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Bar chart

A bar chart maker for comparing categories

A bar chart compares amounts across named categories. The height of each bar is the value. People read length more reliably than they read a wedge, so a bar is the safer default when the question is which item is larger. This maker draws vertical bars, one category per group, with up to four series side by side. You can title both axes, set the vertical range, and export PDF, PNG, or JPEG.

How to shape the bars

Each row is a category. The label is the name under the group. Each series is a bar inside that group, such as Plan and Actual, or This year and Last year. Name the series in the fields above the rows so the legend says something a stranger understands. Add a series only when the comparison is real. A second series that restates the first in different units will not fit on the same axis.

The Y axis should start at a honest baseline. Leave the minimum blank and the chart includes zero when the data are positive, which is what a bar chart needs. Setting a minimum far above zero makes small differences look huge. Set a maximum when you want every chart in a report to share the same scale. The axis titles should name the unit, not repeat the chart title. Quarter on the X axis and Thousand USD on the Y axis is enough.

Value labels put the number on the bar. Use them when the audience will quote a figure. Turn them off when the shape is the point and the labels collide. The grid helps the eye carry a height back to the axis. A light grid is enough. Sort by value when you are ranking. Leave the sort off for months, stages, or any order the reader expects to scan from left to right.

Colors distinguish series, not categories. Category names already sit under the bars. If you have one series, one color is correct. If you have two, pick two colors that survive grayscale. Do not paint every bar a new hue unless each bar is its own named series of one. The background stays out of the way. White is the right default for a page that will be printed.

A long category name is a hint to switch to the horizontal bar chart, where the label has room. A total that is itself made of parts is a hint to switch to the stacked bar chart. A sequence whose connection matters is a hint to switch to the line chart. Export PDF for paper, PNG for a sharp picture, and JPEG when that is the file type you were asked for. The sample is only a start. Replace it before you send the file.

All tools

The table maker is still here. These charts are for the picture of the same numbers: parts, trends, spread, and rank. Open any chart, change the sample, and download PDF, PNG, or JPEG.