text numbers instead of ranking them high, so totals come out too low.
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.