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Level 5Grade 5skill: rounding· 7 min read

Rounding Numbers to the Nearest 10, 100, 1000

In short: To round, find the place you want, look at the one digit to its right, and round up if it is 5 or more or down if it is 4 or less - then fill the rest with zeros. Only that single neighbouring digit decides, so 7,449 rounds to 7,400, not 7,500.

How to round to the nearest 10, 100 or 1000

Rounding replaces a number with a nearby tidy number that is easier to work with. "To the nearest 10" means the closest number that ends in a zero; "to the nearest 100" means the closest multiple of one hundred; and "to the nearest 1000" means the closest multiple of one thousand. The value barely changes, but it becomes far simpler to hold in your head.

The whole method rests on one digit. Find the place you are rounding to, then look at the single digit immediately to its right - and only that digit. If it is 5 or more, round up. If it is 4 or less, round down (keep the digit as it is). Then fill every place to the right with zeros.

  1. Underline the place you are rounding to (the tens, hundreds or thousands digit).
  2. Look at the ONE digit directly to its right.
  3. If that digit is 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9, add one to the underlined digit (round up).
  4. If that digit is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4, leave the underlined digit alone (round down).
  5. Replace every digit to the right of the underlined place with 0.

Why only one digit decides Why it works

Nearest 10
Look at the ones digit only

4,637 → ones digit is 7 → round up → 4,640

Nearest 100
Look at the tens digit only

7,449 → tens digit is 4 → round down → 7,400

Nearest 1000
Look at the hundreds digit only

3,499 → hundreds digit is 4 → round down → 3,000

Here is the mechanism that saves you every time: the digits further to the right never get a vote. Take 7,449 to the nearest hundred. The 49 on the end looks like it is "nearly 50", so it feels like it should push the number up to 7,500. It does not. You are rounding to the nearest hundred, so you look at the tens digit - a 4 - and that 4 sends it down to 7,400. The distance settles it: 7,449 is only 49 above 7,400 but 51 below 7,500, so 7,400 really is nearer.

Worked examples

Round 4,637 to the nearest 10. = 4,640
  1. The tens place is the 3; the digit to its right (the ones) is 7.
  2. 7 is 5 or more, so round up: the 3 becomes 4.
  3. Replace the ones digit with 0.
Round 2,851 to the nearest 100. = 2,900
  1. The hundreds digit is 8; the digit to its right (the tens) is 5.
  2. 5 means round up: the 8 becomes 9.
  3. Fill the tens and ones with zeros.
Round 7,449 to the nearest 100. = 7,400
  1. The hundreds digit is 4; the digit to its right (the tens) is 4.
  2. 4 is less than 5, so round down: the 4 stays a 4.
  3. Ignore the 9 in the ones - it does not get a vote.
Round 6,960 to the nearest 100. = 7,000
  1. The hundreds digit is 9; the digit to its right (the tens) is 6.
  2. 6 means round up, so 9 hundreds becomes 10 hundreds.
  3. Ten hundreds is one thousand, so the 6 thousands rolls up to 7 thousands.
Round 3,499 to the nearest 1000. = 3,000
  1. The thousands digit is 3; the digit to its right (the hundreds) is 4.
  2. 4 is less than 5, so round down: the 3 stays a 3.
  3. The 99 on the end does not matter for the nearest thousand.
Round 8,650 to the nearest 1000. = 9,000
  1. The thousands digit is 8; the digit to its right (the hundreds) is 6.
  2. 6 is 5 or more, so round up: the 8 becomes 9.
  3. Fill the hundreds, tens and ones with zeros.
Round 4,637 to the nearest 1000. = 5,000
  1. The thousands digit is 4; the digit to its right (the hundreds) is 6.
  2. 6 is 5 or more, so round up: the 4 becomes 5.
  3. Fill the hundreds, tens and ones with zeros. Notice that to the nearest 100 this same number would be 4,600 - a different question, so always check the target place first.

Common mistakes

Rounding the wrong direction

✗ 2,800

Rounding 2,851 to the nearest 100, the tens digit is 5, and "5 or more" always rounds up - but this answer rounded down to 2,800 instead.

Fix: Memorise the cut-off: 0-4 stays, 5-9 climbs. A 5 always goes up, never down.

rounding_wrong_way

Losing a zero (a place-value slip)

✗ 900

Rounding 8,650 to the nearest 1000 gives 9,000, but writing 900 drops a place - a divide-by-ten magnitude error that shrinks the answer tenfold.

Fix: Check the rounded number has the same number of digits as the original: 8,650 and 9,000 are both four-digit numbers.

place_value_slip

Stopping at the wrong place

✗ 4,600

Rounding 4,637 to the nearest 1000 should give 5,000, but 4,600 is the answer to a different question - it is 4,637 rounded to the nearest hundred, a correct step but not the one that was asked for.

Fix: Reread the target place before you start, and round straight to it in one move - do not round to a nearer place first.

partial_computation

Practice rounding

Round each number to the place named. Underline the target digit, check the single digit to its right, and watch for numbers that carry over.

Keep going

First, make sure of

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Frequently asked questions

Which digit do I look at when I round?

Always the single digit immediately to the right of the place you are rounding to. For the nearest 10 look at the ones digit; for the nearest 100 look at the tens digit; for the nearest 1000 look at the hundreds digit. Digits further right do not matter.

What happens when the digit is exactly 5?

A 5 rounds up. The rule is that 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 all round up, while 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 round down. So 2,851 to the nearest 100 becomes 2,900, not 2,800.

Why does 7,449 round to 7,400 and not 7,500?

Because you only look at the tens digit, which is 4, and 4 rounds down. The 9 in the ones place gets no vote. Checking the distance confirms it: 7,449 is 49 above 7,400 but 51 below 7,500, so 7,400 really is nearer.

What do I do when rounding up creates a carry, like 6,960 to the nearest 100?

Round up as normal: 9 hundreds becomes 10 hundreds. Ten hundreds equals one thousand, so it rolls into the thousands place and 6,960 becomes 7,000. Just carry the extra place across like you would in addition.

How can I check I have not lost a zero?

Count the digits. A rounded number should usually have the same number of digits as the one you started with. 8,650 to the nearest 1000 is 9,000 - both are four-digit numbers, so nothing was dropped.