Box plot for Excel 2007

Posted on October 15, 2007 by Jesper in Excel

Keywords: Boxplot, box plot, stem and leaf plots, Excel 2007, how
to make

Version: Excel 2007

Dow nload example
Dowload:

Since the previous entriesI have recieved quite a few questions

about Box-plots in Excel 2007, so I decided I should
describe one way to create decent looking box plots in Excel 2007.
In my example I start with a set of data containing six samples with
ten replicates each, and from this I want to create a box plot
showing the extremes, median and the quartiles.

I create five new rows (12-16), max, 3rd quartile, median, 1st
quartile and min and then calculate the statistics accordingly in cells
B12:B16:
=MAX(B2:B10)

=PERCENTILE(B2:B10,0.75)

=MEDIAN(B2:B10)

=PERCENTILE(B2:B10,0.25)

=MIN(B2:B10)
Then copy to cells C12:G16.

Since we will “trick” Excel to draw a box-plot and use a stacked

column chart we have to modify our data slightly. The first segment
of the stacked column will be invisible and end where the lower
boundary of the 2nd quartile begins ( =PERCENTILE(B2:B10,0.25) ). The
next segment will consist of the 2nd quartile (median-1st quartile,
or B14-B15). The third segment is the 3rd quartile (3rd quartile –
median, or B13-B14). The length of the whiskers representing the
max and min values are calculated as 1st quartile – min or B15-
B16and max – 3rd quartile, or B12-B13.

These values are calculated in a new range, see image below.

Now I’m ready to insert the chart. I select the range B19:G21 (see
image below) and select a 2D stacked column from the Insert–
>Table menu.
Next we add the whiskers. Select the second segment, click
on Chart Tools –> Layou –> Select Error bars –> More error bars
options and pick the Display Direction: Minus, indicate the Error
Amount: Custom and click the Specify Value button. Leave the
Positive Error Value as is and select the range containing the Min
values for the Negative Error bar.

Repeat for the max value whiskers. The chart now should look like
the one in the image below.

To make the chart a bit neater, right-click the lower segment series
(green series in the image) and select properties and make
invisible. Format the rest of the chart to your liking. Done!
Good luck, and enjoy your new Box plots.