How to Use the ISO.CEILING Function in Google Sheets

This guide will explain how to use the ISO.CEILING function in Google Sheets.

In mathematics and computer science, a ceiling function maps a given value x to the lowest integer greater than or equal to x. When writing equations, the ceiling function is often indicated using the following notation: ⌈x⌉.

Google Sheets includes a built-in ceiling function called ISO.CEILING, which you can use to round up values. 

In this guide, we will provide a step-by-step tutorial on how to use the ISO.CEILING function yourself.

The Anatomy of the ISO.CEILING Function

The syntax of the ISO.CEILING function is as follows:

=ISO.CEILING(number, [significance])

Let’s look at each argument to understand how to use the ISO.CEILING function.

• number refers to the value you want to round up to the nearest integer or multiple of significance.
• significance will be the value to whose multiples the number argument will be rounded. If the significance is not specified, the function will use 1 by default.
• Do note that negative numbers are rounded up toward zero. If you wish to control the direction of rounding for negative numbers, we recommend using the CEILING.MATH function instead.
• If your use case involves only truncating decimals to a certain number of significant digits, you may also try the TRUNC function.

A Real Example of Using the ISO.CEILING Function in Google Sheets

Let’s explore a few simple examples using  the ISO.CEILING function.

Suppose we want to find the ceiling of the value 3.5. Since no significance value is given, we will  need to round up to the nearest integer.

We’ll use the following formula to get the ceiling:

=ISO.CEILING(3.5)

Our function outputs 4 since 4 is the lowest integer greater than or equal to 3.5. 

The ceiling function can also accept a value of significance which determines what multiple you want to round up by.

Suppose we want to get the ceiling of 6.5 using a significance of 5. We can use the following formula:

=ISO.CEILING(6.5,5)

The function determines our ceiling will be 10 rather than 7. This is because 10 is the lowest multiple of five greater than 6.5.

We can also use the ISO.CEILING function to round up a decimal value to a particular decimal place. This is done by using a significance value like 0.1 or 0.01.

For example, we can use the following formula to round up the nearest two decimal places:

=ISO.CEILING(12.5452,0.01)

By providing a significance of 0.01, we can use the ISO.CEILING formula to keep just the first two decimal places of the value 12.5452. We can keep adding more zeroes before the ‘1’ to keep more decimal places. 

Click on the link below to create your own copy of our examples.

Head to the next section to read our step-by-step tutorial on how to use the ISO.CEILING function to round up values.

How to Use the ISO.CEILING Function in Google Sheets.

1. Select the cell where you wish to place the ISO.CEILING function.
   
2. Type the ISO.CEILING function and specify the value you want to round up.
   In this example, we’ll round up the value 42.25 to the nearest integer using the formula =ISO.CEILING(A2).
   
3. Hit the Enter key to evaluate the function.
   
4. By default, the ISO.CEILING function uses 1 as the significance value. You can use your own significance value by adding it to the function as a second optional argument.
   
   In our example, we’ll round up the value 42.25 to the nearest multiple of 10 using the formula =ISO.CEILING(A2,B2).
   
5. Hit the Enter key to evaluate the ISO.CEILING function.
   

These are all the steps you need to know to start using the ISO.CEILING function in Google Sheets.

FAQs

1. What is the difference between ceiling function and floor function?
   The ceiling and floor functions are both used to round numbers to the nearest integers. However, the ceiling function always rounds up, and the floor function always rounds down.
   
2. What are the differences between ISO.CEILING, CEILING.PRECISE, and the CEILING.MATH functions?
   In Google Sheets, the ISO.CEILING and CEILING.PRECISE functions have the same functionality under different names. The CEILING.MATH function offers an additional mode argument that determines the rounding direction for negative numbers.
   

To learn more about converting decimals to integers in Google Sheets, you can read our post on how to use the ROUND function. 

That’s it for this guide! Be sure to check out our library of spreadsheet resources, tips, and tricks.