Numeric Data Types in MySQL
MySQL provides exact integer and fixed-point types as well as approximate floating-point types. Select the type based on range, exactness and storage requirements.
Integer types
| Type | Bytes | Signed range | Unsigned range |
|---|---|---|---|
| TINYINT | 1 | -128 to 127 | 0 to 255 |
| SMALLINT | 2 | -32,768 to 32,767 | 0 to 65,535 |
| MEDIUMINT | 3 | -8,388,608 to 8,388,607 | 0 to 16,777,215 |
| INT | 4 | -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 | 0 to 4,294,967,295 |
| BIGINT | 8 | -2^63 to 2^63-1 | 0 to 2^64-1 |
DECIMAL for exact values
DECIMAL(M,D) stores exact fixed-point values. M is total precision and D is the scale.
price DECIMAL(10,2)This is a common choice for currency-like values.
FLOAT and DOUBLE
FLOAT and DOUBLE are approximate floating-point types. Use them for scientific measurements where approximation is acceptable, not for values that require exact decimal arithmetic.
INT(3). A display width does not restrict an integer to three digits and should not be used as a range rule.
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