diff --git a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/changes.xml b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/changes.xml
index 4411ea6f6..2549d2c28 100644
--- a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/changes.xml
+++ b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/changes.xml
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 
 		<!-- Don't forget to update status.xml too! -->
         <release version="3.5-beta6" date="2009-??-??">
+           <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">47198 - Fixed formula evaluator comparison of -0.0 and 0.0</action>
            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">47229 - Fixed ExternalNameRecord to handle DDE links</action>
            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">46287 - Control of header and footer extraction in ExcelExtractor / XSSFExcelExtractor</action>
            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">46554 - New ant target "jar-examples"</action>
diff --git a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/status.xml b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/status.xml
index b46e086a6..5486266da 100644
--- a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/status.xml
+++ b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/status.xml
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 	<!-- Don't forget to update changes.xml too! -->
     <changes>
         <release version="3.5-beta6" date="2009-??-??">
+           <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">47198 - Fixed formula evaluator comparison of -0.0 and 0.0</action>
            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">47229 - Fixed ExternalNameRecord to handle DDE links</action>
            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">46287 - Control of header and footer extraction in ExcelExtractor / XSSFExcelExtractor</action>
            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">46554 - New ant target "jar-examples"</action>
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/formula/eval/RelationalOperationEval.java b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/formula/eval/RelationalOperationEval.java
index 9dee4bc1e..d5eef3e26 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/formula/eval/RelationalOperationEval.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/formula/eval/RelationalOperationEval.java
@@ -108,6 +108,10 @@ public abstract class RelationalOperationEval implements OperationEval {
 			if (vb instanceof NumberEval) {
 				NumberEval nA = (NumberEval) va;
 				NumberEval nB = (NumberEval) vb;
+				if (nA.getNumberValue() == nB.getNumberValue()) {
+					// Excel considers -0.0 == 0.0 which is different to Double.compare()
+					return 0;
+				}
 				return Double.compare(nA.getNumberValue(), nB.getNumberValue());
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/src/testcases/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/formula/eval/TestEqualEval.java b/src/testcases/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/formula/eval/TestEqualEval.java
index 3a027bb2e..3053660b7 100644
--- a/src/testcases/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/formula/eval/TestEqualEval.java
+++ b/src/testcases/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/formula/eval/TestEqualEval.java
@@ -91,4 +91,18 @@ public final class TestEqualEval extends TestCase {
 		BoolEval be = (BoolEval) result;
 		return be.getBooleanValue();
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Excel considers -0.0 to be equal to 0.0
+	 */
+	public void testZeroEquality_bug47198() {
+		NumberEval zero = new NumberEval(0.0);
+		NumberEval mZero = (NumberEval) UnaryMinusEval.instance.evaluate(new Eval[] { zero, }, 0,
+				(short) 0);
+		Eval[] args = { zero, mZero, };
+		BoolEval result = (BoolEval) EqualEval.instance.evaluate(args, 0, (short) 0);
+		if (!result.getBooleanValue()) {
+			throw new AssertionFailedError("Identified bug 47198: -0.0 != 0.0");
+		}
+	}
 }