What Is a Stacked Bar Chart?
A stacked bar chart shows one bar per category, made of segments — one per data series — stacked end to end instead of side by side. The full bar's length is the category's combined total across all series; each segment shows how much of that total came from one series.
Stacked bars are the right choice when the total matters as much as the breakdown — total revenue split by region, total headcount split by department, total market split by product line.
Stacked vs. Grouped
Use Stacked When
- ✓ The combined total is the headline number
- ✓ You have several series and limited horizontal space
- ✓ Exact per-series comparison matters less than the whole
Use Grouped Instead When
- ✓ Viewers need to compare series directly, category by category
- ✓ There's no meaningful "total" to emphasize
Making One in framechart
framechart's Bar effect has Stacked as a Layout option — point it at a CSV with one label column and several numeric series columns, set Layout to Stacked in the Inspector, and it renders live in your DaVinci Resolve timeline. Full details on the Animated Bar Chart page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a stacked bar chart?
A stacked bar chart shows one bar per category, divided into segments — one per data series — stacked on top of (or beside, for horizontal bars) each other. The full bar length is the category's total; each segment is one series' contribution to that total.
Stacked bar chart vs grouped bar chart — what's the difference?
Stacked combines all series into one bar per category, emphasizing the total. Grouped places each series as its own adjacent bar, making individual series easier to compare directly but losing the at-a-glance total.
How do I make a stacked bar chart in framechart?
Point the Bar effect at a CSV with one label column and multiple numeric series columns, then set Layout to Stacked in the Inspector. It renders live in your DaVinci Resolve timeline — no re-import.
Related Terms & Pages
Last reviewed: July 2026