ROUND Function (OpenOffice Calc)
The ROUND function in OpenOffice Calc rounds a number to a specified number of decimal places. Learn syntax, examples, rounding rules, common errors, and best practices.
Verification status: Consult the documentation, examples and any stated test scope below. How formula examples are checked
Availability and version history
- Introduced: Documented by Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16; original introduction not established.
- Availability: Supported in Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16, verified against its function registry. This identifies a supported release, not a final working version.
- Scope: Desktop Calc, using the English function name. Availability in other spreadsheet applications is separate.
- Checked: 2026-10-14 — function reference; versioned support. Documentation/source check; not a new native test. Existing example-specific test claims below retain their stated scope.
ROUND rounds a number to a decimal position. In ordinary halfway cases it rounds away from zero: 2.5 becomes 3 and -2.5 becomes -3. Use it when the stored numeric result must be rounded; changing a cell’s displayed decimal places alone normally changes only its presentation.
Syntax and arguments
=ROUND(number; decimals)
=ROUND(number)
number is the numeric value or expression. decimals is optional and defaults to 0. Positive values keep digits after the decimal point; zero rounds to a whole number; negative values round to tens, hundreds and so on. In the pinned Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16 implementation, the decimal-place argument is rounded downward to an integer and must fall between -20 and 20. Use an explicit integer argument for readable, portable formulas.
| Formula | Expected result | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
=ROUND(3.14159;2) |
3.14 | Two decimal places |
=ROUND(7.8) |
8 | Omitted decimals means zero |
=ROUND(123;-1) |
120 | Nearest ten |
=ROUND(987;-2) |
1000 | Nearest hundred |
=ROUND(-7.25;1) |
-7.3 | Halfway, away from zero |
=ROUND(2.44;1) |
2.4 | Below the halfway point |
=ROUND(2.45;1) |
2.5 | Halfway point |
Reproducible worksheet: when to round a total
Put the heading Raw in A1 and Rounded in B1. Enter 1.234 in A2 and 1.234 in A3. In B2 enter =ROUND(A2;2) and fill down to B3. Both rounded rows equal 1.23.
=SUM(B2:B3)returns 2.46.=ROUND(SUM(A2:A3);2)returns 2.47 because the unrounded total is 2.468.
Neither sequence is automatically correct for every invoice or measurement. Follow the required rounding policy: rounding each line and rounding a final total are different operations. Keep the original values so the chosen rule can be audited.
Advanced applications
Configurable precision. Put 3 in B1 and 12.34567 in A1. =ROUND(A1;B1) returns 12.346. Validate the precision control as an integer; a number format does not validate it.
Round to thousands. =ROUND(A1;-3) returns 13000 for A1=12640. Decimal-place rounding is not automatically significant-figure rounding: =ROUND(A1;-1) always rounds to tens, regardless of the value’s magnitude.
Time intervals. Calc stores time as a fraction of a day. =ROUND(A1;4) rounds to 0.0001 day, or 8.64 seconds, not four decimal places of hours. For nearest-minute rounding use =ROUND(A1*1440;0)/1440. A1==TIME(1;2;20) rounds to 01:02:00; format the result as time. For elapsed durations exceeding a day, use an elapsed-hours format rather than a clock display.
Round a fixed range. A helper column with =ROUND(A1;2) filled down is easy to review. Alternatively select an output range matching A1:A10, enter =ROUND(A1:A10;2), and confirm with Ctrl+Shift+Enter. =SUM(ROUND(A1:A10;2)) is also an array formula. This fixed-array workflow is distinct from automatic spilling and was not newly GUI-tested here.
Errors and edge cases
- A decimal-place argument outside the implementation’s -20 through 20 range is invalid. More decimal places cannot recover digits that were never stored.
- Check imported values with
ISNUMBER. Text conversion, malformed references and missing parentheses have different causes; do not label all of them “invalid argument.” - ROUND does not remove all floating-point effects. Values created by prior arithmetic can be near a boundary; inspect the unrounded value and the required tolerance before deciding a result is wrong.
- Repeated rounding can change an answer. Keep full precision until the stage required by the calculation policy.
- Do not turn on “Precision as shown” merely to repair one formula. It is a document-wide calculation choice with effects beyond this cell.
Documentation and verification
See the OpenOffice ROUND reference, 4.1.16 function help, and RoundNumber implementation. Versioned sources retained from 2026-10-13 were re-read for this guide. The numerical examples have independent arithmetic checks; no fresh OpenOffice engine or GUI execution is claimed.