How to Convert String to Integer and Float in PHP

When working with strings, you may sometimes need to convert them to numbers. For example, if you’re reading a value from a user input field, you’ll need to convert it to a number before using it in any mathematical operations.

Fortunately, PHP makes this easy with the built-in functions intval() and floatval(). The intval() function converts a string to an integer. If the string doesn’t contain a valid number, it will return 0. The floatval() function converts a string to a floating-point number. If the string doesn’t contain a valid number, it will return 0.0.

We can use type cast operator (int) or (float) as an alternative to intval() and floatval(). However, these functions are preferred because they give more flexibility.

$string = '12.34 Dollars';
$int = intval($string); //12
$float = floatval($string); //12.34

$string = '$12.34 Dollars'; //not starting with a number
$int = intval($string); //0
$float = floatval($string); //0.0

$string = "150.99";
$int = (int) $string; //150
$float = (float) $string; //150.99