The Bristol stool chart: what your poop shape is telling you

There are two kinds of people: those who’ve never looked back before flushing, and those who are reading this. Welcome. Looking is useful, and the Bristol stool chart gives you a shared language for what you see, so “kind of weird” becomes “type 6, three days running”.

What is the Bristol stool chart?

It’s a seven-point scale for describing poop by shape and texture, named after the English city where it was developed. Lewis and Heaton’s 1997 study found stool form can be used to monitor change in intestinal function, essentially how fast things are moving through your gut. It now shows up in NHS and NICE materials.

What are the 7 types of poop?

Type	What it looks like (NHS England wording)	Usually suggests
Type 1	Separate hard lumps, like nuts (hard to pass)	Constipation
Type 2	Sausage-shaped but lumpy	Mild constipation
Type 3	Like a sausage but with cracks on the surface	Typical
Type 4	Like a sausage or snake, smooth and soft	Typical
Type 5	Soft blobs with clear-cut edges	On the loose side
Type 6	Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy poo	Mild diarrhea
Type 7	Watery, no solid pieces, entirely liquid	Diarrhea

Want it on the fridge or the back of the bathroom door? Grab the printable Bristol stool chart.

A rule of thumb: lower numbers spent longer in your bowel, higher numbers rushed through. MedlinePlus describes diarrhea as stool moving too quickly and constipation as too slowly.

What’s a “normal” type for me?

Types 3 and 4 are the NHS picture of healthy poo, and the NHS England chart says a poo that doesn’t look like type 3 or 4 could be constipation. But most people drift around a bit. A type 2 after a long flight, or a type 6 after a big curry, is just life.

What’s worth noticing is a change that sticks: if you’re usually a 4 and you’ve been a 6 for weeks, or your poop has become thinner or softer for 3 weeks, the NHS suggests seeing a GP.

What about floating, sticky, smelly or mucusy poop?

The chart is about shape and consistency. A few other things people notice are not on it at all:

• Floating poop is usually down to diet or gas, says MedlinePlus. See floating poop.
• Sticky poop that is hard to wipe is not a medical term, but it is worth a look if it keeps happening. See sticky poop.
• Smelly poop: MedlinePlus notes stools normally smell, and the smell often comes from what you ate. See smelly poop.
• Mucus can be part of IBS, per the NHS, but blood or mucus together with diarrhea lasting weeks needs a GP. See mucus in poop.

How do I use the chart day to day?

1. Glance before you flush. (Yes, really.)
2. Match it to the closest type. Don’t overthink in-betweens; pick one.
3. Note the time, and anything unusual like blood or a very dark or pale color.
4. Look back weekly, alongside what you ate.

Mon 07:30  type 4
Tue 07:45  type 4
Wed  --  (none; long day, skipped lunch)
Thu 08:10  type 2
Fri 07:40  type 3

A worked week, read out loud

Mon 07:40  Poop: type 4
Tue 08:15  Poop: type 3
Wed  (nothing)
Thu 09:30  Poop: type 2
Fri 07:50  Poop: type 4
Sat 11:10  Poop: type 5
Sun 08:00  Poop: type 4

Read it like this: mostly types 3 to 5, one quiet day, then a harder type 2. Looking back at Wednesday, it was a long travel day. That is the kind of small, explainable wobble the chart is good at showing. If the same week kept sliding to types 1 and 2, our constipation guide is the next stop.

What does the chart not tell you?

Shape isn’t everything. Color matters too, especially black, red or pale poop. See our poop color guide. And frequency matters; see how often should you poop. If you’re stuck at types 1 and 2, read constipation; if you’re living at 6 and 7, read diarrhea.

Wrap-up

The Bristol chart turns an awkward topic into a number, and numbers are easier to talk about. Use it to learn your normal, notice when that changes, and give your doctor something clear to work with.

More on this

• Floating Poop: What It Means and When to Pay Attention
• Mucus in Poop: Common Causes and When to See a Doctor
• Sticky Poop That’s Hard to Wipe: What Might Be Going On
• Why Does My Poop Smell So Bad? Normal Causes and Red Flags
• What to Tell Your GP About Bowel Changes (A Simple Checklist)