diff --git a/doc/src/compute_reduce.rst b/doc/src/compute_reduce.rst
index 89554ebece..3c16988abd 100644
--- a/doc/src/compute_reduce.rst
+++ b/doc/src/compute_reduce.rst
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Syntax
        *reduce/region* arg = region-ID
          region-ID = ID of region to use for choosing atoms
 
-* mode = *sum* or *min* or *max* or *ave* or *sumsq* or *avesq* or *sumabs* or *aveabs*
+* mode = *sum* or *min* or *minabs* or *max* or *maxabs* or *ave* or *sumsq* or *avesq* or *sumabs* or *aveabs*
 * one or more inputs can be listed
 * input = *x* or *y* or *z* or *vx* or *vy* or *vz* or *fx* or *fy* or *fz* or c_ID or c_ID[N] or f_ID or f_ID[N] or v_name
 
@@ -71,12 +71,13 @@ vectors.
 The reduction operation is specified by the *mode* setting.  The *sum*
 option adds the values in the vector into a global total.  The *min*
 or *max* options find the minimum or maximum value across all vector
-values.  The *ave* setting adds the vector values into a global total,
-then divides by the number of values in the vector.  The *sumsq*
-option sums the square of the values in the vector into a global
-total.  The *avesq* setting does the same as *sumsq*, then divides the
-sum of squares by the number of values.  The last two options can be
-useful for calculating the variance of some quantity (e.g., variance =
+values.  The *minabs* or *maxabs* options find the minimum or maximum 
+value across all absolute vector values.  The *ave* setting adds the 
+vector values into a global total, then divides by the number of values 
+in the vector.  The *sumsq* option sums the square of the values in the 
+vector into a global total.  The *avesq* setting does the same as *sumsq*, 
+then divides the sum of squares by the number of values.  The last two options 
+can be useful for calculating the variance of some quantity (e.g., variance =
 sumsq :math:`-` ave\ :math:`^2`).  The *sumabs* option sums the absolute
 values in the vector into a global total.  The *aveabs* setting does the same
 as *sumabs*, then divides the sum of absolute values by the number of
diff --git a/src/compute_reduce.cpp b/src/compute_reduce.cpp
index f2afeab3e6..5af532869c 100644
--- a/src/compute_reduce.cpp
+++ b/src/compute_reduce.cpp
@@ -33,6 +33,34 @@ using namespace LAMMPS_NS;
 
 #define BIG 1.0e20
 
+//----------------------------------------------------------------
+void abs_max(void *in, void *inout, int *len, MPI_Datatype *type)
+{
+  // r is the already reduced value, n is the new value
+  double n = std::fabs(*(double *) in), r = *(double *) inout;
+  double m;
+
+  if (n > r) {
+    m = n;
+  } else {
+    m = r;
+  }
+  *(double *) inout = m;
+}
+void abs_min(void *in, void *inout, int *len, MPI_Datatype *type)
+{
+  // r is the already reduced value, n is the new value
+  double n = std::fabs(*(double *) in), r = *(double *) inout;
+  double m;
+
+  if (n < r) {
+    m = n;
+  } else {
+    m = r;
+  }
+  *(double *) inout = m;
+}
+
 /* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
 ComputeReduce::ComputeReduce(LAMMPS *lmp, int narg, char **arg) :
@@ -67,10 +95,28 @@ ComputeReduce::ComputeReduce(LAMMPS *lmp, int narg, char **arg) :
     mode = AVESQ;
   else if (strcmp(arg[iarg], "aveabs") == 0)
     mode = AVEABS;
+  else if (strcmp(arg[iarg], "maxabs") == 0)
+    mode = MAXABS;
+  else if (strcmp(arg[iarg], "minabs") == 0)
+    mode = MINABS;
   else
     error->all(FLERR, "Unknown compute {} mode: {}", style, arg[iarg]);
   iarg++;
 
+  if (mode == SUM || mode == SUMSQ || mode == SUMABS) {
+    this->scalar_reduction_operation = MPI_SUM;
+  } else if (mode == AVE || mode == AVESQ || mode == AVEABS) {
+    this->scalar_reduction_operation = MPI_SUM;
+  } else if (mode == MINN) {
+    this->scalar_reduction_operation = MPI_MIN;
+  } else if (mode == MAXX) {
+    this->scalar_reduction_operation = MPI_MAX;
+  } else if (mode == MAXABS) {
+    MPI_Op_create(&abs_max, 1, &this->scalar_reduction_operation);
+  } else if (mode == MINABS) {
+    MPI_Op_create(&abs_min, 1, &this->scalar_reduction_operation);
+  }
+
   // expand args if any have wildcard character "*"
 
   int expand = 0;
@@ -329,14 +375,9 @@ double ComputeReduce::compute_scalar()
 
   double one = compute_one(0, -1);
 
-  if (mode == SUM || mode == SUMSQ || mode == SUMABS) {
-    MPI_Allreduce(&one, &scalar, 1, MPI_DOUBLE, MPI_SUM, world);
-  } else if (mode == MINN) {
-    MPI_Allreduce(&one, &scalar, 1, MPI_DOUBLE, MPI_MIN, world);
-  } else if (mode == MAXX) {
-    MPI_Allreduce(&one, &scalar, 1, MPI_DOUBLE, MPI_MAX, world);
-  } else if (mode == AVE || mode == AVESQ || mode == AVEABS) {
-    MPI_Allreduce(&one, &scalar, 1, MPI_DOUBLE, MPI_SUM, world);
+  MPI_Allreduce(&one, &scalar, 1, MPI_DOUBLE, this->scalar_reduction_operation, world);
+
+  if (mode == AVE || mode == AVESQ || mode == AVEABS) {
     bigint n = count(0);
     if (n) scalar /= n;
   }
@@ -441,7 +482,7 @@ double ComputeReduce::compute_one(int m, int flag)
   int nlocal = atom->nlocal;
 
   double one = 0.0;
-  if (mode == MINN) one = BIG;
+  if (mode == MINN || mode == MINABS) one = BIG;
   if (mode == MAXX) one = -BIG;
 
   if (val.which == ArgInfo::X) {
@@ -637,6 +678,11 @@ void ComputeReduce::combine(double &one, double two, int i)
       one = two;
       index = i;
     }
+  } else if (mode == MAXABS) {
+    if (std::fabs(two) > one) {
+      one = std::fabs(two);
+      index = i;
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/compute_reduce.h b/src/compute_reduce.h
index 74313514f0..f8f73cb17a 100644
--- a/src/compute_reduce.h
+++ b/src/compute_reduce.h
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ namespace LAMMPS_NS {
 
 class ComputeReduce : public Compute {
  public:
-  enum { SUM, SUMSQ, SUMABS, MINN, MAXX, AVE, AVESQ, AVEABS };
+  enum { SUM, SUMSQ, SUMABS, MINN, MAXX, AVE, AVESQ, AVEABS, MINABS, MAXABS };
   enum { PERATOM, LOCAL };
 
   ComputeReduce(class LAMMPS *, int, char **);
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ class ComputeReduce : public Compute {
   std::vector<value_t> values;
   double *onevec;
   int *replace, *indices, *owner;
+  MPI_Op scalar_reduction_operation;
 
   int index;
   char *idregion;