By Team Edtoolkits · Charts
Show category totals and components in horizontal stacks.
Use the guide alongside the working tool.
Open Stacked Bar Chart Maker →A small dataset to try
Department,Staff,Equipment,Travel
Research,70,25,5
Operations,55,35,10
Sales,50,10,30Research and Operations both total 100, but allocate spending differently. Sales totals 90. The chart can show those budget amounts and compositions in one view when all values share the same unit.
When to choose this chart
Horizontal stacks combine readable category labels with a breakdown of each category's total. They suit departmental spending, project effort or inventories divided into components.
Prepare and map your fields
Map a descriptive category and nonnegative component columns with one common unit. A category's total is the sum of its mapped components. Leave any separate Total column unmapped.
Select components and inspect missing-value warnings before comparing totals.
Choose a stable component order and use restrained colours so small segments remain recognizable.
Export wide enough for category labels and any values. Use grouped bars if individual component comparisons are the main task.
Read the result correctly
Read the full bar length for the department total, then its segments for the breakdown. A segment farther from the zero baseline is harder to compare precisely across departments.
A mistake to avoid
A missing component is not necessarily zero. Confirm whether each row includes the same categories and reporting period before interpreting a smaller total as lower spending.
Export and keep your data private
Review the title, units, labels and any omitted-row warnings at the final export size. PNG is a raster image, SVG retains vector chart elements, and PDF embeds a raster image. Save the original table if you may need to revise the mapping.
Data stays in browser memory; no upload, external chart service or AI model. CSV, TSV, semicolon/pipe text, JSON and JSON Lines: 2 MB, 10,000 rows, 24 columns. Charts allow up to eight series; categorical charts 60 groups, lines/scatter/candlesticks 500 rows, pie/donut/waffle 12 categories, radar 3–12 dimensions. Blank/invalid mapped values are omitted and counted. Numeric values use a decimal point; remove currency symbols and grouping separators. Percent strings are treated as displayed numeric values (25% becomes 25). Dates use ISO format. Recommendations check data structure, not meaning or causation. PNG up to 16 MP; SVG stays vector; PDF embeds a high-resolution chart image. Review mappings, ordering, aggregation and labels before sharing.
Ready to apply this workflow?
Try Stacked Bar Chart Maker →Explore a related workflow
- Bar Chart Maker: Examples & Data Guide
Compare ranked categories with horizontal bars and readable labels.
- Chart Studio: Examples & Data Guide
Find suitable charts for your data and create a downloadable chart collection.
- Column Chart Maker: Examples & Data Guide
Compare categories with grouped columns and a clear zero baseline.
- Stacked Column Chart Maker: Examples & Data Guide
Compare totals and their components with stacked columns.
Keep your original files and review the result. Found unclear instructions? Contact Team Edtoolkits.