Number.prototype.toPrecision()
Baseline
Widely available
This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since July 2015.
The toPrecision() method of Number values returns a string representing this number to the specified number of significant digits.
Try it
function precise(x) {
return x.toPrecision(4);
}
console.log(precise(123.456));
// Expected output: "123.5"
console.log(precise(0.004));
// Expected output: "0.004000"
console.log(precise(1.23e5));
// Expected output: "1.230e+5"
Syntax
toPrecision()
toPrecision(precision)
Parameters
precisionOptional-
An integer specifying the number of significant digits.
Return value
A string representing the given number, using the given number of significant digits. Scientific notation is used if the exponent is greater than or equal to precision or less than -6. Has the same behavior as Number.prototype.toString() if the precision argument is omitted.
Exceptions
RangeError-
Thrown if
precisionis not between1and100(inclusive). TypeError-
Thrown if this method is invoked on an object that is not a
Number.
Examples
Using toPrecision
// This number has exponent 0, so it will never use exponential notation
let num = 5.123456;
console.log(num.toPrecision()); // '5.123456'
console.log(num.toPrecision(5)); // '5.1235'
console.log(num.toPrecision(2)); // '5.1'
console.log(num.toPrecision(1)); // '5'
// This number has exponent -4, so it will never use exponential notation
num = 0.000123;
console.log(num.toPrecision()); // '0.000123'
console.log(num.toPrecision(5)); // '0.00012300'
console.log(num.toPrecision(2)); // '0.00012'
console.log(num.toPrecision(1)); // '0.0001'
// This number has exponent 3, so it will use exponential notation if precision is less than 4
num = 1234.5;
console.log(num.toPrecision(1)); // '1e+3'
console.log(num.toPrecision(2)); // '1.2e+3'
console.log(num.toPrecision(6)); // '1234.50'
// This number has exponent -7, so it will always use exponential notation
num = 0.00000012345;
console.log(num.toPrecision(1)); // '1e-7'
console.log(num.toPrecision(10)); // '1.234500000e-7'
Specifications
| Specification |
|---|
| ECMAScript® 2026 Language Specification # sec-number.prototype.toprecision |
Browser compatibility
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