Is SQL BETWEEN Inclusive or Exclusive?

The SQL BETWEEN operator is inclusive. That means both the lower and upper boundary values are included in the results.

When writing SQL queries, many developers wonder: Is SQL BETWEEN inclusive or exclusive? The answer is simple: BETWEEN is inclusive. This means that if you write BETWEEN 10 AND 20, both 10 and 20 are part of the results.

Imagine we have a table called products:

SELECT * 
FROM products
WHERE price BETWEEN 10 AND 20;

SELECT * 
FROM products
WHERE price BETWEEN 10 AND 20;

Result:

Explanation:
Both 10 and 20 are included. That’s why we say SQL BETWEEN is inclusive.

SELECT * 
FROM products
WHERE price >= 10 AND price <= 20;

SELECT * 
FROM products
WHERE price >= 10 AND price <= 20;

This gives the same result as using BETWEEN.

So, BETWEEN = >= and <=.

Some developers think that BETWEEN is exclusive (ignores boundaries). That’s wrong. If you wanted to exclude the edges, you would use > and < instead:

SELECT * 
FROM products
WHERE price > 10 AND price < 20;

SELECT * 
FROM products
WHERE price > 10 AND price < 20;

Result:

Here, no rows match because only a price between 10 and 20 (like 15) would qualify, but our table doesn’t have that value.

So, is SQL BETWEEN inclusive or exclusive? The answer: SQL BETWEEN is inclusive.

• It includes both boundary values.
• It works the same as >= and <=.
• If you need exclusive ranges, use > and <.

This makes BETWEEN a very convenient way to filter data in an inclusive range.

Finally, if you found this article helpful, you can check more here:

• TypeScript Type Vs Interface? The Answer Is Type!
• SQL COALESCE in Postgres: A Simple Guide
• Facade vs Proxy vs Adapter Design Patterns