How to Create a Stacked Column Chart
Data Format
One row per category. Each value column is one segment of the stack.
| Category | Value 1 | Value 2 | Value 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 40 | 25 | 15 |
| Q2 | 42 | 31 | 14 |
| Q3 | 38 | 36 | 18 |
- Category (required): the label for each group of segments.
- Value 1, Value 2, Value 3... (required, numeric): each column is one segment. Add more value columns to add more segments.
- Renaming a column header is what sets its label in the legend. Leaving the default key name shown in the legend is a sign the header wasn't renamed.
Chart Elements
Every part of the chart maps to a section in the style panel.
Bars
Each category renders as one column, segmented by value column. Segments stack bottom to top in reverse column order.
- Mode - Grouped, Stacked, or 100% Stacked. Stacked shows actual segment values; 100% Stacked rescales every column to the same height and shows proportions instead.
- Color - one row per segment, named after its column header.
- Stroke / Stroke Width - bar border.
- Bar Width - width of every bar.
Labels
The value shown inside each segment.
- Color - text color.
- Font / Font Size - text styling.
- Prefix / Suffix - e.g. "$", "%".
There's also a Position control (Middle or Outside), but it only affects single-series and grouped bars, stacked segments always render centered regardless of this setting.
Stack Totals
The combined total shown above (or below, if negative) each column's full stack.
- Color - text color.
- Font / Font Size - text styling.
Stack Connectors
Optional dashed lines linking the same segment across adjacent columns, off by default.
- Color - line color.
- Thickness - line weight.
Axis
The Y axis is numeric with its own range and tick count. The X axis is categorical (one label per category), so it only has color and visibility.
- Y Min / Y Max - override the auto-calculated Y range. In 100% Stacked mode this defaults to 0-100 (percent) instead of your data's scale.
- Y Ticks - how many ticks appear on the Y axis.
- X Color / Y Color - axis line color.
- X Axis / Y Axis - show or hide each axis line independently.
Gridlines
Stacked column charts only have horizontal gridlines, there's no vertical grid.
- Color / Thickness - gridline styling.
- Y Grid - show or hide the gridlines.
Axis Tick Labels
The category names along X and the numbers along Y share one color and font, but number formatting is set independently per axis.
- Color - applies to both axes.
- Font / Font Size - applies to both axes.
- Prefix / Suffix - set independently for X and Y. In 100% Stacked mode, Y defaults to a "%" suffix unless you set your own.
- Rotation - set independently for X and Y.
- X Labels / Y Labels - show or hide each independently.
Legend
Appears automatically once there are two or more value columns. With only one value column there's nothing to show, so the legend stays empty even if it's turned on.
- Position - Top, Bottom, Right, or Direct (labels placed next to the last column's top segments instead of a legend box).
- Color - legend text color.
- Font / Font Size - legend text styling.
Setting Mode to Grouped instead of Stacked turns this into a clustered column chart, see the Clustered Column Chart guide. Setting it to 100% Stacked shows proportions instead of totals, see the 100% Stacked Column Chart guide.