Class Width Calculator

Use our class width calculator to calculate class width instantly for a frequency distribution. Includes the class width formula, a class width formula example, and a clear explanation of what is class width in statistics.

Maximum
Largest value in your data set.
Minimum
Smallest value in your data set.
Number of classes
Number of class intervals (k).
Results
Class width
Calculated as (max − min) ÷ number of classes.
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What is Class Width?

Class width is the size of each class interval in a frequency distribution. In statistics, it tells you how wide each bin is when you group data into classes for a histogram or frequency table.

If you’re asking what is class width, think of it as the distance covered by a single class interval. Choosing an appropriate class width helps you summarize data without losing important patterns.

This class width calculator statistics page helps you find class width quickly using the standard class width formula.

Class Width Formula

To calculate class width, subtract the minimum from the maximum to get the range, then divide by the number of classes. Many frequency distributions round the result up to a convenient whole number.

Class width =
class width = (maximum - minimum) ÷ number of classes

Often rounded up to the next whole number for a clean frequency distribution.

maximum
= Largest data value in the set
minimum
= Smallest data value in the set
range
= maximum − minimum
classes
= Number of class intervals you want
Class width formula example
Max 98, Min 42, Classes 7 → (98-42) ÷ 7 = 56 ÷ 7 = 8

So the class width is 8.

Class width formula in frequency distribution
Range ÷ classes → round up if needed

This is the standard approach used for a frequency distribution.

How to Calculate Class Width

  1. 1

    Enter the maximum value from your dataset.

  2. 2

    Enter the minimum value from your dataset.

  3. 3

    Enter the number of classes (class intervals) you want.

  4. 4

    The calculator uses (maximum − minimum) ÷ number of classes to find class width.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to calculate class width?

Use class width = (maximum − minimum) ÷ number of classes.

What is class width in statistics?

It’s the size of each class interval when grouping data into a frequency distribution or histogram.

What is the class width formula?

class width = (maximum − minimum) ÷ number of classes (often rounded up).

How to calculate class width statistics for a frequency distribution?

Find the range (max − min), divide by the number of classes, and round up to a convenient value if needed.

Is this a class width frequency distribution calculator?

Yes—enter max, min, and number of classes and the class width calculator returns the class width.

Why do people round the class width?

Rounding up helps create clean class boundaries (like widths of 5, 10, etc.), which makes the frequency distribution easier to read.

Find the class width calculator—what inputs do I need?

You need the maximum value, minimum value, and the number of classes.

What if my maximum equals my minimum?

Then the range is 0 and the class width is 0. That usually means there’s no variation in the data.

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