Excel: General Number Format Rounds Off Real Numbers

ID: Q45646

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 2.x, 3.x, 4.x, 5.0, 5.0a
Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
Microsoft Excel for Windows NT, version 5.0

SUMMARY

The General number format rounds off numbers for display if the column width is not sufficient for the display of all the decimal digits. Generally, if the column width selected is less than the width needed to display the entire number, it is rounded off to the nearest decimal place or whole number that the column width will allow. For example:


   2.86 may be rounded to 2.9 or 3
   2.3  may be rounded to 2
   0.3  may be rounded to 0

This effect is quite the opposite of that of the other number formats, which display number signs (#) across the width of the column if the width is not sufficient to display all the decimal digits. However the number will be displayed as (#) if the column width becomes too small to display the entire number.

However, all calculations based on these values use the original stored values, and this is true even if the Precision As Displayed box is checked in the Calculation dialog box on the Options menu.

Using the following example:


  A1: 2  B1:19.15  C1:  2.3   D1: 19.15
  A2: 3            C2:  2.5
  A3: 3            C3:  2.5
  A4: 3            C4:  3.2
  A5: 3            C5:  2.7
  A6: 1            C6:    1
  A7: 2            C7  2.45
  A8: 3            C8:  2.5

A1:A8 is an exact copy of C1:C8, and both B1 and D1 sum these ranges, respectively. Column A is formatted for a width of 2.86, while the others are at the standard 8.43 default. All cells are at the default General number format.

If A1 (or other cells in that column) is active, the formula bar still shows the original value, that is, 2.3.

Additional query words: 2.00 2.0 2.1 2.10 3.0 3.00 4.0 4.00 real rounding


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Last Reviewed: March 15, 1999