Charts / Questions

The best chart for a distribution

Seventeen charts, and when each one fits.

Short answer

For the shape of one group, use a histogram. To compare the spread of several groups, use a box plot, or a ridgeline when the shape matters. For a range per item, use a dot strip; for estimates with uncertainty, a dot plot with intervals.

Updated Nov 2, 2026 · AI sample data

Response times of four models, 1,000 requests each, ms
Response time	Requests
0–50 ms	1
50–100 ms	65
100–150 ms	270
150–200 ms	450
200–250 ms	591
250–300 ms	577
300–350 ms	513
350–400 ms	414
400–450 ms	321
450–500 ms	211
500–550 ms	180
550–600 ms	135
600–650 ms	101
650–700 ms	47
700–750 ms	35
750–800 ms	32
800–850 ms	23
850–900 ms	12
Over 900 ms	22

006 · HistogramAll 4,000 requests in 50 ms bins: P50 304 ms, P95 633 ms.

Response times by model, ms
Model	Min	Q1	Median	Q3	Max
Atlas 3	57	195	257	336	711
Kite 2	96	242	311	406	768
Orion	116	329	414	531	936
Nova	48	162	234	344	844

043 · Box plotThe same requests split by model: Orion has the slowest median.

Response time spread by model
Model	Min	Q1	Median	Q3	Max
Atlas 3	57	195	257	336	711
Kite 2	96	242	311	406	768
Orion	116	329	414	531	936
Nova	48	162	234	344	844

055 · RidgelineThe same four spreads as shapes: Orion spreads the widest.

Same 4,000 requests

The histogram gives the overall shape, with a long slow tail (22 requests over 900 ms). The box plot compares the models' middle halves, and the ridgeline shows each model's shape.

If you ask

Where do most values sit?
Use a006 · Histogram
How do several groups' spreads compare?
Use a043 · Box plot
How do the shapes differ between groups?
Use a055 · Ridgeline
What is the usual range per item?
Use a033 · Dot strip
How sure is each estimate?
Use a050 · Dot plot with intervals
How evenly is a total shared?
Use a077 · Lorenz curve

All seventeen

TypeUse it whenData shape

005 · Floating range barsA window per item, from start to endA start, an end and a median per item, plus the SLA

006 · HistogramHow values spread across rangesAlready-binned counts, P50 and P95 marks

016 · Vertical profileA value read down a scale, like a depth profileA value per level, one or two series

033 · Dot stripThe usual range per item, on one scaleEvery value per item

043 · Box plotThe spread of each group in five numbersFive numbers per group and its outliers

050 · Dot plot with intervalsEstimates with how sure they areAn estimate and an interval per item

053 · Order book depthBuy and sell orders stacked away from the priceBids and asks with price and cumulative size

055 · RidgelineThe shape of each group's spread, stackedA shape per group: centre, spread and weight

060 · Gains curveHow much a model finds in its top picksA steepness for the curve and one marked point

062 · Rate dot plotEach member's view, year by yearOne estimate per member per period

063 · LikertAgree and disagree, statement by statementFive shares per statement, from strongly disagree to strongly agree

071 · Volume profileWhere the trading happened, by pricePrice over time and volume per price level

077 · Lorenz curveHow evenly something is sharedThe curve's shape and one marked point

082 · Age pyramidTwo groups by age, back to backA share per age band for two groups

093 · Star ratingsThe average and how the stars splitA count per star level

106 · Latency fieldEvery run as a dot, over timeTime, duration and status per run

130 · Retention cutWhat a retention window keeps and freesSize by age, a retention window

Common mistakes

Only the average

An average hides a long tail. Show the median and P95, or the full shape.

Groups on different scales

Spreads compare only on one shared axis.

Bins that hide the shape

Too few bins flatten the peak; too many turn into noise.

Get all seventeen

Every distribution chart, and the other 115 types.

In Figma and React, in four sizes, light and dark. Pay once, every update.

See the seventeen in Charts

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Questions

Histogram or box plot?

A histogram for one group's shape, a box plot to compare several groups.

What do P50 and P95 mean?

Half the values sit below P50, and 95 in 100 below P95.

When is a ridgeline better than a box plot?

When the shape matters, such as two peaks a box would hide.

Do these charts come in every size?

Yes. All of them come in XS, S, M and L, each laid out again for its size, in light and dark.

Not sure it is a distribution? Start from what the chart has to show.

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