By Team Edtoolkits · Charts
Compare totals and their components with stacked columns.
Use the guide alongside the working tool.
Open Stacked Column Chart Maker →A small dataset to try
Month,Subscriptions,One-off sales
April,60,40
May,80,30
June,90,50May's total is 110: 80 subscriptions plus 30 one-off sales. June rises to 140. The column height communicates total growth, while segment sizes show the source of that growth.
When to choose this chart
Stacked columns show a total and its nonnegative components together. They are appropriate when every segment is part of the same whole, such as sales channels within a month.
Prepare and map your fields
Use a category column and separate component columns measured in the same units. Values must be nonnegative. Avoid including both a total column and its component columns, which would count the whole twice.
Select the category and only the component series that make up its total.
Check the stack order and keep each component's colour consistent across categories.
Compare total heights first. For precise changes in a middle segment, also inspect the table or use a grouped chart.
Read the result correctly
The first segment shares a baseline across columns; later segments start at moving heights. That makes total and first-segment comparisons easier than precise comparisons of middle segments.
A mistake to avoid
Do not stack unrelated measures such as customers and revenue. Adding a precomputed Total series to its components doubles the displayed amount. Use percentage stacks only when composition matters more than total size.
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 Column Chart Maker →Explore a related workflow
- 100% Stacked Chart Maker: Examples & Data Guide
Compare each category’s percentage composition on a common scale.
- 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.
- Bar Chart Maker: Examples & Data Guide
Compare ranked categories with horizontal bars and readable labels.
Keep your original files and review the result. Found unclear instructions? Contact Team Edtoolkits.