The visualization of the vectors in the loading matrix, P, is usually referred to as a loading plot. The 2D loading scatter plot has two vectors of loadings plotted against each other. This type of plot shows which variables are important and also the similarity between variables. The 2D loading score plot is often used for analyzing the corresponding score plot.

The blue observations, forming a class in the score scatter plot in the picture above to the right, are separated from the rest of the observations in the second component. Primarily, the variables that account for the separation in the second component are the yellow-marked "10" and "5" and the red-marked "12" and "1". As the blue observations lie on the same side as the variables "10" and "5", they have positive values in these two variables. On the other hand, the variables "12" and "1" lie on the opposite side and are negatively correlated to the yellow-marked variables. Thus, the class of blue observations has negative values in the variables "12" and "1".

The 1D loading plot can be useful when the variables are of spectral kind or other type of contiguous kind. It may be possible to identify important spectral regions in this type of plot.