How to make Excel combination chart: merge bar chart and line chart

Key points of this article

When the two sets of numerical units have the same unit and you want to see the trend superimposed, use a column with the same coordinate axis and add a polyline to make the reading more intuitive.
When the magnitudes of the two sets of values are very different, place the polyline on the secondary coordinate axis and label the units on both sides.
To display two sets of stacked column charts side by side, you can insert blank separation lines in the data to make a normal stacked column chart.
After the combination chart is completed, check the data correspondence, axis units and categories one by one to see if they are aligned.

After many people have finished making bar charts and line charts, they find that the two sets of data need to be put together to see the problem, so they want to combine them into one chart. Readers who search for "How to make a combination chart in Excel" usually already have a summary table in their hands, such as monthly sales and growth rate, or two sets of stacked column charts that need to be compared. What they need is a picture that can be used directly, not several pictures put together.

This article is for anyone who needs to include figures in a report, paper, or weekly newsletter. After reading, you will know when to use combination charts, how to combine columns and lines into the same chart step by step, how to deal with two sets of stacked bar charts, and how to check whether the chart is accurate after finishing.

The following methods are based on common operations in Excel and do not depend on a specific version of menu names. If your data is still in a PDF table, you can first use the PDF editor of the OmniDoc desktop client to export it to Excel, and then follow the steps below to create a graph.

How to combine a bar chart and a line chart into one chart? One sentence conclusion

Just set the series to different chart types directly in Excel, without the need to stack the two charts together. The key is to first determine the units and magnitudes of the two sets of data, and then decide on which coordinate axis the polyline should be placed.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
The two sets of numerical units have the same unit. I want to see the trend superposition.	Same coordinate axis, column plus polyline	The reading is intuitive, with only one scale
There is a big difference in magnitude between the two sets of numerical values, such as amount and percentage.	Polyline placed on secondary axis	Prevent a line from being pressed into a straight line close to the horizontal axis
Both groups are stacked columns and should be compared side by side.	Insert blank spaces into the data to create a stacked column chart	No need for dual axes, the two groups are stacked independently
The two sets of stacked columns should be stacked at the same position for comparison.	A set of secondary coordinate axes to adjust the gap width	Two sets of columns can be overlapped and aligned
I just want to put several pictures on the same page for layout	Keep independent charts and typeset them separately	Avoid cramming information into one picture, making it easier for readers to understand

Before you start: Confirm these points first

Take two minutes to check the following items before starting to avoid rework.

The data structure must be standardized. Categories (such as months, regions) are placed in column A, each series occupies one column, and the series name is written clearly in the header. This allows Excel to automatically recognize that the two sets of data share the same category axis.
Units and magnitudes. If one group is tens of thousands of dollars and the other is percentages, the same coordinate axis will make the smaller group almost invisible. First compare the multiple relationship between the upper and lower limits of the two sets of data, and then decide whether to use the secondary axis.
The question the chart is meant to answer. If readers want to compare the size of two sets of values, using columns is more stable; if readers want to see changing trends, polylines are more clear. The purpose of combining is to allow two pieces of information to corroborate each other, rather than to pile all series together.
Risk of misreading the secondary axis. ** Dual-axis graphs can easily fool readers into thinking that the two lines are being compared on the same scale. Whenever a secondary axis is used, the units must be marked on both sides.
Whether the data source is reliable. If the numbers are recognized from the scanned PDF, they must be checked first before drawing. There may be errors in OCR results, and direct drawing will amplify the errors.

Steps to make a column plus line combination chart in Excel

Taking "Monthly sales (bar) and growth rate (line)" as an example, the following steps are common operations applicable to most Excel versions.

Organize data. A lists the month, B shows sales revenue, C lists growth rate, and the first line writes the header of the table.
Select all data areas. Select both the header and the table so that the legend will automatically display the series name.
Insert bar chart. In the chart insertion function, select the bar chart to obtain a basic chart containing two series.
Select the series you want to change to a polyline. Click on the data series corresponding to the growth rate on the chart to confirm that only this group is selected.
Change the chart type for this series. In the chart tool, find the entry to change chart type, go to the combination chart settings, and set the growth rate to a line chart.
Decide whether to place secondary axes. If the two sets of values differ greatly in magnitude, check the sub-axis in the same setting; When the weight is close, you can skip the box and keep a single tick.
Supplement titles and units. Write the title for the chart, mark the units on the axis axes, remove unnecessary grid lines, and keep only necessary information in the chart.

