CONVERT Function (OpenOffice Calc)

• Introduced: First release not established; this name is documented in the OpenOffice.org 3.3 function appendix.
• Supported in: Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16. No final supported release has been established.
• Scope: Desktop Calc; uses the installed legacy currency-conversion table.
• Checked: October 14, 2026. Pinned source and independent examples checked. Apache OpenOffice was not run; LibreOffice import tests are supplementary only.

Apache OpenOffice’s CONVERT reference describes conversion between the euro and former national currencies. These are fixed historical factors, not current foreign-exchange quotations. The function does not contact a market-data service or supply a today’s rate for currencies such as USD or GBP.

The name is a frequent source of confusion: Excel’s CONVERT and modern LibreOffice’s CONVERT are measurement converters. Current LibreOffice calls the old Calc currency calculation CONVERT_OOO. Always check the application and argument meaning before moving a formula between products.

=CONVERT(Value; FromCurrency; ToCurrency)

All three arguments are required. Value is the amount to convert; the other arguments are quoted currency codes or cells containing those codes. For the stock configuration, one side must be EUR and the other a listed legacy code. Codes are case-sensitive; use uppercase exactly as shown.

The 4.1.16 installed table has these fixed factors per euro:

This release-pinned list includes entries that the older wiki’s shorter table omits. It is a description of the installed configuration, not a claim that every old OpenOffice version contained every row. The function’s first release is not established by the presence of a later currency entry.

Enter these formulas into cells formatted as numbers with enough decimal places to inspect the result. Expected outputs are independently calculated from the stored factors.

Converting EUR to a legacy unit multiplies by its factor. Converting back divides by the same factor. For example, 100 DEM divided by 1.95583 gives approximately 51.1291881196 EUR. A displayed two-decimal currency format does not alter the full stored result.

Suppose A2 contains a historical amount and B2 its legacy code. Put =CONVERT(A2;B2;"EUR") in C2, then fill down only after checking that every code appears in the supported table. Keep the original amount and code beside the converted value so the transformation remains auditable.

If a reporting rule specifically calls for two decimal places, use =ROUND(C2;2) in a separate output column. Do not silently replace the raw converted result with a rounded number before reconciliation. For 100 DEM the raw value is about 51.1291881196 and the two-decimal result is 51.13.

A direct =CONVERT(100;"DEM";"FRF") is not a configured pair and returns an unavailable-conversion result. A deliberately composed calculation can first convert to EUR and then to FRF:

=CONVERT(CONVERT(100;"DEM";"EUR");"EUR";"FRF")

Without intermediate rounding, the mathematical result is approximately 335.385488514 FRF. This is the product 100×6.55957÷1.95583. If you need the documented euro-conversion rounding and triangulation options, use EUROCONVERT and choose its options explicitly. Do not assume that nesting this three-argument function reproduces every EUROCONVERT rounding mode.

The evaluator searches for a configured pair, then for the reverse pair; otherwise it returns #N/A. In the stock table, EUR/EUR is not a separate entry, so =CONVERT(1;"EUR";"EUR") is not a general identity shortcut. Likewise, EUR/USD and lowercase "eur" are not entries in the documented stock configuration. Pinned lookup implementation.

Zero and negative amounts follow the configured multiplier or divisor. A negative result may represent a credit or reversal, but that interpretation belongs to the surrounding model. The function merely transforms a numeric amount.

A round trip through the same factor should recover the original amount to floating-point precision when no intermediate rounding is introduced. If an exported workbook changes the meaning of CONVERT to a measurement function, that check will fail even though the function name looks familiar. Preserve product identity and test a known historical amount after import.

• Apache OpenOffice CONVERT function
• Versioned factor configuration
• Versioned three-argument evaluator