How do I make a box and whisker plot from my data?

Paste your values into the box (one column per data set), and the maker computes the five-number summary and draws the plot instantly. You can paste directly from Excel or Google Sheets — tabs, commas, and new lines are all understood.

Why does my Q1 or Q3 differ from my calculator?

Because there is more than one accepted way to compute quartiles. Most US classes and TI calculators split the data at the median (the "Textbook" option here); Excel interpolates ("Excel" / QUARTILE.INC). The two can give different Q1 and Q3 on the same data. Switch the method toggle to match what your class expects.

What counts as an outlier on a box plot?

The common rule is 1.5 × IQR: any value more than 1.5 interquartile ranges below Q1 or above Q3. On a modified box plot those points are drawn as separate dots and the whiskers stop at the most extreme value still inside the fence. Turn outliers off for a standard plot whose whiskers reach the true minimum and maximum.

Can I compare two or more data sets?

Yes. Paste each data set as its own column and the maker draws one box per column on a shared axis with a legend, so you can compare center and spread directly. Name each series and give it its own color.

How do I save or share the plot?

Download it as a PNG (to paste into a doc or slide), an SVG (to scale or edit), or a PDF (to print), copy the image straight to your clipboard, or export the five-number summary as a CSV file.

Box & Whisker Plot Maker

Free box and whisker plot maker: paste data, get the five-number summary, quartiles, and outliers, and download the plot as PNG, SVG, or PDF. Textbook or Excel quartiles.

Your data (paste from Excel/Sheets — one column per data set) Quartile method Whiskers Orientation Chart title Axis label

Show value labels

Show gridlines

Series	N	Min	Q1	Median	Q3	Max	IQR	Outliers
Section A	8	72	79.5	86.5	90.5	95	11	—
Section B	8	60	67.5	73	76	100	8.5	100

What a box and whisker plot is

A box and whisker plot (box plot) summarizes a set of numbers using five points: the minimum, the first quartile (Q1), the median, the third quartile (Q3), and the maximum. The box spans Q1 to Q3 — the middle 50% of the data — with a line at the median. The whiskers reach out to the smallest and largest values that are not outliers. It shows the center, spread, and skew of your data at a glance, and makes two or more data sets easy to compare side by side.

The five-number summary

The five-number summary is the backbone of the plot. The median is the middle value. Q1 is the median of the lower half of the data and Q3 is the median of the upper half, so the box (Q1 to Q3) holds the middle 50% — its width is the interquartile range, IQR = Q3 − Q1. A value is flagged as an outlier when it falls more than 1.5 × IQR below Q1 or above Q3; on a modified box plot the whiskers stop at the last value inside that fence and outliers are drawn as separate dots.

Worked example

Take the eight values 72, 78, 81, 85, 88, 90, 91, 95. Sorted, the median is the average of the 4th and 5th values, (85 + 88) / 2 = 86.5. The lower half is 72, 78, 81, 85, so Q1 = (78 + 81) / 2 = 79.5. The upper half is 88, 90, 91, 95, so Q3 = (90 + 91) / 2 = 90.5. The IQR is 90.5 − 79.5 = 11, the box runs from 79.5 to 90.5 with a line at 86.5, and the whiskers reach 72 and 95 because no value lies beyond 1.5 × 11 = 16.5 past the quartiles.

Textbook vs. Excel quartiles

Different tools compute quartiles differently, which is why your calculator, your textbook, and Excel can disagree. This maker offers both. "Textbook" uses the method taught in most US statistics courses (and by TI-83/84 calculators): split the sorted data at the median, leaving the median out when there is an odd number of values, then take the median of each half. "Excel" uses the QUARTILE.INC method: it interpolates between data points at the position 0.25 and 0.75 of the way through the data. Pick the one your class or worksheet expects.

How to make one

Paste your numbers into the box — one column per data set, straight from Excel or Google Sheets.
Choose the quartile method your class uses (Textbook or Excel) and whether to show outliers.
Read the five-number summary and box plot; adjust the title, orientation, and colors as needed.
Download the plot as PNG, SVG, or PDF, or export the summary numbers as CSV.

FAQ

How do I make a box and whisker plot from my data?: Paste your values into the box (one column per data set), and the maker computes the five-number summary and draws the plot instantly. You can paste directly from Excel or Google Sheets — tabs, commas, and new lines are all understood.
Why does my Q1 or Q3 differ from my calculator?: Because there is more than one accepted way to compute quartiles. Most US classes and TI calculators split the data at the median (the "Textbook" option here); Excel interpolates ("Excel" / QUARTILE.INC). The two can give different Q1 and Q3 on the same data. Switch the method toggle to match what your class expects.
What counts as an outlier on a box plot?: The common rule is 1.5 × IQR: any value more than 1.5 interquartile ranges below Q1 or above Q3. On a modified box plot those points are drawn as separate dots and the whiskers stop at the most extreme value still inside the fence. Turn outliers off for a standard plot whose whiskers reach the true minimum and maximum.
Can I compare two or more data sets?: Yes. Paste each data set as its own column and the maker draws one box per column on a shared axis with a legend, so you can compare center and spread directly. Name each series and give it its own color.
How do I save or share the plot?: Download it as a PNG (to paste into a doc or slide), an SVG (to scale or edit), or a PDF (to print), copy the image straight to your clipboard, or export the five-number summary as a CSV file.