Black Bullseye Chart in Excel: How to Create One

A black bullseye chart is usually a custom target graphic made from concentric circles; it is not a named, built-in Excel chart type. In Microsoft Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, you can create a data-linked version with a Doughnut chart containing one category and one series for each ring, then format the rings in black and contrasting colors.

What a Black Bullseye Chart Shows

A bullseye graphic uses circles centered on the same point to suggest a target, a set of zones, or levels of priority. A black bullseye often means a black-and-white target, but the phrase can also describe a target graphic with a black center or black outer rings. There is no single standard design implied by the words, so it helps to decide what each circle should mean before building one.

In spreadsheets, a bullseye is generally a visual diagram rather than a conventional chart of measured values. A typical target alternates dark and light bands so viewers can distinguish the rings. If the circles represent categories such as high, medium, and low priority, labels or a legend need to explain those categories. Without that context, the graphic may look striking but convey little information.

Excel’s Doughnut chart is useful because it can display a separate circular band for each data series. With one category in every series, each band becomes a complete ring. Formatting the bands produces the target appearance. For a purely decorative or annotated target, Excel shapes may be simpler and more precise.

Choose Between a Doughnut Chart and Shapes

Use a Doughnut chart when the target is tied to worksheet data, or when you want a chart object that can be edited through Excel’s chart tools. It is a reasonable starting point for a target with several circular zones and a legend. Bear in mind that the chart’s numbers do not automatically give the rings meaningful widths: the values control slices around each ring, not the thickness of the rings.

Use shapes when the bullseye is an illustration, an icon, or a background element with no data relationship. Concentric circles made with oval shapes can be sized and colored independently, and a text box can label each zone. Shapes also make it easier to create a distinctive center or unevenly spaced bands. The trade-off is that shapes are not a chart and do not respond to changes in a data table.

A useful rule is to ask whether changing a worksheet value should change the graphic. If not, shapes will usually be the more direct option. If the main goal is to show category bands that should remain associated with a chart and its legend, try a Doughnut chart.

Prepare the Worksheet Data

For a four-ring target, set up one category row and four series columns. The headings become the series names, which Excel can show in the legend; the single row supplies one category for every series. Use the same value in each series, such as 1, because each ring needs only one full-circle slice. The values are placeholders for this visual design, not measurements of ring size.

For example, enter a heading such as Zone in A1, then Outer ring, Middle ring, Inner ring, and Center in B1:E1. In A2, enter a category such as Target, and enter 1 in B2:E2. You can use more or fewer series depending on the design. The center needs special consideration: a Doughnut chart has a hole in the middle, so a series named Center does not automatically fill that hole as a solid disk.

Keep the series names meaningful if they will appear in a legend. Names such as Outer zone and Inner zone give readers more information than Ring 1 and Ring 2. If the target is purely illustrative, however, it may be clearer to omit the legend and label the zones with text boxes instead.

Create the Doughnut Chart in Excel

Select the table, including its headings and the single data row. For the example above, select A1:E2.
On the Windows ribbon, choose Insert > Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart > Doughnut.
Check that Excel has created a separate ring for each series. If it has interpreted the rows and columns in an unexpected way, select the chart and use Chart Design > Switch Row/Column. The series names should correspond to the headings across the top.
To arrange which series appears toward the center or outside, select Chart Design > Select Data. In the dialog, use the series list and its ordering controls to adjust the sequence, then confirm the change.
Resize the chart and make its chart area square. A square chart area helps the circles look round rather than stretched.

The precise order of rings can take a moment to check because Excel places the series in a particular inside-to-outside sequence. If the outer band has the wrong name or color, change the series order or reapply the formatting after rearranging it. The legend order should also make sense to someone reading from the outside toward the center.

On Excel for Mac, insert a Doughnut chart from the Insert tab’s chart options; ribbon labels and the arrangement of chart controls can vary slightly by release. Once the chart is selected, look for the Chart Design and Format controls to adjust its data and appearance. Excel for the web can create and format common charts, although some detailed chart-formatting controls may be easier to find in the desktop app.

Format the Rings in Black and White

Click a ring to select it, then open its formatting options, usually by right-clicking and choosing Format Data Point or Format Data Series. With a single data point in each series, the ring is one full slice. Choose a solid fill and assign a color to each band. Alternate black and white for a classic target, or use black for selected bands and a restrained accent color for the others.

