Thermometer Excel Chart

Thermometer Charts are one of the many Charts you can create in Excel.  It does not really exist in Excel, however we can get creative and create our own.

A Thermometer Chart gives you a good view of the percentage of progress made on your project, budget etc.

We are going to use a Column Chart and customize it to make it look like a thermometer.

In this example I show you how easy it is to insert a Thermometer Chart using Excel.

 

STEP 1: Given your data, ensure that you have the Percentage computed.

We have the Percentage computed as the Total divided by the Goal Amount.

 

STEP 2: Select the Percentage value, and select Insert > Column Charts > 2-D Clustered Column

 

STEP 3: Right-click on the Header and Click Delete.

 

STEP 4: Right-click on the bottom column name  and Click Delete

 

STEP 5: Right click on the Column itself, and Select Format Data Series.

Set the Gap Width to 0%. This will ensure the column fills our entire chart.

 

STEP 6: Right click on the Column percentages, and Select Format Axis.

Set the Maximum to 1. This will ensure our range is from 0% to 100%.

 

STEP 7: Resize the chart to a smaller size. You now have your Thermometer Chart ready.

Update your data values and see the chart go up and down!