How to Calculate Discount Levels on an Excel Spreadsheet

1. Open Microsoft Excel. Click the 'A1' cell in the blank document. Type 'OP' in the cell to label the original price column.Click the 'B1' cell. Type 'SP' in the cell to label the sale price column.Click the 'C1' cell. Type 'Discount' in the cell to label the column that will show the discount level of the sale.
2. Click the 'A2' cell, and type in the original price of your item---the price the item sells for before tax. For example, type '50' if the original price of the item is $50.Click the 'B2' cell, and type in the sale price of your item---the price the customer actually pays, or the advertised price of the item. For example, type '20' if the sale price is $20.
3. Click the 'C2' cell. Type '=(B2-A2)/ABS(A2)'---the formula that will automatically calculate the discount level---into the cell.Click the 'D1' cell to apply the formula.Click the '%' sign under the 'Number' category in the top toolbar to change the number displayed to a percentage. Your percentage discount will now display. For example, if you entered '50' for the original price and '20' for the sale price, the discount column will show '-60%' to reflect a 60 percent discount on the item.