For the cleanest result, remove the chart title if it is unnecessary, hide gridlines around the chart, and remove outlines or set them to a contrasting color. A thin white outline between dark bands can help define their edges. If you want a white background, make sure the chart area and the worksheet area behind it are both white; otherwise, the hole may reveal a different background than expected.

To make the hole smaller or larger, select a ring and open Format Data Series. Adjust the Doughnut Hole Size setting under Series Options. A smaller hole leaves more room for a center disk or label, while a larger hole emphasizes the rings. Changing this setting affects the chart’s overall appearance, so inspect the result at the size at which readers will see it.

The chart’s hole is not another data series. If you want a solid black center, place a black oval shape over the hole and align it with the chart’s center, or build the entire target from shapes. An overlaid shape can move out of alignment when the chart is resized, so group and position the objects carefully where the workbook supports it, and recheck the result after resizing.

Add Labels That Explain the Target

A bullseye can be visually clear but semantically vague. A viewer may not know whether the center means best performance, greatest risk, or highest priority. Use labels to define the rings, and include a short chart title or nearby sentence if the meaning is not obvious. For example, a target showing project urgency could label the center Immediate, the next band This week, and the outer band Later.

Excel’s legend can display the series names, but a legend does not show the reader which band each name refers to unless the colors are easy to match. You can keep the legend and use distinct fills, or add text boxes and position them beside the relevant rings. Avoid placing long labels over narrow bands; the text may become hard to read or cover the target itself. For a printed report, check the chart in grayscale as well as color so that distinctions do not depend only on hue.

Data labels are not always helpful in this setup. Since each ring has one category and its value is just 1, showing the value would add little meaning. If the labels expose numbers that are only placeholders, turn them off. Use descriptive series names or explanatory text rather than implying that the repeated values measure the target.

Common Problems and Misconceptions

The chart looks like a pie chart. Confirm that you inserted a Doughnut chart and that each series is represented as a ring. If necessary, use Chart Design > Switch Row/Column.
The rings all look the same. A single category can make each ring a single solid-colored band, but the default colors may be similar. Format each series individually and use enough contrast.
The center is not a black circle. The Doughnut chart center is a hole, not a plotted series. Use a centered shape or create the design with shapes from the start.
The ring widths do not match the numbers. Doughnut charts use values to divide a ring into angular slices. With one category, each ring is a full circle; the values do not set the ring thickness.
The target looks oval. Make the chart area square and check that it has not been stretched by dragging only one side.

One common mistake is treating a bullseye as a precise quantitative comparison. A standard Doughnut chart with a single full-circle slice per series does not show a measured amount by ring width. If a reader needs to compare actual values, choose a chart designed for those values and explain the scale rather than relying on the target metaphor alone.

When Another Chart Is a Better Choice

For a simple target illustration, concentric oval shapes are often the best alternative. Create several circles, place them on the same center point, and apply alternating fills. Because the circles overlap, larger outer circles need to be placed behind smaller inner circles; use the arrange or send-to-back controls as needed. Add labels with text boxes. This approach is quick for a static graphic and avoids placeholder data.

For performance against a goal, consider a chart that makes the actual value and target easy to compare, such as a bar chart with a clearly marked target line. For a small number of categories, a table with conditional formatting may be easier to read than a radial graphic. The right choice depends on the question: a bullseye communicates zones and focus, while bars and tables communicate comparisons more directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a built-in bullseye chart type in Excel?
No. Excel has built-in chart types such as Doughnut, but not a chart type named Bullseye. A target graphic is usually made with a formatted Doughnut chart or with shapes.

How do I make the center of an Excel bullseye black?
A Doughnut chart has a hole rather than a center data point. Add a black oval over the hole and align it with the chart, or use layered circle shapes for the complete graphic.

Can I make the bullseye rings different widths?
You can alter the overall hole size, but the standard Doughnut chart does not use the series values to set individual ring thicknesses. For independently sized bands, use shapes or another custom drawing method.

Why does Excel show a legend instead of labels on the rings?
The series headings are available for the chart legend, but Excel does not automatically place a readable label on every narrow band. Keep the legend, add text boxes, or use concise labels outside the circles.

Is a bullseye chart suitable for showing progress toward a target?
It can work as a symbolic summary if the zones are clearly defined, but it is not automatically a precise progress scale. For direct comparisons between actual results and a goal, a bar chart with a target marker is often clearer.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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