Excel TRUNC function is used to truncate a number to a specified number of decimal places. It simply removes the decimal part of a number and returns the integer portion. This function can be helpful when you want to simplify or round down a number to a specific precision.
Syntax
TRUNC(number, [num_digits])
Arguments
| number | The number you want to truncate. It can be a positive or negative number. |
| [num_digits] | (Optional) The number of decimal places to which you want to truncate the ‘number.’ If not provided, it defaults to 0, meaning the number will be truncated to the nearest whole number. |
How to Use
The TRUNC function is quite straightforward. Let’s look at some examples to understand how to use it:
|
1 |
=TRUNC(12.345, 2) |
This formula will truncate the number 12.345 to 2 decimal places, resulting in 12.34.
|
1 |
=TRUNC(7.9876, 0) |
Here, it truncates the number 7.9876 to 0 decimal places, which essentially rounds it down to the nearest whole number, giving you 7.
|
1 |
=TRUNC(-15.789, 1) |
Even negative numbers can be truncated. This formula truncates -15.789 to 1 decimal place, yielding -15.7.
Remember, if you don’t specify the [num_digits] argument, it defaults to 0, and the function will remove the decimal part, rounding down to the nearest whole number.
Additional Information
TRUNC is a simple and useful function for dealing with numbers in Excel. It’s particularly handy for financial calculations and scenarios where you need to work with specific decimal precision. If you want to round numbers differently (e.g., round to the nearest integer), you may consider using the ROUND function instead.
