Grubbs' Test Critical Value Calculator
What Is Grubbs' Test?
Grubbs' test checks whether the most extreme observation in a normally distributed data set is a statistical outlier. It was developed by Frank E. Grubbs and published in The Annals of Mathematical Statistics (1950) with refinements appearing in Technometrics (1969). The test is also known as the Extreme Studentized Deviate (ESD) test because the test statistic G is the maximum absolute studentized residual.
You compute G for the single most suspicious observation (the value farthest from the mean), then compare it against the critical value from this table. If G meets or exceeds Gcrit, the observation is flagged as an outlier at significance level α. The test does not identify what caused the extreme value — only that it is statistically inconsistent with the rest of the data under the assumption of normality.
Grubbs' test in practice: it is the required outlier test in ASTM E178 (Standard Practice for Dealing With Outlying Observations) and is specified by ISO 5725-2 for evaluating interlaboratory reproducibility data. Quality engineers, laboratory scientists, and environmental analysts use it to decide whether an extreme measurement warrants removal before further analysis.
The Grubbs Test Statistic Formula
The test statistic G measures how many sample standard deviations the suspect observation lies from the sample mean:
Where xsuspect is the observation being tested (the maximum or minimum of the data), x̄ is the arithmetic mean of all n observations, and s is the sample standard deviation using n − 1 in the denominator.
Testing the Maximum
Use when the largest observation looks suspiciously high.
Testing the Minimum
Use when the smallest observation looks suspiciously low.
G ranges from 0 to its mathematical maximum of (n−1)/√n. For a sample of n = 10, the theoretical maximum G is 9/√10 ≈ 2.846, which is why the critical values in the table cannot exceed this bound.
Grubbs' Test Critical Value Table
Select the tab for your significance level. Each cell shows the Gcrit value — the minimum G required to declare an outlier. Click any cell to highlight it and load it into the calculator above.
Reject H₀ (declare an outlier) if G ≥ Gcrit. Source: Grubbs, F.E. (1969). Procedures for detecting outlying observations in samples. Technometrics, 11(1), 1–21; ASTM E178-16a. For a two-sided test at overall α = 0.05, use the α = 0.025 column.
Complete Grubbs' Test Reference Table — All Significance Levels
The table below shows all four significance levels side by side. The α = 0.05 column is the standard choice for most scientific and engineering applications.
| n | α = 0.10 | α = 0.05 | α = 0.025 | α = 0.01 |
|---|
One-sided Grubbs test. For two-sided testing at α = 0.05, use the α = 0.025 column. All values sourced from Grubbs (1969) and ASTM E178.
How to Use the Grubbs' Test Table: Step by Step
Follow these six steps every time you test for an outlier using Grubbs' test.
Step 1 — State the Hypotheses
H₀: No outliers exist. H₁: The most extreme observation is an outlier. Set α before examining the data — using 0.05 is standard in most laboratory and quality control work. The test is one-sided by default (you pre-identify which end to test: the maximum or the minimum).
Step 2 — Verify Normality
Grubbs' test is only valid for normally distributed data. Examine a Q-Q plot or run a Shapiro-Wilk test on your data before proceeding. If the distribution is clearly skewed or non-normal, consider a log transformation or a non-parametric alternative such as the Tukey IQR fence.
Step 3 — Calculate the Sample Mean and Standard Deviation
Compute x̄ = (Σxi) / n from all n observations — including the suspect value. Compute s = √[Σ(xi − x̄)² / (n − 1)], the sample standard deviation with n − 1 in the denominator. Both statistics must be computed including the suspect point, not after removing it.
Step 4 — Compute G
G = |xsuspect − x̄| / s. Identify the observation with the largest absolute deviation from the mean (either the maximum or minimum of your data set). Subtract the mean, take the absolute value, and divide by the standard deviation.
Step 5 — Look Up G Critical and Compare
Find the row for your n in the table above, or use the calculator to retrieve Gcrit instantly. Then apply the decision rule:
If G < Gcrit → Fail to reject H₀ → No statistical evidence of outlyingness at α
Step 6 — Report and Take Action
A complete result report states: n, the suspect value, G, Gcrit, α, and the decision. Example: "G(n = 15) = 2.61 > Gcrit(α = 0.05) = 2.409. The maximum observation of 47.3 is identified as an outlier." Then investigate the cause — transcription error, equipment failure, or genuine process variation — before deciding whether to remove or retain the value.
