Free tool
Histogram maker
Paste one column of numbers and see how they’re spread. Bins are picked for you, or set your own, then download PNG or SVG.
One row, one value.
Paste them raw. The counting is the histogram’s job.
- One column of numbers
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One measurement per row, as it was recorded: every response time, every order, every score. Don’t count them first; the histogram does the counting. Type over the sample in the table, or switch to Text and paste a column from a spreadsheet or a log.
Response time (ms) 272 228 242 - Bins
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The ranges the values are counted in. Automatic picks the number with Sturges’ rule and rounds the width to 1, 2 or 5 times a power of ten, so ranges read as 200–400, not 197.3–394.6. Choose “Number of bins” or “Bin width” beside Type to set them yourself.
- Ranges
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Each range includes its start and stops just before its end, so 200 counts in 200–400, not in 0–200. The last range also includes its end, so the largest value is never left out.
- Units and currency
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Write values as you would anywhere: $49.90, 1,250 or 12.5%. The ranges are labelled the same way, and the format can be changed under More settings, Numbers.
Order value $99.68 $33.66 - Axis titles
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The column’s name goes under the bars and “Count” up the side. Rename either under More settings, Text.
When a histogram says it best.
And when another chart says it better.
- Where most values sit
- The tallest bars are the typical values. In the sample, 141 of 150 requests take under 400 ms. Set the bin width to 50 and you’ll see most take 100 to 300.
- How wide, how lopsided
- A narrow pile means values agree; a wide one means they don’t. A long tail to one side is skew, and the lone bars far out are outliers: here, the two requests that took over a second.
- Not for named categories
- If each bar is a thing with a name (a team, a month, a product), the order and gaps mean nothing: use a bar graph. For two measures per row, use a scatter plot.
Early access
Hosted chart links. Coming with Plus.
An image URL that draws your chart, for email, Slack and PDFs where scripts can’t run. Planned for Boring Utils Plus at $8 a month.
Related
Questions
Something else? Send us a note, right from the page.
What is the difference between a histogram and a bar graph?
A histogram counts how many values fall in each range of one measure, so its bars touch and their order is fixed by the numbers. A bar graph compares named categories, so its bars stand apart and could be put in any order.
How many bins should I use?
Automatic is a sound start: it uses Sturges’ rule, about 8 bins for 100 values and 11 for 1,000, rounded to a tidy width. Then try a few more and a few fewer. Too few bins hide the shape; too many turn it into noise.
Which range does a value on the edge go in?
The one it starts. A value of 400 counts in 400–600, not in 200–400. Only the last range also takes the value at its end.
Can I use data I’ve already counted?
Not here: this tool counts raw values. If you already have a count for each range, put the ranges in one column and the counts in the next, and make a bar graph with the bar graph maker.
How many values can it take?
Up to 5,000, one per row; past that, the first 5,000 are counted and the builder says so. Empty cells are skipped, and up to 100 bins are drawn.
Is it free, and is my data uploaded?
Free, with no account. The histogram is drawn in your browser, and nothing you type or paste is uploaded. An editor link carries all your data after the # in the address, which browsers never send to a server.