ROUNDDOWN in SoftMaker PlanMaker: truncate toward zero

ROUNDDOWN reduces a number to the desired precision toward zero. With n=2, it removes extra decimals rather than taking the nearest; with n=0, it produces a whole number toward zero; with n=-2, it removes tens and units and keeps hundreds toward zero. With n omitted, PlanMaker documents whole-number rounding toward zero.

Choose the rounding policy deliberately: ROUND is nearest, ROUNDUP moves away from zero and ROUNDDOWN moves toward zero. They differ around fractional values and some negative numbers; simply displaying fewer decimal places is not equivalent to changing stored values. The SoftMaker 2026 formatting guide distinguishes display formatting from calculation results.

=ROUNDDOWN(Number, n)

This is the exact English argument order in the 2026 manual. The help page shows two arguments but explicitly allows omitting n:

=ROUNDDOWN(Number)

Default when omitted: n = 0 in effect (round to an integer), according to the official 2021/2024/2026 descriptions. Noninteger n, overlarge magnitudes and every possible text-coercion rule were not tested, so do not infer support from Excel.

Source: 2026 ROUNDDOWN function reference. The comma and decimal point in the examples follow the English-language manual; for other locales, confirm the installed input syntax and decimal separator.

Enter the following complete sample data, including the row-1 headings. B and C are ordinary numeric cells, not formatted strings.

1. Open an empty worksheet in your copy of PlanMaker; enter headers in A1:D1 and the values in A2:D7 exactly as displayed. Enter the entries in column B as numeric values, not strings beginning with an apostrophe.
2. Enter the example formula in a free cell such as F2, outside the input range, and press Enter.
3. Compare the value displayed by your installation against the expected result below. The expected result is calculated independently from the printed data and checked against the official described behaviour; it is not a screenshot or a native PlanMaker test.
4. Copy the appropriate follow-up formula to another empty cell (such as F3) to test the negative-value or negative-decimal-place case.

First formula and expected result

=ROUNDDOWN(B2,C2)

Expected: 12.34. B2 contains 12.344 and C2 contains 2: dropping digits after the second decimal toward zero produces 12.34.

Second formula and expected result

=ROUNDDOWN(B4,C4)

Expected: -7. This result is not the mathematical floor of -7.8. The official PlanMaker manual documents -7 for ROUNDDOWN(-7.8,0), confirming toward-zero behaviour.

Further self-checks

Every output in this table is an expected value, not a captured application result. The official function page supplies the relevant rounding definitions and selected example outcomes; the other values were calculated independently using decimal arithmetic.

Advanced scenario: whole hundreds below a budget ceiling

Suppose B5 contains a preliminary allowed budget of 888.999 and you need the largest whole-hundred block that does not exceed it:

=ROUNDDOWN(B5/100,0)*100

Expected: 800. Dividing by 100 gives 8.88999…, then ROUNDDOWN(...,0) gives 8, and multiplying back by 100 gives 800. You can instead use =ROUNDDOWN(B5,-2) with expected result 800, using the documented negative precision syntax.

For a negative balance, toward zero and toward negative infinity differ: =ROUNDDOWN(-7.8,0) is expected to give -7, while the mathematical floor would be -8. Do not use this formula as a generic always-down-in-number-line operation.

ROUNDDOWN is not the same as always returning a smaller signed number. For -7.8, it returns -7, which is greater than -7.8. This is why a formula for debt, tax, inventory, or compliance might need a different rounding policy.

Never confuse a rounding direction with a rounding display format. If you need an exact monetary policy, fractional storage rules and the location of the rounding step must be reviewed against your requirements. The function is useful for clean decimal-place operations, not evidence of accounting-law compliance.

• Formula shown as text: ensure the formula begins with = and the destination cell is not in a text-only entry mode. PlanMaker requires the equals sign for calculations.
• Unexpected displayed decimals: changing the number format may round only the display. A rounding formula changes the numeric result. Do not mistake the display setting for the operation being performed.
• Unexpected negative result: understand toward zero versus away from zero before using these functions for negative quantities. Neither rule is identical to mathematical floor/ceiling for both signs.
• Formula rejected or #NULL!: check the exact function name, commas/parentheses, arguments and unusual quotation marks. SoftMaker identifies #NULL! as one of the results of unknown functions or invalid argument counts.
• #VALUE!: check nonnumeric source values or incompatible argument types; PlanMaker documents this as an invalid-value/type error in its general error list. The exact error for a particular malformed input was not tested here.
• Broken referenced range / #REF!: verify that original cells were not deleted or moved; this error is documented for invalid references.
• Precision/rounding expectations: binary numeric representation and PlanMaker document-level rounding settings can influence calculations. This batch does not establish all edge cases for enormous values, arbitrary fractional n, or ties after complex floating-point operations. Test boundary data natively before relying on it in production.

Official troubleshooting references: PlanMaker 2026 error values, entering formulas, number formatting, and Calculate document settings.

The official 2021, 2024, and 2026 English-language PlanMaker reference pages each document this named function and the same main Number, n argument order. The manuals describe omission of n and negative n values. This confirms documented availability in those releases, not the first release ever to implement the function. The 2026 manual describes the wider Windows/macOS/Linux/Android/iOS product family, but this guide does not establish execution in every edition, mobile app, licence or platform. Native PlanMaker 2021/2024/2026 runtime tests were not performed.

These references use English decimal-point examples and comma-separated function arguments. PlanMaker’s numeric decimal separator can follow computer regional settings or a custom setting. If copied formulas fail in a different locale, first check the input and function editor rather than assuming that every separator convention is interchangeable. Official 2026 settings reference.

Official release-specific references: PlanMaker 2021 ROUNDDOWN, PlanMaker 2024 ROUNDDOWN, and PlanMaker 2026 ROUNDDOWN.

SoftMaker explicitly implements the Excel-compatible toward-zero convention for negative numbers; Excel has ROUNDDOWN(number,num_digits) with the same ordinary intent. Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc expose ROUNDDOWN; confirm their argument separators and nonnumeric-input conversion. If the goal is always moving toward negative infinity, compare INT or FLOOR as appropriate, rather than assuming ROUNDDOWN matches those functions.

• SoftMaker PlanMaker — function documentation
• SoftMaker 2026 formatting guide
• PlanMaker 2026 error values
• entering formulas
• Calculate document settings
• Official 2026 settings reference
• PlanMaker 2021 ROUNDDOWN

Verification status: Official documentation checked; example outcomes were independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where applicable. Not executed in SoftMaker PlanMaker.

• No genuine SoftMaker PlanMaker screenshots are included; this guide does not use mock application images.