Math & Trig

ARABIC Function in Excel

Converts a Roman numeral to an Arabic numeral.

Syntax

  • =ARABIC(text)

Arguments

  • text (required): Roman numeral text

Examples

  • =ARABIC("MMXXIV") - Convert from Roman - Result: 2024

ARABIC in reporting workflows

  • Use absolute references when copying formulas across rows.
  • For conditional totals see [SUMIF](/functions/sumif/) and [SUMIFS](/functions/sumifs/).
  • Filtered lists may need [SUBTOTAL](/functions/subtotal/) instead of SUM on visible cells only.

Common errors

  • #VALUE! if invalid Roman numeral

Use cases

  • Data conversion
  • Historical data
  • Parsing

Frequently asked questions

  • What is ARABIC used for in Excel? ARABIC converts Roman numerals to regular numbers. =ARABIC("XIV") returns 14. Useful when working with historical data, document references, or any text containing Roman numerals that need to be used in calculations.
  • Does ARABIC validate Roman numeral format? ARABIC is flexible and accepts non-standard forms. It processes left-to-right, subtracting smaller values before larger ones. 'IIII' works (returns 4) even though 'IV' is standard. Invalid characters return #VALUE! error.
  • Is ARABIC case-sensitive? No, ARABIC is case-insensitive. =ARABIC("xiv"), =ARABIC("XIV"), and =ARABIC("Xiv") all return 14. This makes it easier to work with data that may have inconsistent capitalization.

Editorial review

  • Reviewed by Excel.Directory Editorial Team. Updated May 2026.