Function note

VALUE takes one percent sign anywhere around parentheses, and a euro sign but not a dollar

FUNC.VALUE

FN-VALUE-003: VALUE takes one percent sign anywhere around parentheses, and a euro sign but not a dollar

Quirk · measured · recorded 2026-11-04

VALUE reads parentheses as a negative sign and one percent sign in any of these places: "(1)%", "(1) %", "(1%)", "(%1)" and "%(1)" are all -0.01. A second percent sign, as in "(1%)%", "%(1)%" and "(1)%%", gives #VALUE!, as does trailing text. The euro sign is read as a currency sign in the recorded en-ZA settings: "€1", "1€", "€ 1", "€-1", "-€1", "(€1)" and "€(1)" are 1 or -1. "$1" and "£1" are #VALUE! there. Currency and percent do not combine: "€1%", "(€1)%" and "(R1)%" are #VALUE!.

Call and input routeInputsExcelCorrect valueRecorded in
=VALUE("(1)%")
formula-literal		As typed-0.01
0xbf847ae147ae147b		—Excel 16.0.20527.20088 Current Channel, Windows 64-bit (NT 10.0.26200), x86-64, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, en-ZA
=VALUE("(%1)")
formula-literal		As typed-0.01
0xbf847ae147ae147b		—Excel 16.0.20527.20088 Current Channel, Windows 64-bit (NT 10.0.26200), x86-64, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, en-ZA
=VALUE("%(1)")
formula-literal		As typed-0.01
0xbf847ae147ae147b		—Excel 16.0.20527.20088 Current Channel, Windows 64-bit (NT 10.0.26200), x86-64, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, en-ZA
=VALUE("(1%)%")
formula-literal		As typed#VALUE!—Excel 16.0.20527.20088 Current Channel, Windows 64-bit (NT 10.0.26200), x86-64, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, en-ZA
=VALUE("€1")
formula-literal		As typed1
0x3ff0000000000000		—Excel 16.0.20527.20088 Current Channel, Windows 64-bit (NT 10.0.26200), x86-64, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, en-ZA
=VALUE("1€")
formula-literal		As typed1
0x3ff0000000000000		—Excel 16.0.20527.20088 Current Channel, Windows 64-bit (NT 10.0.26200), x86-64, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, en-ZA
=VALUE("€(1)")
formula-literal		As typed-1
0xbff0000000000000		—Excel 16.0.20527.20088 Current Channel, Windows 64-bit (NT 10.0.26200), x86-64, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, en-ZA
=VALUE("€1%")
formula-literal		As typed#VALUE!—Excel 16.0.20527.20088 Current Channel, Windows 64-bit (NT 10.0.26200), x86-64, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, en-ZA
=VALUE("$1")
formula-literal		As typed#VALUE!—Excel 16.0.20527.20088 Current Channel, Windows 64-bit (NT 10.0.26200), x86-64, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, en-ZA
=VALUE("£1")
formula-literal		As typed#VALUE!—Excel 16.0.20527.20088 Current Channel, Windows 64-bit (NT 10.0.26200), x86-64, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, en-ZA

Basis: 21 recorded VALUE readings.

Open: Why the euro sign is accepted in en-ZA settings, and "$" is not, is not known. The other locales have not been read.

Evidence and capture sources

Machine-readable note records