MS Excel: HOUR function to extract the hour from time hour

Time-based data plays a crucial role in many industries—from employee shift tracking to call center analysis and performance dashboards. The HOUR function in Excel provides a simple way to extract the hour portion of a time value, making it easier to group, analyze, and visualize data by hour intervals.

Whether you're building a time-based report or automating date calculations, understanding how to use HOUR correctly can save you a lot of manual work.

Syntax

=HOUR(serial_number)

Parameters:

Argument	Description
serial_number	A valid Excel time or date-time value. It can be a time, cell reference, or formula result.

Return Value: A number from 0 to 23, representing the hour component of the given time.

Examples

Time Value	Formula	Result	Explanation
08:30 AM	=HOUR("08:30 AM")	8	Extracts hour 8 from 08:30
6:45 PM	=HOUR("18:45")	18	Excel uses 24-hour time internally
NOW()	=HOUR(NOW())	Varies	Returns current hour
2025-05-02 13:15	=HOUR(A1) (if A1 = value)	13	Extracts hour from date-time

If the time value is not correctly formatted, Excel may return #VALUE!.

Practical Use Cases

Scenario	Use of HOUR Function
Employee shift reporting	Group entries by hour of arrival
Website traffic analysis	Segment user visits by hour
Energy consumption logs	Track high-usage hours
Call center activity	Analyze call frequency during certain hours
Machine data logs	Identify peak operation hours

Combining with Other Functions

The HOUR function is commonly combined with:

Function	Purpose
MINUTE()	Extracts minutes
SECOND()	Extracts seconds
TIME()	Constructs a time from hour, minute, second
TEXT()	Formats the output (=TEXT(NOW(), "hh:mm"))
IF()	Conditional logic based on hour value

Example:

=IF(HOUR(A1)>=18, "Evening Shift", "Day Shift")

Troubleshooting Tips

• Ensure the input is a valid time or date-time. Text not representing a time may result in an error.

• The function ignores date and only returns the hour portion.

• For times stored as text, convert them using TIMEVALUE().

Example:

=HOUR(TIMEVALUE("2:00 PM"))

Summary

Feature	Details
Function Name	HOUR
Purpose	Extracts the hour from a time value
Output Range	0 to 23
Input Requirement	A valid Excel time/date serial or formula
Available In	Excel 2003 and later

Final Thoughts

The HOUR function is a simple yet powerful tool when working with time-based data in Excel. From scheduling to automation, it enables granular time analysis with minimal effort. Combine it with other time functions like MINUTE, TEXT, or IF for even more versatility.