ROUNDDOWN Function (LibreOffice Calc)
The ROUNDDOWN function in LibreOffice Calc rounds a number down toward zero to a specified number of decimal places. Learn syntax, examples, common errors, and best practices.
Compatibility
▾| Excel | ✔ |
| Gnumeric | ✔ |
| Google_sheets | ✔ |
| Libreoffice | ✔ |
| Numbers | ✔ |
| Onlyoffice | ✔ |
| Openoffice | ✔ |
| Wps | ✔ |
| Zoho | ✔ |
What the ROUNDDOWN Function Does ▾
- Rounds numbers toward zero
- Supports rounding to whole numbers, decimals, or large place values
- Works with positive and negative numbers
- Useful for financial calculations, truncation-like behavior, and controlled precision
- Works with cell references, formulas, and expressions
It is designed to be predictable, directional, and universally compatible.
Syntax ▾
ROUNDDOWN(number; digits)
Arguments
-
number:
The numeric value to round. -
digits:
The number of decimal places to keep.- Positive → round down to decimal places
- Zero → round down to nearest integer
- Negative → round down to tens, hundreds, etc.
Basic Examples ▾
Round down to 2 decimal places
=ROUNDDOWN(12.3456; 2)
Returns 12.34.
Round down to the nearest whole number
=ROUNDDOWN(5.9; 0)
Returns 5.
Round down a negative number (toward zero)
=ROUNDDOWN(-3.9; 0)
Returns -3.
ROUNDDOWN with a cell reference
=ROUNDDOWN(A1; 1)
Rounds A1 down to one decimal place.
Advanced Examples ▾
Round down to tens (negative digits)
=ROUNDDOWN(123.45; -1)
Returns 120.
Round down to hundreds
=ROUNDDOWN(987.65; -2)
Returns 900.
ROUNDDOWN vs TRUNC vs INT
=ROUNDDOWN(-5.8; 0)
Returns -5.
=TRUNC(-5.8)
Returns -5.
=INT(-5.8)
Returns -6.
ROUNDDOWN for financial modeling
=ROUNDDOWN(A1 * 1.13; 2)
Useful for conservative rounding in tax or interest calculations.
ROUNDDOWN for percentage precision
=ROUNDDOWN((A1 - B1) / B1; 4)
Rounds a percentage difference downward to four decimals.
ROUNDDOWN with division
=ROUNDDOWN(A1 / B1; 3)
Rounds the result of the division toward zero.
Common Errors and Fixes ▾
ROUNDDOWN returns 0 unexpectedly
Possible causes:
- digits is too large
- number is very small
- number is stored as text
Fix:
Convert text to numbers using:
Data → Text to Columns → OK
ROUNDDOWN returns unexpected results with negative numbers
Cause:
- Rounding always moves toward zero, not down.
Example:
ROUNDDOWN(-5.9; 0) → -5
Err:502 — Invalid argument
Occurs when:
- digits is non‑numeric
- number is non‑numeric text
- a formula returns an error passed into ROUNDDOWN
Fix:
Wrap the expression with IFERROR:
IFERROR(ROUNDDOWN(A1; 2); 0)
Best Practices ▾
- Use ROUNDDOWN when you need predictable, directional rounding
- Use ROUND for standard rounding rules
- Use TRUNC when you want to remove decimals without rounding
- Use ROUNDDOWN with negative digits for coarse rounding
- Avoid rounding too early in multi‑step calculations
Related Patterns and Alternatives ▾
- Use ROUNDUP to round away from zero
- Use ROUND for standard rounding
- Use TRUNC to remove decimals without rounding
- Use FLOOR and CEILING for significance‑based rounding
- Use INT for rounding down toward negative infinity
By mastering ROUNDDOWN and its combinations with other math functions, you can build precise, predictable numeric models in LibreOffice Calc that maintain consistent directional behavior.