How to Make a Bar Graph in Excel with 3 Variables

Trying to show how different product sales compare across different quarters? A bar graph is your go-to visualization, but adding that third variable can seem a little complicated in Excel. This tutorial breaks down the process, walking you through how to properly structure your data and create a clear, multi-variable bar graph to tell a complete story with your numbers.

What is a Bar Graph with 3 Variables?

First, let's clarify what we mean by "three variables." When you're making a chart in Excel, you're usually working with a few key pieces of information:

• Variable 1 (Categories): This is what you are measuring. These are the labels that typically run along the horizontal axis (X-axis). Think of categories as labels like "Q1 2024," "Q2 2024," or regions like "North," "South," "East."
• Variable 2 (Values): This is the numerical amount for each category, which determines the height or length of the bars. This variable is plotted on the vertical axis (Y-axis) and could be things like sales revenue, website traffic, or units sold.
• Variable 3 (Series): This is the "third wheel" that adds another layer of comparison. A series allows you to break down each category further. For instance, you could show sales revenue (values) for each quarter (categories) broken down by two different products (the series). Excel displays each series as a uniquely colored bar.

So, a bar graph with three variables allows you to compare multiple items against each other across different segments. For example, you can compare Sales Revenue (Variable 2) for Product A vs. Product B (Variable 3) across Q1, Q2, and Q3 (Variable 1).

In Excel, this is most often done using a Clustered Bar/Column Chart or a Stacked Bar/Column Chart. Let's look at how to create both.

Step 1: Get Your Data Ready

Before you even think about clicking the 'Insert' tab, the single most important step is setting up your data correctly. A poorly organized table will confuse Excel and leave you with a jumbled chart. For a three-variable bar graph, you need a clean, grid-like format.

Your categories (Variable 1) should be in the first column. Your series (Variable 3) should be headers for the columns to the right. The corresponding values (Variable 2) fill the cells where the categories and series intersect.

Here’s a practical example. Imagine we want to track the monthly sales performance of three different sales representatives: Alex, Brenda, and Charles.

• Categories: The months (January, February, March)
• Series: The sales reps (Alex, Brenda, Charles)
• Values: The sales figures for each rep in each month

Your Excel table should look like this:

Notice a few key things:

• There's one header row and one header column.
• There are no empty rows or columns in the middle of the data.
• The data is simple and ready to be plotted.

Step 2: Create a Clustered Bar or Column Chart

A clustered chart places bars for each series side-by-side within a category. It's excellent for directly comparing the performance of your series (e.g., seeing which sales rep performed best each month).

Here's how to create one:

1. Select Your Data: Click on the top-left cell of your data set (in our example, a cell containing "Month") and drag your cursor to select the entire table, including headers.
2. Navigate to the Insert Tab: At the top of the Excel window, click on the Insert tab in the ribbon.
3. Choose the Chart Type: Look for the Charts group in the ribbon. Here, you'll see several small icons representing different chart types. Click the icon that looks like a bar chart (it's officially called "Insert Column or Bar Chart").
4. Select "Clustered Column" or "Clustered Bar": A dropdown menu will appear. Under the "2-D Column" heading, choose the first option, which is Clustered Column. If you prefer horizontal bars, choose Clustered Bar under the "2-D Bar" heading.

Excel will instantly generate a chart on your worksheet. In our example, the months will appear on the X-axis, the sales values on the Y-axis, and there will be three differently colored bars for each month—one for Alex, one for Brenda, and one for Charles. A legend will automatically be created to identify which color corresponds to which rep.

Step 3: Alternative Approach - A Stacked Bar Chart

What if your primary goal isn't to compare reps directly, but to see the total monthly sales and understand each rep's contribution to that total? That’s where a Stacked Bar Chart comes in.

A stacked chart puts the values for each series on top of one another within a single bar for each category. This makes it easy to see the aggregate total while still visualizing the parts that make up that whole.

Creating one is nearly identical to the process above:

1. Select Your Data: Highlight your full data table, just as before.
2. Go to Insert > Charts: Click the "Insert Column or Bar Chart" icon again.
3. Choose "Stacked Column" or "Stacked Bar": From the dropdown menu, select the second option, labeled Stacked Column (or Stacked Bar for a horizontal orientation).

Excel will create a new chart. This time, you'll see a single, taller bar for each month. This bar will be segmented by color, showing how much each representative contributed to that month's total sales. This view is incredibly helpful for understanding composition and seeing how the sales mix changes over time.

Step 4: Customize Your Chart for Clarity and Impact

Excel’s default charts are functional, but a few tweaks can make them much more professional and easier to read. Once a chart is created and selected, two new tabs will appear on the ribbon: Chart Design and Format.

Here are some of the most important customizations to make:

Add a Descriptive Chart Title

The generic "Chart Title" doesn't help anyone. Click on it and give your chart a clear, descriptive name. Something like "Q1 Sales Performance by Representative" is much more informative.

Label Your Axes

Does the vertical axis represent dollar amounts, percentages, or units? Your audience won't know unless you tell them.

1. Click on your chart to select it.
2. Go to the Chart Design tab.
3. On the far left, click Add Chart Element > Axis Titles.
4. Choose Primary Horizontal and Primary Vertical to add text boxes for both axes.
5. Click into each new text box to label your axes (e.g., "Month" and "Sales Revenue (USD)").

Add Data Labels

Sometimes, it's useful to see the exact value of each bar without having to guess from the axis lines.

1. Go to Add Chart Element > Data Labels.
2. You can choose where to place them, such as Center, Inside End, or Outside End. For most bar charts, "Outside End" is the cleanest option.

Adjust Colors and Fonts

Use the Format tab to change the look and feel of your chart. You can right-click any element of the chart—a single bar, the background, the axis labels—and select "Format..." to open a sidebar with detailed customization options. You can change bar colors to match your brand, increase font sizes for readability, or remove gridlines for a minimalist look.

Tweak the Legend

The legend is necessary to understand your series. You can click and drag it to a better position (like the top or bottom) or use the Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Legend menu to move it precisely where you want it.

Final Thoughts

You now know how to transform a simple table into a powerful visual story. By shaping your data correctly in columns and rows, you can use Excel's clustered and stacked charts to effectively visualize three variables, allowing you to compare categories, analyze series, and understand values at a single glance.

While making one-off charts in Excel is a useful skill, regularly pulling data and rebuilding reports can quickly become tedious. That's where Graphed comes in. We built it to automate this entire process—no more downloading CSVs or wrestling with chart settings. Instead, you can connect your data sources and simply ask in plain English, "Show me product sales by region for last quarter." We then generate a live, interactive dashboard for you in seconds, freeing you up to focus on the insights, not the manual work.