Calculate the relative standard deviation (coefficient of variation) for a dataset, with mean, std dev, and range.
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Relative standard deviation
Also known as the coefficient of variation (CV).
Interpretation
An RSD below 10% indicates low variability — the data points are tightly clustered around the mean.
Also in Statistics
Statistics
A relative standard deviation (RSD) calculator computes the coefficient of variation — the standard deviation expressed as a percentage of the mean. RSD is useful for comparing variability between datasets with different units or scales.
RSD is the ratio of the standard deviation to the absolute value of the mean, multiplied by 100: RSD = (σ / |μ|) × 100%. A lower RSD indicates less relative variability.
RSD below 10% is generally considered low variability, 10–30% is moderate, and above 30% is high. In analytical chemistry, RSD below 5% is often required for method validation.
RSD = (σ / |μ|) × 100%
Relative standard deviation formula.
Frequently asked questions
RSD is undefined when the mean is zero because it would require division by zero. In this case, the absolute standard deviation should be used instead.
Yes — RSD and coefficient of variation (CV) are the same measure. CV is sometimes expressed as a decimal (0.15) while RSD is expressed as a percentage (15%).
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