How to Make a Segmented Bar Graph in Excel

A segmented bar graph is the perfect way to show how individual parts make up a whole. Instead of displaying a single value, each bar is divided into colored sections, giving you a quick visual of both the total amount and the proportional breakdown for different categories. This article will walk you through exactly how to prepare your data and create awesome-looking segmented bar graphs in Microsoft Excel, step by step.

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What Exactly is a Segmented Bar Graph?

Think of a segmented bar graph (also known as a stacked bar chart) as a way to tell a richer story with your data. A simple bar chart shows you a single total - for example, total sales per quarter. A segmented bar chart takes it a step further. It can show you the total sales per quarter, but with each bar broken down to show you which products contributed to that total.

Each bar represents a primary category (like "Q1 Sales"), and the different colored segments within that bar represent subcategories (like "Product A," "Product B," and "Product C"). This makes it incredibly easy to compare both the overall totals across categories and the contribution of each subcategory within each bar.

The Two Main Types of Segmented Bar Graphs

Excel offers two primary versions of the segmented bar graph, each useful for answering different kinds of questions.

• Stacked Bar Chart: This is the classic version. The length of each bar represents the total value for that category, and the segments show the absolute value of each subcategory. This is best when you want to compare the overall totals and see the breakdown of the parts. For example, you can see if total revenue grew from Q1 to Q2, and also see if that growth was driven by a specific product line.
• 100% Stacked Bar Chart: This variation makes every bar the same length, representing 100% of the total for that category. The segments then show the percentage contribution of each subcategory. This is ideal when your main goal is to compare the proportional breakdown across categories, not the absolute totals. For example, you can use it to see if Product A made up a larger percentage of sales in Q2 compared to Q1, regardless of the total revenue number.

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Preparing Your Data for a Segmented Bar Graph

Before you can create any chart in Excel, your data needs to be structured in a way that Excel can understand. Getting this right is the most important step and will save you a lot of headaches.

Your data table should be simple and clean. The goal is to set it up so that your main categories are in the first column, and your sub-categories (the segments) have their own columns with the corresponding values.

Let’s use an example of quarterly sales figures for different product lines. Your table should look like this:

In this layout:

• The first column, "Quarter," contains our main categories. These will become the individual bars on the chart.
• The top row contains the headers for our sub-categories, or segments: "Product A," "Product B," and "Product C."
• The cells in the middle contain the numerical data for each segment in each quarter.

Once your data is laid out this way, you're ready to create the graph.

How to Make a Stacked Bar Chart in Excel (Step-by-Step)

Let's start by creating a standard stacked bar chart to compare the absolute sales values.

Step 1: Select Your Data

Click and drag your cursor to highlight the entire data range you want to include in the chart. In our example table above, you would select from cell A1 all the way to D5, making sure to include the column and row headers.

Step 2: Insert the Chart

With your data highlighted, navigate to the Insert tab on the Excel ribbon at the top of the screen. Look for the Charts group.

Step 3: Choose the Stacked Bar Chart

In the Charts group, click the icon that looks like a bar chart, labeled "Insert Column or Bar Chart." This will open a dropdown menu with several chart options.

Hover your cursor over the different options under the "2-D Bar" or "3-D Bar" sections. You're looking for the one named "Stacked Bar." Click on it.

Step 4: Your Chart is Created!

Excel will instantly generate a stacked bar chart and place it on your worksheet. Each quarter will have its own bar, and each bar will be segmented by the sales of Product A, B, and C. You can now see at a glance how total sales changed each quarter and which products were the biggest contributors.

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How to Make a 100% Stacked Bar Chart in Excel

What if you wanted to see the proportion of sales each product line represents quarterly? That's where the 100% Stacked Bar Chart comes in handy. The process is nearly identical.

Follow steps 1 and 2 from the previous section (select your data and navigate to Insert > Charts).

Step 3 (Alternate): Choose the 100% Stacked Bar Chart

From the "Insert Column or Bar Chart" dropdown menu, find the option named "100% Stacked Bar" right next to the regular "Stacked Bar" option. Click it.

Excel will now create a different version of the chart. All the bars will be the same length, and the horizontal axis will go from 0% to 100%. This view makes it extremely clear how the percentage contribution of each product changed over time. For example, you might see that Product B's segment gets larger in Q4, representing a higher percentage of total sales for that period.

Customizing and Formatting Your Graph

The default chart Excel creates is a great start, but a little formatting can make it much clearer and more professional. Here’s how to fine-tune your segmented bar graph.

Add a Clear Chart Title

The default "Chart Title" isn't very descriptive. Click on the text box at the top of your chart and type a title that clearly explains what the data shows, such as "Quarterly Sales Performance by Product Line."

Add Axis Titles

Your chart needs labels so people know what they're looking at. Click anywhere on your chart to make it active. A green "+" icon will appear on the top right corner. Click it to open the Chart Elements menu. Check the box for "Axis Titles." This will add text boxes to your vertical and horizontal axes, which you can then edit to be "Quarter" and "Total Sales ($)" respectively.

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Adjust Colors and Styles

To change the chart's overall look, select the chart and go to the Chart Design tab.

• Change Colors: Use this button to quickly switch between different preset color palettes that work well together.
• Chart Styles: This gallery offers professional-looking designs with different background colors, fonts, and effects.

To change the color of a specific segment (e.g., make all "Product A" segments blue), right-click on that segment in any of the bars, select "Format Data Series," and use the paint can icon to choose a new fill color.

Add Data Labels for Clarity

Sometimes it's helpful to see the exact numbers on the chart. Click the "+" icon again and check the box for Data Labels. This will add the value of each segment directly onto the chart, so your viewers don't have to guess based on the axis lines.

Tips for Effective Segmented Bar Graphs

Creating the chart is only half the battle. Here are a few best practices to ensure your graph is easy to understand.

• Keep Segments to a Minimum: A bar with a dozen tiny, rainbow-colored segments is virtually unreadable. As a rule of thumb, try to stick to 3-5 segments per bar. If you have more, consider grouping smaller categories into an "Other" segment.
• Order Your Data Logically: Arrange the segment columns in your data table in a logical order. Many people prefer to order them from the largest contributor to the smallest, which creates a more visually stable look on the chart.
• Use Color Thoughtfully: Use colors that are distinct and easy to tell apart. Avoid using similar shades next to each other. Stick to your company's brand colors or use a color scheme that helps tell a story (e.g., warm colors for positive results, cool colors for negative).
• Don't Forget the Legend: Excel adds a legend automatically, which is essential for telling viewers what each color represents. Make sure it is clearly visible and correctly labeled.

Final Thoughts

Creating a segmented bar graph in Excel is an excellent skill for showing part-to-whole relationships in your data. By structuring your data table correctly and using Excel's built-in chart tools, you can quickly build insightful visualizations that are easy to customize and share.

While Excel is great for many tasks, the process of manually exporting data from various platforms like Shopify, Google Analytics, or Facebook Ads to create these charts can be tedious and time-consuming. We built Graphed to solve this exact problem. Once you connect your data sources, we can instantly create live, interactive dashboards for you. Instead of CSV downloads and pivot tables, you can just ask in plain English: "Show me a stacked bar chart of my Shopify sales broken down by product category for the last quarter," and get your answer in seconds.