Box and Whisker Plot Examples: Complete How to Create Guide

A Box and Whisker visualization design is one of the best-suited charts for displaying attributes of your data, such as data distribution in quartiles, mean, and outliers.

Besides, the Box Plot is straightforward to decode due to its simplicity in design.

Excel does not natively support Box and Whisker Charts.

Yes, you read that right.

So, you’ve got to use other expensive data visualization tools or plot the chart manually. If you intend is to display attributes, such as mean, outliers, and quartiles in your data, think beyond the spreadsheet app.

We’re not recommending you do away with Excel, especially if your goal is to access ready-made and visually appealing Box and Whisker Charts.

It turns out you can download and install a particular add-in (which we’ll mention later) into your Excel to access ready-to-go charts.

Table of Content:

1. Box and Whisker Plot Examples
2. What Does the Shape of a Box Plot Tell You?
3. What does a Box and Whisker Chart look like?
4. How Box-and-Whisker Charts Improve Process Control in Manufacturing Sector?
5. How to Generate Ready-made and Visually Stunning Box and Whisker Plots?
6. Wrap Up

Box and Whisker Plot Examples

The Box and Whisker Plot examples simplify bulky and complex data sets into quartiles and averages. Also, you can use the visualization design to pinpoint outliers in your data. The Box Plot segments key variables in quarters or (quartiles).

For instance, you can draw boxes to connect the first quartile to the third quartile. In this case, the boxes will represent the average values of key data points.

Whiskers are lines that identify values outside of the average data points. The highest and lowest variables in your data can be outliers, depending on their magnitude and frequency of occurrence.

A Box and Whisker is made up of the following components, namely:

• Minimum value: The smallest value in the data set
• Second quartile: The value below which the lower 25% of the data are contained
• Median value: The middle number in a range of numbers
• Third quartile: The value above which the upper 25% of the data are contained
• Maximum value: The largest value in the data set

Keep reading because we’ll address the following question in the coming section: what does the shape of a Box Plot tell you?

What Does the Shape of a Box Plot Tell You?

• The left and right sides of a Box and Whisker Plot example are the lower and upper quartiles, respectively. The box covers the interquartile interval, where 50% of the data lie.
• The vertical line that splits a Box and Whisker Plot in two is the median. Sometimes, the mean is also indicated by a dot or a cross on the box.
• The whiskers are the two lines outside the box.
• The box and whisker plot can be presented horizontally or vertically.

Keep reading because we’ll introduce a ton of Box and Whisker Plot examples in the next section.

What does a Box and Whisker Chart look like?

A Box and Whisker Plot (also known as Box Plot) is a visualization design that uses Japanese candle shapes to display insights into data.

Use the chart if your goal is to display high-level insights, such as mean, quartiles, standard deviation, and median.

Take a look at the table below. Can you provide a coherent data story by glancing at the table?

Week	Menu Items	No. of Orders
Week-1	Cobb Salad	54
Week-1	Fajitas	45
Week-1	Banana Split	35
Week-1	Macaroni	36
Week-1	Buffalo Wings	38
Week-2	Cobb Salad	52
Week-2	Fajitas	28
Week-2	Banana Split	58
Week-2	Macaroni	47
Week-2	Buffalo Wings	30
Week-3	Cobb Salad	41
Week-3	Fajitas	52
Week-3	Banana Split	48
Week-3	Macaroni	35
Week-3	Buffalo Wings	62
Week-4	Cobb Salad	56
Week-4	Fajitas	27
Week-4	Banana Split	79
Week-4	Macaroni	75
Week-4	Buffalo Wings	55
Week-5	Cobb Salad	15
Week-5	Fajitas	14
Week-5	Banana Split	20
Week-5	Macaroni	15
Week-5	Buffalo Wings	20

Note the difference after visualizing the data.

It’s incredibly easy to interpret the chart above. The left whisker represents the minimum number of orders.  Conversely, the right whisker shows the maximum number of orders.

The midline is the median value. And the x value is the mean.

The distance between the mean and median shows the skewness of the menu items. For instance, the Banana Split has symmetric skew while the other menu items have asymmetric skewness.

Cobb Salad has a sizable number of outlier orders on the leftside of the data distribution. Also, Fajitas has a significant number of outlier orders on the left side of the distribution.

Horizontal Box and Whisker Plot: Example #1

Vertically Box and Whisker Plot: Example #2

How Box-and-Whisker Charts Improve Process Control in Manufacturing Sector?

Modern manufacturers produce more products across more lines (or more sites) than ever before.

And it can be a tremendous challenge for quality assurance professionals to eliminate process variation and be consistent in minimizing waste.
A Statistical Process Control (SPC) tool (popular within manufacturers’ circles) uses Box and Whisker Plot Examples to provide in-depth quality assurance insights.

The Box Plots can help you compare and align products and processes, even when running on different lines and separate plants.

Keep reading because we’ll introduce a ton of Box and Whisker Plot examples in the next section.

How to Generate Ready-made and Visually Stunning Box and Whisker Plots?

Excel is one of the go-to data visualization tools for many readers.

However, the data visualization tool does not natively support Box and Whisker Charts. In other words, you’ll never find this visualization design in Excel.

Well, you don’t have to do away with the spreadsheet app.