How to put two stacked histograms into the same chart

In Excel's stacked bar chart, all series are stacked in the same category by default, so two stacked columns should be displayed side by side and cannot be directly merged. A common approach is to use blank spaces to separate data sets and occupy different category intervals.

Insert a blank separator. In source data, leave blank lines or blank columns below the category of the previous group, start the category of the next group from the new position, and separate the two groups with a blank space.
Fill in two sets of data separately. The series in the previous group should only be filled in within its own category interval, leaving the other group's interval blank; The latter group is similar.
Create a stacked column chart. Select the entire area and insert a stacked bar chart; the two sets of data will be stacked separately within their respective intervals without interference.
Label group names with multi-level categories. If categories support multi-level tags, place group names one level above them so readers can instantly see which columns belong to which group.
When you need to overlay the contrast. Set one group as the secondary axis, adjust the gap width between the two groups to align the columns, and then unify the scales of the two axes.

After completion, check each item one by one

After completing the drawing, don't rush to put it into the document; check each item first.

Inspection items	How to see it	What should you do if there's a problem?
The values match those in the source table	Click on a few data points and compare them with the table to see the values	Return to the source table to modify it, and the chart will update automatically
The coordinate axis units are clear	Check the labels and units on the left and right axles	Supplementary Employer; When the secondary axis scales are inconsistent, the starting point and spacing are unified
Category alignment	Check if the point of the fold line falls on the center of the corresponding column	Check whether the categories of the two series are exactly the same; extra spaces or spelling differences can cause misalignment
Blank areas are not treated as zero	Check if there are any abnormal empty columns between the two groups of stacked column diagrams	Set blank cells to not display, or replace them with empty values
Label sources are reliable	If the numbers and names are recognized by OCR, verify them one by one against the original text	After correcting the error, regenerate the chart; do not use screenshots directly

📊 Core Comparison

Composite charts, sub-axes, and separate plotting are three common approaches, with the following differences.

Method	Applicable Situations	Points to Note
Coaxial combination diagram	The units for the column and the polygraph are the same, and the magnitude is similar	The readings are direct, but when the magnitude difference is large, the smaller group is almost invisible
Subcoordinate axis composite diagram	The two sets of data differ in scale, such as amounts and percentages	You can clearly see both sets of changes at the same time, but readers need to compare the scales on both sides to avoid misreading
Separate drawings and then layout	If there is a lot of information or readers from different backgrounds, each image may convey only one meaning	There are many charts on the page, so you need to explain their relationships in text

The criteria for judgment are simple: if the relationship between two data sets is "interpreted by each other," use composite graphs; If they are independent and need to be discussed separately, then do them separately.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Are composite diagrams and bicoordinate axis diagrams the same type?

Not exactly the same. Composite charts refer to different chart types used for different series, such as bars with line lines; Dual-axis refers to two series using different scales. Both are often used together, but you can also use only one.

2. The point of the broken line didn't fall in the middle of the column—where did the problem go wrong?

This is usually due to inconsistent categories or different coordinate axis types. Check whether the category areas of both series have the same range selected, and confirm that the numeric column is not mistaken for the category column.

3. How do you turn several charts into one chart in Excel?

If the data is in the same table, a safer method is to put all series into the same data range and then create a composite graph. Several ready-made independent charts can be added to existing charts by selecting data to add new series, but directly stitching multiple charts usually yields poor results.

4. Will the blank column in the middle of the stacked histogram affect the results?

As long as no value is filled in in the blank cells, it usually does not affect the result. If there are abnormal empty columns or zero-height columns, check whether the blank cells have been written to empty or zero cells.

5. Data comes from PDF tables—how to quickly convert them to Excel?

You can use the PDF editor in the OmniDoc desktop client to export the PDF to Excel, then check the values and headers in the table to create a chart. The scanned PDF requires OCR first, and after exporting, each item must be checked again.

📝 Summary

When creating an Excel composite chart, first determine the units and magnitudes of the two sets of data, then choose to combine coaxial, subcoordinate axes, or create separate charts. Two stacked histograms can be displayed side by side using a blank space. After completing the diagram, verify each item's value, coordinate axes, and category alignment before confidently handing it over to readers.

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