# Google Sheets TRUNC Function: Syntax, Examples & Tips

- URL: https://betteranalyst.com/google-sheets/trunc-function
- Author: Better Analyst

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Truncates a number to a certain number of significant digits by omitting less significant digits.

```
=TRUNC(value, [places])
```

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## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| - | - | - |
| **value** | Yes | The number to truncate. |
| **places** | No | The number of digits to keep after the decimal point. Defaults to 0. Negative values truncate to the left of the decimal point (tens, hundreds, …). |

## What Is TRUNC?

TRUNC cuts a number off at a chosen number of decimal places without rounding. `=TRUNC(3.789, 1)` returns 3.7, whereas `=ROUND(3.789, 1)` returns 3.8. TRUNC simply discards the digits beyond the cut point.

## How TRUNC Works

- With **places = 0** (the default), TRUNC removes the entire fractional part: `TRUNC(8.99)` is 8.
- With **positive places**, it keeps that many decimals: `TRUNC(8.9876, 2)` is 8.98.
- With **negative places**, it zeroes digits to the left of the decimal point: `TRUNC(1789, -2)` is 1700.
- TRUNC always moves **towards zero**, for both positive and negative numbers: `TRUNC(-8.99)` is −8.

## TRUNC vs. INT vs. ROUND vs. ROUNDDOWN

| Formula | 7.8 | −7.8 |
| - | - | - |
| `TRUNC(x)` | 7 | −7 |
| `INT(x)` | 7 | −8 |
| `ROUND(x)` | 8 | −8 |
| `ROUNDDOWN(x)` | 7 | −7 |
| `FLOOR(x, 1)` | 7 | −8 |

The important difference is with negative numbers. INT rounds down to the next lower integer, so −7.8 becomes −8. TRUNC just drops the decimals, so −7.8 becomes −7. ROUNDDOWN also rounds toward zero, so for most purposes `TRUNC(x, n)` and `ROUNDDOWN(x, n)` give the same answer; the difference is that TRUNC's second argument is optional.

## Basic Examples

### Drop the decimals

```
=TRUNC(42.97)
```

Returns 42.

### Keep two decimal places

```
=TRUNC(B2, 2)
```

If B2 is 19.9987, returns 19.99.

### Truncate to the nearest hundred

```
=TRUNC(C2, -2)
```

If C2 is 4,567, returns 4,500.

### Extract the date from a timestamp

```
=TRUNC(A2)
```

Because a timestamp is a date serial plus a time fraction, TRUNC removes the time and leaves the date. Format the result as a date.

### Get the decimal part of a number

```
=B2 - TRUNC(B2)
```

If B2 is 5.75, returns 0.75 (for negatives, it returns a negative fraction).

## Common Use Cases

- **Billing in whole units**: Charge only for complete hours or units used.
- **Removing time from date-times** before grouping or comparing dates.
- **Financial reporting** where rules require truncating rather than rounding.
- **Splitting a value into whole and fractional parts**, e.g. hours and minutes from decimal hours.
- **Age in completed years**: `=TRUNC(YEARFRAC(B2, TODAY()))`.

## Common Errors

- **Expecting rounding**: TRUNC never rounds up. If 2.999 should become 3, use ROUND.
- **Negative number surprises**: People sometimes expect −2.5 to become −3. That's INT or FLOOR behaviour; TRUNC gives −2.
- **Display vs. value confusion**: A cell formatted to show two decimals may still hold more. TRUNC changes the stored value; formatting doesn't.
- **#VALUE!**: The input is non-numeric text.

## Tips and Best Practices

- Use TRUNC(A2) rather than INT(A2) to strip times from dates — they behave the same for positive serials, and TRUNC makes the intent clear.
- Use negative places to bucket values (to the nearest 10, 100, 1,000) for grouping.
- Remember that floating-point representation can affect truncation: a value displayed as 0.3 might be stored as 0.29999999999999998, giving 0.29 when truncated to 2 places. Round first to a high precision, e.g. `=TRUNC(ROUND(A2, 10), 2)`, if exactness matters.

## Related Functions

INT, ROUND, ROUNDDOWN, ROUNDUP, FLOOR, CEILING, MOD, and [TO\_DATE](https://betteranalyst.com/google-sheets/todate-function).

## Example use case

A consultant bills clients only for complete hours. With logged hours like 6.8 in column B, =TRUNC(B2) returns 6 billable hours, and =TRUNC(B2)\*C2 calculates the invoice amount at the hourly rate in column C.

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