Difference Between INT and ROUND Functions in Google Sheets

Adam Steinfurth

The INT and ROUND functions in Google Sheets both round numbers, but they do so in different ways.

The main difference between INT and ROUND is that INT always rounds down, while ROUND can round up or down, depending on the value of the rounded number.

Examples – Different Rounding

The INT function rounds a number down to the nearest integer. For example, the following formula will round the number 34.5 down to 34:

Formula: =INT(34.5) Result: 34

The ROUND function rounds a number to a specified number of decimal places using standard rounding. For example, the following formula will round the number 34.5 up to 35:

Formula: =ROUND(34.5) Result: 35

Let’s look at a few more numbers going through both functions.

Examples of INT and ROUND rounding numbers differently
Numbers Rounded Differently

Notice that rows 2 and 3 are rounded to the same numbers, but rows 4 and 5 differ. INT returns the value of the one’s place regardless of the decimal value, while ROUND rounds down if the decimal value is below five and up if it’s equal to or greater than 5.

Another difference is the two is the level of precision.

Insert Math Symbols (Add-On)

Web banner showing math symbols from the Insert Special Characters Add-On
Insert Any Math Symbol with One Click

Examples – Different Levels of Precision

While the INT function always removes all decimals values, ROUND can round values to different places.

The syntax of INT only has one argument: =INT(value)

While the syntax of ROUND has a second optional argument for places: =ROUND(value, [places])

Let’s take a look at a few more examples.

INT compared to ROUND with different numbers for places
Different Rounding Precision

You can see similar results in rows 2 and 5; rows 4 and 6 show rounding abilities that INT does not have.

Example – Negative Numbers

The two functions also perform differently when working with negative numbers.

Rounding negative numbers with INT and ROUND
Rounding Negative Numbers

The INT function always rounds down so -10.40 and -10.50 are both changed to -11. On the other hand, ROUND moves -10.40 toward zero and -10.50 away from zero.

Live Examples in Google Sheets

Get these examples from the live spreadsheet and keep the spreadsheet for reference.

Conclusion

Which function you use will depend on your specific needs. If you need to round a number down to the nearest integer, use the INT function. If you need to round a number to a specified number of decimal places using standard rounding, use the ROUND function.

Related Tutorials