What is a Combination Chart in Excel?

A combination chart layers two different chart types into a single visual, and it's one of the most practical tools in Excel for telling a clear data story. This guide walks you through what a combo chart is, when to use it, and how to create your own, step-by-step.

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What Exactly is a Combination Chart?

A combination chart, or combo chart, is a single chart that visualizes two or more datasets using a mix of chart types - most commonly, columns and a line. Think of it as a way to show the relationship between two different kinds of information at the same time.

For example, imagine you want to see your monthly sales revenue alongside your website traffic for the same period. Sales revenue is a large dollar amount (like $50,000), while website traffic is a count of visitors (like 15,000). If you plotted both on a standard column chart with one vertical (Y) axis, the website traffic numbers would dwarf the sales figures, or vice-versa, making one of the datasets almost invisible.

This is where the combo chart shines. You could represent sales revenue with columns rated against a left-side axis in dollars, and then overlay website traffic as a line rated against a right-side axis (a "secondary axis") in number of visitors. Suddenly, you have a clear, easy-to-read chart that shows both metrics in a meaningful way.

Why are Combination Charts So Useful?

Combo charts are more than just a neat visual trick, they solve specific reporting problems that single-type charts can't handle. They offer a smarter way to present complex information clearly and concisely.

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They Compare Metrics with Different Scales

This is the primary reason to use a combination chart. It’s perfect for when you need to visualize two metrics that are measured in completely different units or magnitudes.

• Different Units: Sales Revenue ($) vs. Number of Units Sold (Count)
• Different Magnitudes: Total Revenue ($ millions) vs. Profit Margin (%)

By using a secondary axis, you give each metric its own scale, allowing both to be displayed clearly and accurately on the same chart. Without it, the smaller metric would appear as a flat line at the bottom of the chart.

Example: Plotting your company's monthly revenue (e.g., $150,000) alongside its customer satisfaction score (e.g., 4.5/5). The revenue requires a scale in the thousands, while the score only needs a scale from 1 to 5. A combo chart handles this perfectly.

They Highlight Relationships and Correlations

By putting two related metrics on one chart, you make it much easier to spot trends and relationships. Does an increase in one metric cause a change in another? A combo chart can often surface these connections instantly.

Example: You could plot marketing ad spend (columns) against website conversion rate (line). In one glance, you might see that as ad spend increases, your conversion rate also trends upward - or perhaps it declines after a certain point, suggesting diminishing returns.

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They Show Actuals vs. Targets

A common business need is tracking performance against a set goal. A combo chart is ideal for this. You can display your actual performance - like daily sales - with columns, and overlay your target or quota as a straight or stepped line.

This provides immediate visual context. Your team can see not just what they achieved, but how it stacks up against the goal for any given period, instantly identifying over-performances or shortfalls.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Combination Chart in Excel

Creating a combo chart is surprisingly straightforward. Let’s walk through the process with a common business scenario: tracking monthly sales revenue and the corresponding customer growth percentage.

Step 1: Prep Your Data

First, make sure your data is organized neatly in your Excel spreadsheet. The best format is a simple table with distinct columns. For our example, your data should look something like this:

Notice that Sales Revenue is in tens of thousands, while Customer Growth is a small percentage. These are perfect candidates for a combo chart with a secondary axis.

Step 2: Insert the Initial Chart

Once your data is ready, highlight the entire range, including the headers (in our case, cell A1 through C13).

• Navigate to the Insert tab on Excel's ribbon.
• In the Charts group, click on Recommended Charts. Excel will analyze your data and suggest a few options. Since your data has different scales, Excel is often smart enough to propose a combo chart right away.
• If it's not the first recommendation, click the All Charts tab at the top of the window.
• Select Combo from the list on the left side.

Step 3: Configure Your Combo Chart

This is where you define how each data series will look. In the Combo Chart dialog box, you'll see a section for each of your data series ("Sales Revenue" and "Customer Growth %"). For each one, you can choose a Chart Type and decide whether to plot it on a Secondary Axis.

1. For Sales Revenue, keep the default "Clustered Column." This works well for showing distinct amounts per month.
2. For Customer Growth %, change the Chart Type to "Line." Lines are excellent for showing trends or changes over time.
3. Here's the most important part: For "Customer Growth %," check the Secondary Axis box. This tells Excel to create a new vertical axis on the right side of the chart scaled specifically for these small percentage values.

Once you've configured these settings, click OK.

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Step 4: Format and Refine Your Chart

Excel will instantly generate the chart, but it's not done yet. A raw chart dump is okay, but a well-formatted chart is far more professional and easier to understand. Here are a few essential formatting tips:

• Add a Clear Chart Title: Don't leave it as "Chart Title." A descriptive title like "Monthly Sales Revenue vs. Customer Growth" is key to understanding the chart at a glance.
• Label Your Axes: This is non-negotiable, especially with two axes. Click the "+" icon next to your chart, then check "Axis Titles."
• Adjust the Colors and Lines: You can right-click any chart element (columns, the line, etc.) and select "Format Data Series" to change colors, adjust line thickness, or add markers to the line points for better readability.
• Add Data Labels (Optional): If you want to show the exact values on the chart, click the "+" sign and check "Data Labels." This can add clarity but may also create clutter if your chart is crowded.

Common Use Cases for Combination Charts

To give you some ideas, here are a few more popular business examples perfect for a combination chart:

• Marketing Analytics: Plot website sessions (columns) against bounce rate (line). This can help you see if higher traffic from certain campaigns corresponds with a higher (worse) bounce rate.
• Sales Performance: Compare actual monthly sales revenue by rep (columns) against their individual sales quota (line). See both how much they sold and how close they were to their target.
• Financial Reporting: Display total quarterly revenue (columns) vs. profit margin percentage (line). This highlights whether revenue growth is translating into improved profitability.
• Operational Efficiency: Show the number of support tickets solved (columns) alongside the average resolution time (line) each week to track both productivity and speed.

Final Thoughts

A combination chart isn't just a fancy feature, it's a powerful reporting tool that allows you to show complex relationships in a simple, intuitive visual. By pairing different chart types and using a secondary axis, you can compare metrics with wildly different scales, uncovering insights that would otherwise be hidden in rows of raw data.

Spending time setting up reports like these in Excel is a common but time-consuming task for any marketing, sales, or operations team - especially when you have to repeatedly export fresh data from different sources. This is exactly why we built Graphed. We let you connect platforms like Google Analytics, Shopify, Salesforce, and Facebook Ads in seconds, so you can build real-time dashboards just by describing what you want to see. Instead of manually customizing axes and chart types, you can simply ask, "Show me last quarter's revenue by month as a bar chart and overlay conversion rate as a line," and get a live, interactive visualization instantly.