How to create a step chart in Excel?
A step chart is used to show the changes happened at irregular intervals, it is an extended version of a line chart,and it uses vertical and horizontal lines to connect the data points as following screesnhot shown. But, there is no direct way to create it in Excel. This article, I will talk about how to create a step chart step by step in Excel worksheet.
Create a step chart based on date column in Excel
Create a step chart based on year column in Excel
Create a step chart based on date or year column with a simple feature
Create a step chart based on date column in Excel
For example, you have a range of data as shown in the screenshot below, to create a step chart, please do as this:
1. First, you should create the chart data, please copy the date cells from A3 to A12, and paste them into another column, column E as following screenshot shown:
2. Then go on copying the total order cells from B2 to B11, and paste them into column F, see screenshot:
3. After that, copy all the original data table and paste them below the new range you have just created, see screenshot:
4. Your data has been created, now, please select the new data range, and then click Insert > Insert Line or Area Chart > 2-D Line chart, see screenshot:
5. And now, your step chart has been created successfully, see screenshot:
Create a step chart based on year column in Excel
If your data is year column instead of date column, the above steps may not work well, the following steps can do you a favor.
1. Create the chart data as above step1 – step3, see screenshot:
2. Then insert the line chart by clicking Insert > Insert Line or Area Chart > 2-D Line chart, and you will get the below chart:
3. Select the chart, and in the Chart Tools tab, click Design > Select Data, see screenshot:
4. In the Select Data Source dialog box, select the Year header, and click Remove button to delete this data point in Legend Entries (Series) section, see screenshot:
5. Go on clicking Edit button from the Horizontal(Category) Axis Labels option, see screenshot:
6. In the popped-out Axis Labels dialog box, select the Year column data except header from the new data range as following screenshot shown,
7. Then click OK > OK to close the dialogs, you will get the following chart, and then right-click the horizontal axis and choose Format Axis from the context menu, see screenshot:
8. In the opened Format Axis pane, under the Axis Options icon, check Date axis option in the Axis Type section, and now, the step chart has been created completely, see screenshot:
Create a step chart based on date or year column with a simple feature
If you have Kutools for Excel, with its Step Chart feature, you can create a step chart based on date or year column as you need quickly and easily.
Note:To apply this Step Chart, firstly, you should download the Kutools for Excel, and then apply the feature quickly and easily.
After installing Kutools for Excel, please do as this:
1. Click Kutools > Charts > Difference Comparison > Step Chart, see screenshot:
2. In the Step Chart dialog box, select the horizontal axis labels and series values from the original data,see screenshot:
3. Then, click Ok button, and the step chart has been created at once, see screenshot:
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