University of Bolton

Using Charts In
Microsoft EXCEL
School of the Built Environment and Engineering
There are several ways of presenting statistical data in chart form, though the intended
interpretation of the information will generally determine the type of chart to be used.

This workbook attempts to demonstrate some of the chart forms available using the
following sections.

1.0 Getting Started

2.0 Making a Chart and Adding Labels

3.0 Formatting Axes

4.0 Changing the appearance of the chart

5.0 Taking the Chart into a WORD Document

6.0 Changing the Type of Chart

2
 1.0 Getting Started

You need to be in Excel – Type in the following data.

1. This title
goes into cell
A1 2. Right
Justify the
values in
3. Before each cell
entering 5-14
you will need
to format the
cell for „text‟
input.

4. Centre the
text in this
column

Place the cursor into cell A10 (or any of the cells containing a value)

2.0 Making a Chart

Goto Insert  Chart and select Column

1. Select
Column

2. Select This
type of
column chart

3
 100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50% Female
40% Male
30%
20%
10%
0%
0-4 5-14 15-24 25-44 45-64 65-74 75-84 85+

Excel will automatically insert the chart above.

You will notice that a new tab has appeared on the ribbon at the top of the screen called
„Chart Tools‟, we will use this now to make our chart how we want it.

3.0 Editing a Chart Labels

We will use the

Design tab first

You can change the colour of If you click on the arrows you
you chart data by selecting the will get more options.
standard selections along the
ribbon. Try this now.

4
You can add Chart Titles by
selecting one of the
predetermined options, click
the arrow to view more
options. Try this first.

We will now look at adding our titles

using the Labels section in the
Layout ribbon.

Select the above Chart option

Type in your Chart Title – Male – Female Population Data and press return, this should
give you the chart below.

5
Repeat the above
process, using the Axes
Titles option

Select Title Below Axis for

the horizontal axis

Type in the Axis Title – Age Group

Select Rotated Title for the

vertical axis

Type in the Axis Title – Percentage Males to Females

6
The spreadsheet should now resemble the following:

Edit the chart Titles further to produce the following:

Male - Female Population Data

100%
90%
80%
70%
Precentaga 60%
Males to 50%
Females 40% Female
30%
Male
20%
10%
0%
0-4 5-14 15-24 25-44 45-64 65-74 75-84 85+
Age Group

7
 3.0 Formatting Axes

1. Place cursor on
X-axis and RIGHT
CLICK the mouse

2. Select Format Axis…

1. Select the Font Folder

Select the Font option first and then try the Format Axis

4. The Font Size

should be 10

1. Select the
Font Folder

3. Select Bold

2. The Font
should be
Arial

5. Select OK

8
1. Have a look at
all the options….
Axis Options
Number
Fill
Line Colour
Line Style
Shadow
3-D Format
Alignment

Experiment with
a few different
styles and
colours of lines

Your Graph should now look similar to the one below.

Male - Female Population Data

100%
Precentaga Males to Females

90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40% Female
30%
Male
20%
10%
0%
0-4 5-14 15-24 25-44 45-64 65-74 75-84 85+
Age Group

9
 4.0 Changing the appearance of the chart

1. Place Cursor
over chart area –
the press the 2. Select Format
RIGHT-HAND Plot Area.
mouse button.

1. Have a look at
all the options….
Fill
Border Colour
Border Styles
Shadow
3-D Format

Experiment with
a few different
styles and
colours of
borders

10
Using the feature described above

Edit the chart so that it resembles the following:

5.0 Taking the Chart into a WORD Document

Open a new Microsoft WORD document.

Return to EXCEL, whilst in the EXCEL document

1. Place Cursor onto

Chart Area and RIGHT
CLICK the mouse

2. Select Copy

11
 The Chart will now be copied to the clipboard.

Return to the WORD document

Position the cursor at the point in the document where the chart is to appear
Goto  Paste

The chart should appear in the WORD document at the required location.

Male - Female Population Data

100%
90%
80%
70%
Precentaga 60%
Males to 50%
Females 40% Female
30%
Male
20%
10%
0%
0-4 5-14 15-24 25-44 45-64 65-74 75-84 85+
Age Group

6.0 Changing the Type of Chart

1. Place the
Cursor on to the 2. Select Change
chart area and Chart Type
RIGHT CLICK
the mouse.

12
 3. Select the line type chart

4. Select OK
The resulting chart will appear as follows

Male - Female Population Data

Note that the 60000
Y-axis now
shows 50000
actual
40000
populations Precentaga
and not Males to 30000
percentages Females
20000 Male
10000 Female
0

Age Group

13
Produce the following Chart presentations of the same data

Male - Female Population Data

60000

Precentaga Males to Females

50000
40000
30000
20000
10000 Male
0
Female

Age Group

Male - Female Population Data

100000
Precentaga Males to Females

80000
60000 Female
40000
20000
Male
0
0-4 5-14 15-24
25-44 45-64
65-74 75-84 85+
Age Group

14
EXERCISE

Now attempt the following pie chart:

Craggy Island - Male Population through the age ranges

0-4
5-14
25-44, 33% 15-24
25-44
45-64
85+, 1%
65-74
75-84
85+

15
7.0 Presenting Population Data

We will now demonstrate how the following chart is produced; though you may
attempt the chart without instruction if you feeling confident.

