Bar Graph Maker

Figran

Make a bar graph from your numbers, with error bars and data points when you need them.

  • Grouped, stacked or horizontal
  • Mean ± SD, SEM or 95% CI
  • Free SVG and 300 DPI PNG

Data

Category
Remove

Chart

Layout
Hair color010020030040010828671127BlackBrownRedBlondCount

Summary

CategorySeriesValue
BlackCount108
BrownCount286
RedCount71
BlondCount127

Bar graph examples

Use grouped bars to compare series, stacked bars to compare totals, or 100% stacked bars for proportions. Horizontal bars give long labels more room.

010020030040010828671127BlackBrownRedBlondCount

Simple bar graph

Hair color counts in a survey.

Source: R HairEyeColor

02040608050-5455-5960-6465-6970-74Rural MaleRural FemaleUrban MaleUrban FemaleDeath rate

Grouped bar chart

Compare death rates across age groups and populations.

Source: R VADeaths

0100200300400BlackBrownRedBlondBrownBlueHazelGreenCount

Stacked bar chart

Compare eye colors within each hair color.

Source: R HairEyeColor

020406080100ABCDEFAdmittedRejectedPercent

Percentage bar graph

Compare admitted and rejected applicants by department.

Source: R UCBAdmissions

0100200300400500sunflowercaseinmeatmealsoybeanlinseedhorsebeanWeight

Horizontal bar graph

Compare chick weights across six feed types.

Source: R chickwts

0102030ABCDEFCount

Mean ± SEM with data points

Individual insect counts across six insecticide treatments.

Source: R InsectSprays

02468p = 0.012ctrltrt1trt2Weight

Significance brackets

Plant weights with an author-entered Tukey HSD label; this page does not run tests.

Source: R PlantGrowth

0102030400.512VCOJTooth length

Grouped bar chart with error bars

Tooth length by supplement and dose.

Source: R ToothGrowth

How to make a bar graph

The bar chart maker updates the figure as you edit your table.

  1. 1Enter data

    Choose a data form and type or paste your table.

  2. 2Choose a layout

    Select grouped, stacked or horizontal bars.

  3. 3Add details

    Choose error bars, individual points or value labels.

  4. 4Download

    Download PNG or SVG, or copy the figure legend.

Error bars: SD, SEM or 95% CI

Which error bar should I use?

SD shows how spread out the observations are; SEM and 95% CI show how precisely the mean is estimated when comparing means.

Same illustrative sample (n = 5).

02468Sample
Mean ± SD: 6.0 ± 1.58
02468Sample
Mean ± SEM: 6.0 ± 0.71
02468Sample
95% CI: 4.0 to 8.0

References: Cumming et al. (2007) · Krzywinski and Altman (2013) · Weissgerber et al. (2015) · Streit and Gehlenborg (2014)

What goes in the figure legend?

State the error bar type and sample size (n) in the figure legend.

Bars show means ± SD (n = 5).

Use Copy figure legend in the editor to write this for your own data.

Few replicates?

With a small sample, show every observation as a dot on top of the bar.

02468Sample
Illustrative data, n = 5

Bar graph FAQ

How do I make a bar graph?

In this bar graph maker, enter categories and values to draw a graph immediately. Use Replicates to calculate a mean and error from raw observations, or Mean ± error for existing summaries.

What is the difference between a bar graph and a histogram?

A bar graph compares categories, while a histogram groups numerical observations into bins. Bars for categories have gaps; adjacent histogram bins normally touch.

Should error bars show SD or SEM?

SD describes variation among observations; SEM describes precision of the estimated mean. A 95% confidence interval gives a range of plausible mean values. State the type and sample size in the legend.

How are SD, SEM and 95% CI calculated here?

SD uses the sample denominator n − 1; SEM is SD divided by √n. The 95% confidence interval uses the t distribution with n − 1 degrees of freedom.

Dot plot or bar graph: which should I use?

A dot plot shows individual observations; a bar graph summarizes a value. For small samples, overlay the points to reveal variation that a mean can hide (Weissgerber et al., 2015).

How do I add significance asterisks to a bar graph?

Choose Add significance bracket, select two bars and enter your own label. This tool does not perform statistical tests.

Can I paste data from Excel or Google Sheets?

Yes. Paste a copied table into the bar graph maker, or upload CSV, TSV or XLSX. Use a category column followed by series columns, or group, series and value columns.

Is my data uploaded, and what can I download?

The bar graph maker keeps your data in your browser. Download SVG, 300 DPI PNG or a CSV summary, or copy the figure legend without signing in.

Make your bar graph

Use the bar graph maker to compare categories and export your figure.