So long as you'll always be converting numbers, you can use to_i. That will convert the string into an integer. >"000000100".to_i => 100 Keep in mind that it will truncate the number as soon as it reaches a non-number. For instance: >"00012,345,678".to_i => 12 If you need to keep decimals then you can use to_f. For example: >"0001234.567".to_f => 1234.567 -- Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.