Worked Example: Laboratory Titration Data
Scenario: A chemist records the following seven titration volumes (mL): 23.1, 23.4, 23.3, 23.5, 23.2, 23.4, 28.6. The value 28.6 mL looks suspicious. Is it an outlier at α = 0.05?
Solution — Step by Step
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State hypotheses, set α | H₀: no outliers; H₁: max is outlier; α = 0.05 |
| 2 | Compute sample mean x̄ | x̄ = (23.1+23.4+23.3+23.5+23.2+23.4+28.6)/7 = 24.071 |
| 3 | Compute sample std dev s | s = 2.033 (using n−1 = 6 in denominator) |
| 4 | Compute G | G = |28.6 − 24.071| / 2.033 = 4.529 / 2.033 = 2.228 |
| 5 | Look up Gcrit | n=7, α=0.05 → Gcrit = 1.938 |
| 6 | Compare G vs Gcrit | 2.228 > 1.938 → Reject H₀ → Outlier detected |
Interpretation
The value 28.6 mL is a statistically significant outlier at α = 0.05. The chemist should investigate its origin before running further calculations. Possible explanations include a pipetting error, a contaminated standard solution, or a transcription error. The decision to remove the value from the analysis requires a substantive justification, not just the statistical test result.
Worked Example 2: Manufacturing Quality Control
Scenario: A production engineer measures the tensile strength (MPa) of 12 steel samples: 415, 418, 421, 416, 420, 419, 417, 422, 415, 418, 420, 395. Is 395 MPa an outlier at α = 0.05?
x̄ = (sum of all 12 values) / 12 = 4996 / 12 = 416.33 MPa. s = 7.21 MPa (computed with n−1 = 11). G = |395 − 416.33| / 7.21 = 21.33 / 7.21 = 2.959. At n = 12, α = 0.05: Gcrit = 2.285. Since 2.959 > 2.285, the value of 395 MPa is a statistically significant outlier at the 5% level.
One-Sided vs Two-Sided Grubbs' Test
The test direction determines which end of the data you are testing and affects the correct column to use in the table.
One-Sided Test (Standard)
You already know which end to test — either the maximum (high outlier) or the minimum (low outlier) — based on the physical context of the experiment. Use the column matching your stated α directly. Example: α = 0.05 → use the α = 0.05 column.
Two-Sided Test (Bonferroni Adjusted)
You don't know in advance whether the outlier is high or low — you're checking whichever extreme turns out to be larger. For an overall α = 0.05, use the α = 0.025 column. This Bonferroni correction accounts for testing both tails simultaneously.
Assumptions of Grubbs' Test
Grubbs' test gives valid results only when these conditions are met. Violating them can lead to either too many or too few outliers being detected.
Normal distribution: The data must come from a normal (Gaussian) distribution. This is the most critical assumption. Use a Q-Q plot, a Shapiro-Wilk test, or the standard normality tests to check this before running Grubbs' test on your data.
Single outlier: The test checks for exactly one outlier at a time — the most extreme observation. If two or more outliers are present, masking can occur: the first outlier inflates s (pulling the second extreme value closer to Gcrit), making both harder to detect. Use the Generalized ESD test for multiple-outlier scenarios.
Independent observations: All measurements must be statistically independent of one another. Grubbs' test is not appropriate for autocorrelated time-series data or for replicate measurements that share a systematic source of variation.
Sample size n ≥ 3: With n = 2, the test statistic is mechanically fixed and the test is undefined. The table starts at n = 3. For n > 100, the large-sample approximation is reliable, but consider robust methods (e.g., median absolute deviation) for very large datasets with potential contamination.
Grubbs' Test vs Other Outlier Detection Methods
Choosing the right outlier test depends on your data distribution, sample size, and the number of suspected outliers. The table below compares the most widely used methods.
| Method | Normality Required | Sample Size | Outliers Detected | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grubbs' Test | Yes | n ≥ 3 | 1 | Laboratory, QC (ASTM E178, ISO 5725-2) |
| Dixon's Q Test | Yes | 3–30 | 1 | Very small samples; avoids s inflation issue |
| Generalized ESD | Yes | n ≥ 15 | Up to r | Multiple outliers; controls family-wise error |
| Tukey IQR Fence | No | Any | Multiple | Skewed data, exploratory analysis, box plots |
| Z-Score Method | Yes | n > 30 | Multiple | Large samples; subject to masking by outliers |
| Chauvenet's Criterion | Yes | Any | 1 | Experimental physics; less rigorous than Grubbs |
Limitations of Grubbs' Test
Masking Problem
When two or more outliers exist, each one inflates the sample standard deviation s, which shrinks the G statistic for the other outliers. This can cause all of them to appear non-significant — even though they are. Sequential application of Grubbs' test does not solve this; use the Generalized ESD procedure instead.