Population Data for the Ward of Craggy Island

1047 85+

5531 75-84 9453

10924 65-74 12858

Age Bands

39011 45-64 38580 Female

50935 25-44 47705 Male
16522 15-24 15851

21105 5-14 19901

9481 0-4 8927

60000 40000 20000 0 20000 40000 60000

Population

Whilst still in EXCEL Take the cursor into cell E4 enter the formula =-1*B4  Press
Enter.

(i.e. We want the value –9481 to appear in cell E4)

Copy the formula held in E4 into the cell range E5:E11.

The values stored in

Column E will be the
male populations
expressed as negative
values.

Source Data

The data should appear thus:

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Go to Insert  Chart… to receive the chart wizard

2. Select
1. Select Bar this sub-
type

3. Next

1. Select
the Series
folder

2. To further
demonstrate how
each series is added
and specified, it is
worth removing any
existing ones from
the list.
To do this, first
select each one then
press remove

We can now add a new series (see next page)

Page 17 of 21
 3. Select the cell E3
Add and name a new series:

4. “=Sheet1!$E$3”
should appear here.

2. Left-click here
to go to the 5. Left-click
spreadsheet to here to accept
select the cell the entry and
containing the return to the
1. Add word “Male” Source Data
dialog box
Specify the Category (X) axis labels
2. With the mouse, select the cell
range A4:A11
This is the X axis for this
type of chart

4. Left-click
here to accept
the entry and
return to the
Source Data
dialog box
3. “=Sheet1!$A$4:$A$11”
should appear here
1. Left-click here to go to
the spreadsheet to select
those cells that contain
the Age Groups

Specify the Values 2. With the mouse, select

the cell range E4:E11

4. Left-click
here to
accept the
entry and
return to the
Source Data
dialog box

3. “=Sheet1!$E$4:$E$11”
1. Left-click here to go to should appear here
the spreadsheet to select
those cells that contain
the Male populations.

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The Source Data dialog box should resemble Using the same approach add a second series
the one below: for the female population and obtain the
settings below:

Cell C3

Cell range
C4:C11

Should
remain Cell
When complete select the Next button range A4:A11

1. Enter Population
Data for the Ward of
Craggy Island

2. Enter Age Bands

3. Enter Population 4. Next

Then
1. Select As Object
in Sheet1

2. Finish
To change the Overlap and Gap width

Right-click on the horizontal bar and select

Format Data Series

2. Change the
overlap to 100 1. Select
(100%) the Options
tab

3. Change the
Gap width to 0
5. OK
4. The desired effect will
be previewed here.

Page 19 of 21
The chart should now look something like the one below:

To show Data Labels 1. Select the Data

Labels folder
Right-click on the blue horizontal bars which
represent the the Male population and select
Format Data Series
2. Select
Value

3. OK
Repeat the exercise for the Maroon horizontal bars
which represent the Female population.

Making Negative values positive

Negative values can be made positive within a chart by formatting the numbers so that they appear
RED when the number becomes negative. This is done as follows

First, right-click on either a Data Label or an Axis Label to receive the Format dialog box

1. Select
the Number
folder

2. Select
the Number
category. 3. Select 0
decimal
places

4. Select the
red number

5. OK

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 THE FINISHING TOUCHES
It may be necessary to
move some of the labels
out so that they don‟t Make the title
obscure the X axis smaller
labels
Remove the
border

Make the bar

Population Data for the Ward of Craggy Island colour blue

1047 85+ 3521

Underline Make the Female data labels blue
5531 75-84 9453
the X axis so that they are consistent with
tilte 65-74 12858
the bar colour
10924
Age Bands

39011 45-64 38580 Female

50935 25-44 47705 Male

16522 15-24 15851

21105 5-14 19901 Make the axis labels blue so

Make the Bar colour that when positive, they are
red so that it is 9481 0-4 8927
consistent with the bar and
consistent with the label colours
red data labels and 60000 40000 20000 0 20000 40000 60000
axis labels (below
zero) Population

Make all axis labels and data labels a size that improves the
general appearance

Page 21 of 21