| Function category | Engineering functions |
| Volatility | Non-volatile |
| Similar functions | BIN2DEC, DEC2BIN, HEX2DEC |
What does the DEC2HEX function do?
This function converts a decimal number to its hexadecimal equivalent.
It can only accept numbers from -549,755,813,888 to 549,755,813,887.
The result can be padded with leading zeros using an optional parameter, which is ignored for negative numbers.
DEC2HEX function syntax
=DEC2HEX(decimal_number, [places])- decimal_number — required. The decimal integer you want to convert
- places — optional. The number of characters to use. If omitted, uses the minimum number necessary
DEC2HEX formula examples
Convert decimal 255 to hexadecimal:
=DEC2HEX(255)Result: "FF"
Convert decimal 16 to hexadecimal with 4 characters:
=DEC2HEX(16, 4)| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R | G | B | Hex color |
| 2 | 255 | 99 | 71 | #FF6347="#"&DEC2HEX(A2,2)&DEC2HEX(B2,2)&DEC2HEX(C2,2) |
| 3 | 0 | 128 | 128 | #008080="#"&DEC2HEX(A3,2)&DEC2HEX(B3,2)&DEC2HEX(C3,2) |
| 4 | 30 | 144 | 255 | #1E90FF="#"&DEC2HEX(A4,2)&DEC2HEX(B4,2)&DEC2HEX(C4,2) |
With places = 2, each channel always takes two characters (0 → 00, 128 → 80), so the code is always 6 characters long.
Result: "0010"
Convert negative decimal number:
=DEC2HEX(-100)| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Decimal | Places | DEC2HEX |
| 2 | 255 | FF=DEC2HEX(A2) | |
| 3 | 16 | 4 | 0010=DEC2HEX(A3,B3) |
| 4 | -100 | FFFFFFFF9C=DEC2HEX(A4) | |
| 5 | -1 | FFFFFFFFFF=DEC2HEX(A5) | |
| 6 | 1000000 | 8 | 000F4240=DEC2HEX(A6,B6) |
| 7 | 255 | 1 | #NUM!=DEC2HEX(A7,B7) |
| 8 | 549755813888 | #NUM!=DEC2HEX(A8) |
Negative numbers always come out as 10 hex characters: −1 is FFFFFFFFFF. Places pads positive results with zeros; too few places, or a number above 549,755,813,887, gives #NUM!.
Result: "FFFFFFFF9C" — 10 characters (40 bits) in two’s complement
DEC2HEX features and limitations
- Negative numbers are represented using two's complement notation
- The places parameter is ignored for negative numbers
- If places is too small, returns the #NUM! error
- If decimal_number is less than -549,755,813,888 or greater than 549,755,813,887, returns the #NUM! error
- If decimal_number is nonnumeric, returns the #VALUE! error
- If places is nonnumeric, returns the #VALUE! error
- If places is not an integer, it is truncated
Other Engineering functions in Excel
BIN2DEC, BIN2HEX, CONVERT, DEC2BIN, DEC2OCT, DELTA, GESTEP, HEX2BIN, HEX2DEC, OCT2DEC
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