You can turn Excel into a reliable data visualization tool loaded with insightful charts by installing third-party apps, such as ChartExpo.

How to create a Box and Whisker Plot examples in Excel should never consume your valuable time. Keep reading to learn more.

ChartExpo is an add-in you can easily install in your Excel.

With a large number of ready-made and visually stunning visualizations, ChartExpo turns your complex, raw data into compelling, easy to digest, visual renderings that tell the story of your data. The cutting-edge application produces simple, ready-made, and visually stunning charts with just a few clicks.

Yes, ChartExpo generates ready-made Box and Whisker Plot examples that are amazingly easy to interpret.

In the coming section, you’ll get to see ChartExpo in action. You don’t want to miss this.

Example:

Week	Menu Items	No. of Orders
Week-1	Cobb Salad	54
Week-1	Fajitas	45
Week-1	Banana Split	35
Week-1	Macaroni	36
Week-1	Buffalo Wings	38
Week-2	Cobb Salad	52
Week-2	Fajitas	28
Week-2	Banana Split	58
Week-2	Macaroni	47
Week-2	Buffalo Wings	30
Week-3	Cobb Salad	41
Week-3	Fajitas	52
Week-3	Banana Split	48
Week-3	Macaroni	35
Week-3	Buffalo Wings	62
Week-4	Cobb Salad	56
Week-4	Fajitas	27
Week-4	Banana Split	79
Week-4	Macaroni	75
Week-4	Buffalo Wings	55
Week-5	Cobb Salad	15
Week-5	Fajitas	14
Week-5	Banana Split	20
Week-5	Macaroni	15
Week-5	Buffalo Wings	20

 Click here to install ChartExpo into your Excel. Once you’re done, follow the easy steps below.

• Open your Excel and paste the table above.
• Open the worksheet and click the Insert Menu button.
• Click the My Apps button and then click the ChartExpo for Excel and click on Insert button, as shown below.

• Once the ChartExpo is loaded you will see a list of charts.

• Look for the Box and Whisker Bar Chart in these charts or Click the Search Box and type “Box and Whisker Bar Chart.”

• Select the sheet holding your data and click the Create Chart from Selection button, as shown below.

To add additional details, such as title in your chart, follow the steps below:

• Click the Edit Chart button and then click the pencil-like marker near the title section, as shown below.

• Once the Chart Header Top Properties window pops up, click the Line 1 button and fill in the title.

• Save your new changes by clicking the Apply button.
• To change the legend of the Box and Whisker Charts, click the Edit button.
• Once the Chart Footer Properties window shows, click the Line 1 box and select your preferred legend, as shown below.

• To change the y-axis legend details of the Box and Whisker Charts, click the Edit.
• Once the Chart Header Left Properties window shows, click the Line 1 box and select your preferred legend, as shown below.
• Toggle the small switch to the left side to keep your changes alive.

• Save your new changes by clicking the Apply button.
• To change the color of the Box and Whisker Charts, click the Edit.
• Once the Legend Properties window shows, click on the Color box and select your preferred color, as shown below.

• Click the Apply button to preserve your changes.
• To display First Quartile, Second Quartile, Third Quartile, and Mean, toggle the buttons to the right side.

• To change the median type to either Exclusive or Inclusive, click the pencil-like icons.
• Once the Chart Label and Line Properties window show, click the Quartile Box and select Exclusive or Inclusive in the dropdown menu, as shown below.

• Save your new changes by clicking the Apply button.
• Check out the final chart below.

FAQs:

How can you describe a Box Plot?

The Box and Whisker Plot examples simplify bulky and complex data sets into quartiles and averages. Also, you can use the visualization design to pinpoint outliers in your data.

The chart segments key variables in quarters or (quartiles). Besides, it’s amazingly easy to read and interpret.

What’s the main use of a Whisker Plot?

A Box and Whisker Plot can help you to visualize large datasets. Besides, you can easily detect the symmetry of the data at a glance by using the chart.

The visualization design is ideal, especially if you’re curating a data story for your audience (or readers).

How do you compare two Box and Whisker Plot examples?

To compare key variables in your data using a Dot Plot, check at their boxes and median lines to see if there’s an overlap. An overlap depicts skewness.

Secondly, check the sizes of the boxes and whiskers for their ranges and variabilities. Finally, look for outliers.

Wrap Up

A Box and Whisker visualization design is one of the best-suited charts for displaying attributes of your data, such as data distribution in quartiles, mean, and outliers.

Besides, the Box Plot is straightforward to decode due to its simplicity in design.

Excel does not natively support Box and Whisker Charts. In other words, you cannot use the tool to generate ready-made Box and Whisker Plot examples.

Yes, you read that right.

So, you’ve got to use other expensive data visualization tools or plot the chart manually. If your intention is to display attributes, such as mean, outliers, and quartiles in your data, think beyond the spreadsheet app.

We recommend installing third-party apps, such as ChartExpo, into your Excel to access ready-made Box and Whisker Plot examples.

ChartExpo is an add-in you can easily download and install in your Excel app. Besides, this tool comes loaded with insightful and easy-to-interpret Box Plots. You don’t need programming or coding skills to visualize your data using ChartExpo.

Sign up for a 7-day free trial today to access easy-to-interpret and ready-made Box and Whisker Charts.