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Poop Pictures: What Healthy and Unhealthy Stool Looks Like

Most people have no reference point for what is normal. Below are labelled pictures of all seven stool consistencies and all eight stool colors, so you can compare what you actually saw against something concrete.

Pictures of all 7 stool types

The Bristol Stool Chart is the clinical standard for classifying stool consistency. Types 3 and 4 are the healthy range — everything above is too slow, everything below is too fast.

Bristol Stool Chart Type 1: Small, hard, separate lumps that look like nuts or rabbit droppings.

Type 1: Separate Hard Lumps

Severe constipation

Small, hard, separate lumps that look like nuts or rabbit droppings.

 Bristol Stool Chart Type 2: Sausage-shaped but lumpy on the surface — like several Type 1 lumps pressed together.

Type 2: Lumpy and Sausage-Shaped

Mild to moderate constipation

Sausage-shaped but lumpy on the surface — like several Type 1 lumps pressed together.

 Bristol Stool Chart Type 3: Like a sausage but with cracks on the surface. Holds together, passes smoothly.

Type 3: Sausage-Shaped with Cracks

Healthy

Like a sausage but with cracks on the surface. Holds together, passes smoothly.

 Bristol Stool Chart Type 4: Smooth, soft, and snake-like or sausage-shaped. Typically a single piece.

Type 4: Smooth and Snake-Like

Ideal — gold standard

Smooth, soft, and snake-like or sausage-shaped. Typically a single piece.

 Bristol Stool Chart Type 5: Soft blobs with clear-cut edges that pass easily. Multiple separate pieces.

Type 5: Soft Blobs with Clear Edges

Slightly loose, usually normal

Soft blobs with clear-cut edges that pass easily. Multiple separate pieces.

 Bristol Stool Chart Type 6: Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool. No definite shape.

Type 6: Mushy with Ragged Edges

Mild diarrhea

Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool. No definite shape.

 Bristol Stool Chart Type 7: Completely liquid with no solid pieces. Watery.

Type 7: Entirely Liquid

Diarrhea

Completely liquid with no solid pieces. Watery.

The full Bristol chart

All seven types in one image, free to save or republish with credit.

Pictures of all 7 Bristol stool types — separate hard lumps, lumpy sausage, cracked sausage, smooth snake, soft blobs, mushy ragged pieces and entirely liquid — with what each one means.
All 7 Bristol stool types with pictures. Types 3–4 are the healthy range. Full detail on the Bristol Stool Chart page.

See the full Bristol Stool Chart guide, with causes and fixes for each type →

Pictures of all 8 stool colors

Stool is brown because of bile. A shift in color usually reflects diet, transit speed, or bile flow — three of these eight are worth a doctor's visit.

Medium Brown

Typically normal

Light Brown / Tan

Typically normal

Dark Brown

Typically normal

Green

Worth watching

Yellow / Greasy

Worth watching

Pale / Clay

See a doctor

Red

See a doctor

Black / Tarry

See a doctor
Pictures of eight stool colors — medium brown, light brown, dark brown, green, yellow, pale clay, red and black — with what each color means.
The poop color chart: eight stool colors and what each one means.

See the full poop color chart, with causes for every color →

How to use these pictures

Match on two axes, not one. Find the consistency that looks closest on the Bristol chart, then find the closest color. "Type 6 and yellow" is a far more useful description than "it looked wrong", both for your own tracking and for a conversation with a doctor.

Then watch the pattern rather than the instance. One unusual bowel movement after a heavy meal or a stressful day means very little. The same type or color recurring across a week or two is the signal worth acting on.

When pictures are not enough

  • Blood in or on the stool, or black tarry stool, with no dietary explanation.
  • Pale or clay-colored stool, particularly with dark urine or yellowing skin.
  • Persistent Type 1–2 or Type 6–7 lasting more than two weeks.
  • Any change alongside unexplained weight loss, fever, or severe pain.
  • Pencil-thin stools that persist.

These are medical illustrations, not photographs, and this page is not medical advice or a diagnosis. PoopCheck is a tracker and classifier, not a substitute for medical care. See a qualified clinician about any concerning symptom.

FAQ

What does healthy poop look like?

Healthy stool looks like a smooth, soft, sausage- or snake-shaped single piece — Type 4 on the Bristol Stool Chart — in some shade of brown. It should pass easily without straining and hold together rather than breaking apart or smearing. Type 3, a sausage with surface cracks, is equally healthy.

What does unhealthy poop look like?

On the constipated end, small separate hard lumps like nuts (Type 1) or a lumpy sausage (Type 2) mean stool spent too long in the colon. On the loose end, mushy pieces with ragged edges (Type 6) or entirely liquid stool (Type 7) mean it moved through too fast. On color, pale clay, red without a dietary cause, or black and tarry are the three that need medical attention.

How can I compare my stool to these pictures?

Match on two axes rather than one. First find the consistency that looks closest on the Bristol chart, then find the closest color on the color chart. A single unusual result is rarely meaningful — what matters is whether the same type or color keeps recurring over a week or more.

Are these real photos of poop?

No. These are medical illustrations drawn to depict each Bristol type and stool color accurately. Illustrations are the standard used in clinical settings because they show the defining features of each type more clearly and consistently than photographs.

Skip the comparing

PoopCheck classifies Bristol type, color and consistency from a photo in seconds — and remembers the pattern so you don't have to.

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