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FLOOR Function (LibreOffice Calc)

Math Intermediate LibreOffice Calc LibreOffice 3.0

The FLOOR function in LibreOffice Calc rounds a number down to the nearest multiple of a specified significance. Learn syntax, examples, common errors, and best practices.

The **FLOOR** function rounds a number down to the nearest multiple of a specified significance in LibreOffice Calc. Unlike `ROUNDDOWN`, which rounds toward zero, `FLOOR` rounds **toward negative infinity**, making it ideal for pricing, binning, capacity planning, and any scenario requiring rounding down to a specific increment.

This guide provides syntax, examples, advanced usage patterns, common errors, and best practices, making it one of the most complete FLOOR references available for LibreOffice Calc.

What the FLOOR Function Does

  • Rounds a number down to the nearest multiple of a significance
  • Works with positive and negative numbers
  • Supports fractional and whole-number significance values
  • Useful for pricing, grouping, and interval-based calculations
  • Works with cell references, formulas, and expressions

It is designed to be precise, predictable, and universally compatible.

Syntax

FLOOR(number; significance)

Arguments

  • number:
    The numeric value to round down.

  • significance:
    The multiple to round down to.
    Examples:

    • 1 → nearest whole number
    • 0.5 → nearest half
    • 10 → nearest ten
    • 0.01 → nearest cent

Basic Examples

Round down to nearest whole number

=FLOOR(5.9; 1)

Returns 5.

Round down to nearest 0.5

=FLOOR(5.9; 0.5)

Returns 5.5.

Round down to nearest 10

=FLOOR(123; 10)

Returns 120.

FLOOR with a cell reference

=FLOOR(A1; 0.25)

Rounds A1 down to the nearest quarter.

Advanced Examples

FLOOR with negative numbers

=FLOOR(-5.2; 1)

Returns -6.

FLOOR with fractional significance

=FLOOR(7.34; 0.1)

Returns 7.3.

FLOOR for pricing

=FLOOR(A1; 0.05)

Rounds prices down to the nearest 5 cents.

FLOOR for binning/grouping

=FLOOR(A1; 10)

Groups values into buckets of 10.

FLOOR for time rounding

=FLOOR(A1; 1/24)

Rounds down to the nearest hour.

FLOOR vs INT comparison

=FLOOR(A1; 1)

Equivalent to INT for positive numbers.

Common Errors and Fixes

FLOOR returns unexpected results with negative numbers

Cause:

  • FLOOR always rounds toward negative infinity, not toward zero.

Example:
FLOOR(-5.2; 1) → -6

FLOOR returns Err:502

Occurs when:

  • significance is zero
  • significance has a different sign than number
  • number or significance is non-numeric

Fix:
Ensure both values are numeric and have compatible signs.

FLOOR returns 0 unexpectedly

Possible causes:

  • significance is larger than the number
  • number is between -significance and significance
  • number is stored as text

Fix:
Convert text to numbers using:
Data → Text to Columns → OK

Best Practices

  • Use FLOOR when rounding must always go downward
  • Use CEILING when rounding must always go upward
  • Use ROUND for standard rounding
  • Use ROUNDDOWN for rounding toward zero
  • Use FLOOR for pricing, grouping, and interval-based calculations
FLOOR is ideal for “round down to nearest increment” tasks such as pricing, capacity planning, and binning values into ranges.
  • Use CEILING to round up to a significance
  • Use ROUND, ROUNDDOWN, or ROUNDUP for decimal rounding
  • Use INT for rounding down to the nearest integer
  • Use TRUNC to remove decimals without rounding
  • Use MOD with FLOOR for bucket indexing

By mastering FLOOR and its combinations with other math functions, you can build precise, significance-based numeric models in LibreOffice Calc that behave consistently across all data scenarios.

Reproducible example (tested in LibreOffice Calc)

This standalone example was calculated in LibreOffice Calc 25.2.3.2 and matched the expected value. It is a practical cross-check of one usage, not proof that every example elsewhere on this page is correct.

=FLOOR(13;5)

Expected result: 10.

Round a quantity down to a multiple of five.

If the result differs, check the referenced cells, argument separators and number formatting. For more information, consult the LibreOffice Calc official help.