Circle Graph Maker

What is a circle graph?

A circle graph is a pie chart by another name: one circle, split into slices, where each slice's size matches its share of the total. The slices always make up the whole, which is 100 percent and 360 degrees.

Use one to show how a single total splits into a few groups, such as how a class voted or how a budget is spent. For change over time, a line graph works better, and for many groups a bar graph is easier to read.

The name has two other meanings in math. In algebra it can mean the graph of a circle's equation, such as x² + y² = 25, and in graph theory it names a graph built from chords of a circle. This page is about the school chart.

How to make a circle graph step by step

To make a circle graph, turn each count into a percent of the total, turn each percent into degrees, then draw and label the slices. Here is the method with a class of 28 voting for a favorite lunch.

1. 1Count each group.Count how many are in each group and add them up to get the total. In the example, 9 + 7 + 5 + 4 + 3 = 28 students.
2. 2Find each percent.Divide each count by the total and multiply by 100. Pizza: 9 ÷ 28 × 100 = 32.1%.
3. 3Find each angle.Divide each count by the total and multiply by 360, because the whole circle is 360 degrees. Pizza: 9 ÷ 28 × 360 = 115.7°. A shortcut: multiply the percent by 3.6, using the unrounded percent; the rounded 32.1% gives 115.6°, a tenth of a degree off.
4. 4Draw the slices.Draw a circle and a line from the center straight up. Put a protractor on that line, measure the first angle clockwise, draw the next line, and keep going around the circle.
5. 5Label and check.Write each group's name and percent in its slice, add a title, and check that the angles add up to 360 degrees.

Common angles to remember: 10% is 36°, 25% is 90°, 50% is 180° and 75% is 270°. The percentage pie chart maker explains the percent math in more detail.

How many slices should a circle graph have?

Most people make six or fewer. Of the 13,058 charts downloaded from this site (January 29 to August 18, 2026), 77.9% had six slices or fewer, the median had 5, and the two most common sizes were 5 slices and 2 slices.

Source: download events logged by Pie Chart Generator, January 29 to August 18, 2026. The rows leave out the 81 charts with fewer than two slices. Method and more numbers on the pie chart statistics page.

With more than six groups, small slices get hard to tell apart, so combine the smallest into an "Other" slice, or switch to a bar graph. When not to use a pie chart covers the cases where a circle graph misleads.

Is this circle graph maker free for students?

Yes. Making and downloading circle graphs is free, with no account and no ads, and a class can make as many graphs as it needs. It runs in the web browser with nothing to install, so it works on shared classroom computers. Free downloads carry a small credit line; paying $7.99 once for Pro removes it (see pricing). Pro is saved in the browser you buy it in, and the email you paid with turns it on in another browser.

After a download, a box may offer 20 more color palettes for an email address; students can close it and keep going.

The graph is drawn and downloaded in the browser, so the numbers students type aren't uploaded to make it. The site counts visits with Simple Analytics, DataFast and WhyUsersLeave; WhyUsersLeave also records clicks and any text selected on the page, and a share link carries the chart inside its web address. The privacy page lists what each tool collects.

Other tools do some things better. The NCES Kids' Zone Create a Graph tool has pattern fills for black-and-white printing (checked September 29, 2026), and if the data is already in a spreadsheet, Google Sheets or Excel makes the same graph. Teachers comparing classroom options can read our comparison of free pie chart makers, which covers accounts and ads for each tool.