For example, suppose we need to compare the quarterly revenue of various company departments over several years. A clustered bar chart works well for such data since it can easily compare multiple data per category and provide ample room to label on the vertical axis.

What is the Clustered Bar Chart in Excel?

A clustered bar chart is a chart where bars of different graphs are placed next to each other.

It is a primary type of Excel chart. It compares values across categories by using vertical or horizontal bars. A clustered bar chart in Excel displays more than one data series in clustered horizontal or vertical columns. A clustered bar chart typically shows the categories along the vertical (category) axis and values along the horizontal (value) axis.

  • The data for each series is stored in a separate row or column.It consists of one or more data series.A clustered column Excel chartClustered Column Excel ChartIn Excel, a clustered column chart depicts data in a series of vertical columns. Though these charts are simple to create, analyzing them becomes increasingly difficult as the number of categories increases from single to multiple. read more creates a separate bar for each value in a row.Column charts are useful for showing data changes over time.Charts depict data visually, so you can quickly spot an overall trend.Useful for summarizing a series of numbers and their interrelationships.A chart is linked to the data in your worksheet. The chart is automatically updated to reflect those changes if the data is updated or changed.We can customize every aspect of chart elements (Axis titles, data label, data table, error bars in ExcelError Bars In ExcelThe error bars in Excel are the graphical representation that helps visualize the variability of data given on a two-dimensional framework. It helps indicate the estimated error or uncertainty to give a general sense of how accurate a measurement is.read more, gridlines in ExcelGridlines In ExcelGridlines are little lines made of dots to divide cells from each other in a worksheet. The gridlines have slight faint invisibility; you can find it in the page layout tab. This option has a checkbox; for activating the gridlines, you can tick on it and untick if you wish to deactivate gridlines.read more, legend, trendlines) and chart’s appearance (including style and colors).Clustered bar chart data looks better when limited data points (i.e., 12 months, 4 quarters, etc.)

How to Create a Clustered Bar Chart in Excel?

Visual Appearance of the Chart

PROS

  • It is simple and versatile.The category labels are easier to read.Easy to add data labels at the ends of bars.Like a column chart, it can include any data series, and the bars can be “stacked” from left to right.Useful in showing data changes over some time.

CONS

  • Sometimes it becomes cluttered with too many categories or becomes visually complex as categories or series are added.The clustered column charts can be challenging to interpret.

Things to Remember

  • Before plotting information on a chart, we should ensure our data is laid out correctly. Here are some tips:Structure your data in a simple grid of rows and columns.Never include blank cells between rows or columns.It can include titles if we like them to appear in the chart. We can use category titles for each column of data (placed in the first row, atop each column) and an overall chart title (positioned just above the category-title row).Before creating a chart, we must have some data stored in the cells of a worksheet, and we can keep it in any number of worksheets. In addition, the worksheets can even be in different workbooks.

This article is a guide to Clustered Bar Chart in Excel. We discussed creating the clustered bar chart in Excel, examples, and downloadable templates. You may also look at these useful functions in Excel: –

The selection should include row and column headings (complete data range). It is important to have the row headings to use those values as axis labels on our finished chart.

We must click on the chart title and update it to “Drug Sales by Region.”The “Region” labels are listed along the Y-axis. The “Sales” data are listed along the X-axis.

We can update the visual appearance of the chart by selecting the below-mentioned chart elements (axis titles, data label, data table, error bars, gridlines, legend, trendlines).

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