number1 - Required. First number, cell reference, or range (e.g., A1, A1:A10, 100). Required.
number2 - Optional. Optional. Additional numbers, ranges, or cells. Up to 255 arguments allowed.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vendor | Price | Analysis |
| 2 | Vendor A | $425 | |
| 3 | Vendor B | $389 | |
| 4 | Vendor C | $440 | |
| 5 | Vendor D | $395 | |
| 6 | Lowest: | =MIN(B2:B5) 389 |
Returns the smallest value in range A1 to A10
=MIN(45, 78, 23, 91, ...) → 23
Finds minimum across multiple non-adjacent ranges
=MIN(50, 30, 100, ...) → 30
Trigger alert if minimum falls below threshold
If lowest value < 10, shows "REORDER"
Finds minimum in entire column B (dynamic)
Automatically includes new data added to column
Use this function in Excel to identify the lowest price across multiple vendors, saving money on every purchase order. This pricing strategy is essential for procurement teams, purchasing managers, and supply chain professionals managing vendor relationships and cost optimization. The minimum formula enables instant price comparison for raw materials, office supplies, manufacturing components, or any product category where vendor shopping drives cost savings. Combine with conditional formatting to highlight the best price automatically, or pair with MATCH to identify which vendor offers the minimum price for automated vendor selection.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product: Office Chair | Vendor | Quote |
| 2 | Supplier A | $425 | |
| 3 | Supplier B | $389 | |
| 4 | Supplier C | $440 | |
| 5 | Supplier D | $395 | |
| 6 | Best Price: | =MIN(C2:C5) $389 |
Deploy this function in Excel to track minimum inventory across multiple warehouses, triggering automatic reorder alerts before stockouts occur. This inventory management technique is critical for operations managers, warehouse supervisors, and logistics teams preventing costly stockouts and maintaining optimal inventory levels. The minimum formula identifies the warehouse with lowest stock, enabling proactive redistribution or reordering. Essential for multi-location retailers, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities where inventory visibility across locations prevents lost sales and ensures product availability for customer orders.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product: Widget XL | WH-1 | WH-2 | Alert |
| 2 | Stock Levels: | 45 | 12 | |
| 3 | Minimum: | =MIN(B2:C2) 12 units | ||
| 4 | Status: | =IF(MIN(B2:C2)<20, "REORDER", "OK") REORDER NEEDED |
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=MIN(A1:A5)Use range notation (A1:A5) instead of listing individual cells. This function in Excel is optimized for ranges - it's cleaner, automatically includes all cells in the range, and scales effortlessly when your data grows. Range references make your formulas more maintainable and professional.
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=IFERROR(MIN(A1:A10), "No valid data")Wrap this function in Excel with IFERROR to handle ranges containing errors gracefully. The minimum formula propagates errors by design to alert you of data quality issues. For production reports where errors should be handled, use IFERROR to provide a fallback value or message when the minimum cannot be calculated.
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=MINA(A1:A10)This function in Excel ignores text values entirely - they are not converted to zero. If you need text values treated as zero, use MINA instead. The minimum formula is designed for purely numeric comparisons. Understanding the difference between MIN (ignores text) and MINA (treats text as 0) prevents logic errors in your spreadsheets.
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