TIMEVALUE Function (Gnumeric)

=TIMEVALUE(serial)

serial is one required date/time value, supplied directly or by cell reference; there are no documented optional arguments or defaults. Gnumeric converts the input using its date/time parsing routine and computes raw - (int)raw, leaving the fractional part of a serial day. For a nonnegative ordinary timestamp, this is the time-of-day fraction. In particular, a real numeric timestamp is valid Gnumeric input, unlike the text-only requirement described by Excel’s TIMEVALUE documentation. [S1][S2][S5]

Reference scope: official Gnumeric tagged source GNUMERIC_1_12_62 (September 2026). The official public catalogue labels TIMEVALUE Complete / Basic testing; this is not native verification of the examples in this guide. Gnumeric formulas here use commas between arguments; how typed date/time text is recognized depends on the active locale and formatting rules. [S1][S3][S4]

On a narrow screen, scroll this table sideways to see every column.

Expected D2: 0.28125 if formatted as a number, or 06:45:00 when displayed as time. Expected E2: 6.75. These numbers follow from 24,300 seconds divided by 86,400 seconds/day; they are independently calculated, not observed from a Gnumeric run. [S1][S2]

A simple standalone alternative:

=TIMEVALUE(TIME(12,0,0))

Expected: 0.5 (noon). A date component is not required for the numeric input; it is discarded when present. [S1]

A source file may contain 06:45, 6:45 AM, or a date-time string rather than a real time serial. Gnumeric’s conversion helper tries to interpret nonnumeric input using its date/time format parser, but the tagged implementation does not promise that every string accepted by another spreadsheet or locale will parse here. [S2][S4]

Try entering a literal text value such as 06:45 in A4 and then test =TIMEVALUE(A4) in your own Gnumeric release. For a successfully recognized 06:45 time, the expected numeric fraction is 0.28125, but text parsing has not been natively validated in the recorded checks, so that row is a conditional expectation, not a confirmed Gnumeric result. A deterministic way to avoid locale-sensitive parsing for known numeric fields is =TIME(A5,B5,0) with numeric hour and minute columns. [S1][S2]

Separate timestamps for reporting. Put =DATE(2025,1,1)+TIME(23,15,0) in A7, then compute:

=TIMEVALUE(A7)*24

Expected: 23.25 hours, while the original A7 still contains the calendar date. For dates, use DATEVALUE; when retaining both, save the original full serial in a separate column. [S1][S2]

Convert a time-of-day fraction to minutes since midnight:

=TIMEVALUE(TIME(9,15,0))*1440

Expected: 555 minutes. Multiplying by 1,440 converts day fractions to minutes. This counts within one 24-hour clock day, not total minutes of a multiday duration. [S1]

• A decimal is shown, not a clock time: that is the underlying time fraction. Set a time number format such as hh:mm:ss; Gnumeric’s locale affects displayed punctuation and AM/PM conventions. [S1][S4]
• CSV strings parse differently on another computer: verify the cell’s actual data type and regional settings. When locale is unknown, split and validate numeric hour/minute fields before calling TIME rather than assuming an ambiguous text string works. [S2][S4]
• An invalid text entry is not reliably flagged: Gnumeric’s source uses an internal sentinel when the parser cannot interpret text; TIMEVALUE then takes the numeric fractional part. Do not rely on TIMEVALUE to reject every bad string with Excel’s #VALUE!. Native behavior and presentation for malformed inputs require targeted testing. [S1][S2]
• Date is missing from the output: TIMEVALUE intentionally keeps just the time portion. Keep A7 if full timestamps matter. [S1]
• Negative or out-of-range serials: these interact with Gnumeric’s internal date conventions; do not assume ordinary clock-time semantics without version-specific tests. [S2]

Gnumeric’s official help describes TIMEVALUE as Excel-compatible, but the underlying Gnumeric 1.12.62 routine directly accepts a numeric serial. Microsoft’s TIMEVALUE reference specifies time_text as a required text input. Therefore the formula =TIMEVALUE(A2) is not guaranteed portable when A2 already stores a numeric time/date serial. A portable numeric-time extraction is =MOD(A2,1) for a nonnegative serial; when importing text, validate parsing in each application. [S1][S2][S5]

Related functions: TIME, DATEVALUE, HOUR, MINUTE, SECOND, DATE, NOW.

• [S1] Gnumeric 1.12.62 TIMEVALUE tagged-source help and implementation — one argument, time-only fraction, implementation.
• [S2] Gnumeric 1.12.62 numeric/text date-time converter — numeric serial acceptance, text parsing, invalid-input sentinel.
• [S3] Gnumeric official function catalogue — implementation/testing classification.
• [S4] Gnumeric official date and time locale formats — formatting/locale caveats.
• [S5] Microsoft Excel TIMEVALUE documentation — distinct Excel text-argument contract.

The syntax and behaviour are based on the Gnumeric references cited above. The sample calculations were independently checked; they are expected results, not outputs observed in Gnumeric. Test locale-sensitive text conversion and imported files in your own installation. View the example-check record.

Official TIMEVALUE reference · Editorial standards