The Excel SIGN function returns the sign of a number: 1 if positive, -1 if negative, and 0 if the number is zero.
Syntax
| Argument | Description | |
|---|---|---|
number | Required | The number whose sign you want to test. |
How to use it
SIGN reduces any number to one of three values, telling you only its direction:
It is handy for branching on whether a value rose or fell, or for building +1 / -1 multipliers. Because any number equals SIGN(n) * ABS(n), you can split a value into direction and magnitude.
Variance direction: =SIGN(actual - target) returns 1 when you beat target, -1 when you missed, and 0 when you hit it exactly — a clean flag for conditional formatting or IF logic.
Try it: interactive demo
Pick a SIGN example to see the formula and its result.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
What does SIGN return for zero?
0. SIGN returns one of just three values: 1 (positive), -1 (negative), or 0 (zero).How do I turn SIGN into a +1/-1 multiplier?
=ABS(x) * SIGN(y) gives the magnitude of x with the sign of y.Can SIGN replace an IF for positive/negative tests?
SIGN collapses the test to -1/0/1, which you can feed into CHOOSE or arithmetic.What is the relationship between SIGN and ABS?
SIGN(n) * ABS(n) rebuilds the original number n.Master functions like this in one day
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