Normality Dependence
The critical values in this table assume normality. If the underlying distribution has heavier tails than the normal — for example, a t-distribution or a lognormal distribution — Grubbs' test will flag too many observations as outliers. Verify the distribution before applying the test.
One at a Time
Grubbs' test tests a single observation. Running the test, removing the detected outlier, and then rerunning it on the remaining data is sometimes done in practice but inflates the overall Type I error rate. Each iteration changes the distribution of the test statistic in ways the original critical values do not account for.
Symbol and Concept Glossary
The table below defines every symbol in the Grubbs test procedure and notes the single most common source of confusion for each.
| Symbol | Name | Definition | Common Error |
|---|---|---|---|
| G | Grubbs statistic | |xi − x̄| / s — the number of sample SDs the suspect value lies from the mean | Computing G without the suspect value in the mean and SD |
| Gcrit | Critical value | Threshold from this table; G ≥ Gcrit means outlier declared at α | Using the wrong α column or a one-sided value for a two-sided test |
| x̄ | Sample mean | Σxi / n — arithmetic average of all n observations including the suspect value | Excluding the suspect point when computing the mean |
| s | Sample standard deviation | √[Σ(xi−x̄)² / (n−1)] — must include the suspect value in the calculation | Using population SD (dividing by n instead of n−1) |
| n | Sample size | Total number of observations in the data set | Using the wrong n row when the suspect value has already been removed |
| α | Significance level | Probability of falsely declaring an outlier when none exists (Type I error rate) | Selecting α after examining the data to "make" an observation significant |
| H₀ | Null hypothesis | All observations come from the same normal distribution — no outliers exist | Rejecting H₀ and automatically removing the value without further investigation |
| ESD | Extreme Studentized Deviate | Another name for the Grubbs test statistic G — refers to the maximum absolute standardized residual | Confusing the single-outlier ESD (G) with the Generalized ESD test for multiple outliers |
Related Statistics Resources
Outliers in Statistics
A full guide to what outliers are, why they matter, and the range of methods for detecting and handling them.
Standard Deviation
The denominator of the Grubbs statistic. Understand how s is calculated and what it measures.
Significance Level (α)
Why you set α before testing and what it means to control the Type I error rate.
Null vs Alternative Hypothesis
How to frame H₀ and H₁ correctly before running any hypothesis test, including Grubbs' test.
Normality Tests
Check whether your data meet the normality assumption that Grubbs' test requires.
P-Values Explained
What a p-value means, how it relates to the significance level, and the common misinterpretations.
Understanding Why Gcrit Increases with Sample Size
Why Gcrit Rises as n Grows
In a large sample from a normal distribution, the most extreme observation is expected to be further from the mean — not because it is an error, but because with more data, you are more likely to see rare events by chance. A G value of 2.5 in a sample of 5 is remarkable; the same G value in a sample of 50 is entirely plausible. The table encodes this relationship precisely, so the threshold adjusts appropriately rather than using a fixed cutoff.
The Role of the t-Distribution
The Grubbs critical values are derived from the t-distribution. For a sample of n observations, the test uses a t-distribution with n−2 degrees of freedom at an internal significance level of α / n (the Bonferroni correction for the n possible extreme values). This is why the formula Gcrit = [(n−1)/√n] × tp,n−2 / √(n−2+t²p,n−2) is equivalent to the table lookup — both approaches yield exactly the same critical value.
Grubbs' Test and NIST Standards
The NIST/SEMATECH Engineering Statistics Handbook covers Grubbs' test (section 8.1.3.1) and the Generalized ESD variant. The handbook presents a slightly different form of the critical value table, computed with an internal α/(2n) correction rather than α/n. The values shown in this table follow the original Grubbs (1969) paper and ASTM E178, which use α/n internally — the standard used in most engineering and chemistry laboratories worldwide.
Grubbs' Test — Quick Definition
Grubbs' test (Extreme Studentized Deviate test) detects whether the most extreme value in a normally distributed sample is an outlier. The test statistic is G = |xi − x̄| / s, where xi is the suspect observation, x̄ is the sample mean, and s is the sample standard deviation. If G exceeds the critical value Gcrit from the Grubbs table at the chosen significance level α and sample size n, the observation is declared a statistically significant outlier. The test assumes normality, tests one outlier at a time, and requires n ≥ 3. It is specified in ASTM E178 and ISO 5725-2 for laboratory and interlaboratory data analysis.