Combo Waterfall Charts in Excel: How to Build One

Yes, you can make a chart that combines a waterfall-style breakdown with another measure, such as a target line, in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows. However, Excel does not let you add a line series directly to its built-in Waterfall chart; the practical method is to build the waterfall from helper columns in a stacked column chart, then add the line as a second chart series.

What Excel’s built-in Waterfall chart can and cannot do

A standard waterfall chart shows how a starting value changes through a sequence of increases and decreases to reach an ending value. In Excel, you can create one by selecting the data and choosing Insert > Insert Waterfall, Funnel, Stock, Surface or Radar Chart > Waterfall. To make a bar represent a subtotal or final result rather than a change, right-click that point and choose Set as Total.

The built-in chart is convenient because Excel handles the floating bars and totals for you. Its limitation is chart type: a native Waterfall chart is not a standard series type that you can pair with a line in the usual combo-chart setup. Changing the chart type does not provide the same flexible combination of waterfall bars and a target or trend line that you can make with columns and a line.

So the short answer depends on what you mean by combo. If you mean a native Waterfall chart with a line series added to it, no. If you mean a chart that visually presents waterfall changes alongside a line, yes: use a stacked-column construction or, less ideally, overlay separate charts.

When a combo waterfall chart is useful

A combo version is useful when the bars explain movement in one measure while a line provides context from another. For instance, a monthly profit bridge might show how opening profit changes through revenue, labor, and other costs, while a horizontal line marks a budget target. A project-cost bridge could pair individual cost changes with a line for the approved budget.

The two measures should have a meaningful relationship. A target line across a bridge can help readers see whether the ending result clears a benchmark. A line showing a percentage, such as margin, may be useful too, but it can require a secondary axis because percentages and currency amounts have different scales. The chart should make that scale difference obvious rather than implying that the line and bars share units.

Do not add a line simply because Excel permits it. If the line represents a separate measure with no clear connection to the steps, a small companion chart or a separate KPI may be easier to read.

Build the waterfall with helper columns

A helper-column chart represents each step as a stacked column. One series creates the invisible starting position for a change bar; visible series show increases, decreases, and totals. A line series can then be included in the same chart. This takes more preparation than a native Waterfall chart, but gives you control over the combination.

Here is a small example, with amounts in dollars. The business starts at 100, gains 40 from sales, loses 25 to costs, and ends at 115. The target is 110. Create a table with one row per category and these columns:

Category: Opening, Sales, Costs, Closing.
Base: 0, 100, 115, 0.
Increase: 0, 40, 0, 0.
Decrease: 0, 0, 25, 0.
Total: 100, 0, 0, 115.
Target: 110 in each of the four rows.

The Base values position the change bars at the correct cumulative level: Sales starts at 100, and Costs starts at 115. The Decrease value is entered as a positive 25 because it is displayed as a downward step from that base. The ending arithmetic is 100 + 40 − 25 = 115, so the Closing column and target comparison agree with the example.

When the chart stacks Base, Increase, Decrease, and Total, only the nonzero visible component for a given category contributes to that category’s bar. The Base series is formatted with no fill, leaving the increase, decrease, and total segments visible at their intended heights.

Create the combo chart in Excel for Windows

With the example table arranged in adjacent columns, including the category labels, select the whole table and use Insert > Insert Combo Chart > Create Custom Combo Chart. In the chart-type dialog, set Base, Increase, Decrease, and Total to Stacked Column, and set Target to Line. Keep the target on the primary axis if the target and waterfall values use the same units and scale.

Select the Base series in the chart and format it with no fill and no line. In current desktop Excel, right-click the series and choose Format Data Series; use the Fill & Line options to make it transparent or use No fill.
Give increases and decreases contrasting colors, such as green and red, and use a distinct color for the total bars. Choose colors that remain distinguishable when printed or viewed by people with color-vision differences.
Make the Target series a clear line. If the line is difficult to distinguish, format it with a contrasting color and markers, or increase its width modestly.
Add a chart title, axis labels, and a legend that explains the categories and the target. Use Chart Design > Add Chart Element for common chart elements, or the chart’s plus button when it is available.

Excel may initially interpret the selected data in an unhelpful orientation. If categories appear as series, choose Chart Design > Switch Row/Column. If the line does not appear as expected, reopen Chart Design > Change Chart Type and check that Target is assigned to Line and the other series are assigned to Stacked Column.

On Excel for Mac, the chart-type dialog and some controls are arranged differently, but the same construction principle applies: use stacked columns for the helper series and a line for the target. The desktop app gives the most complete access to chart formatting. Excel for the web may not expose every advanced chart-type or formatting control, so open the workbook in the desktop version if you cannot set the series types or format the invisible base as needed.

Format totals, labels, and axes carefully

The helper-column approach does not automatically know that Opening and Closing are totals. They are visible because the Total series contains their values. Format those bars so they look different from increases and decreases, and explain that distinction in the legend or with direct labels. Unlike a native Waterfall chart, this construction does not use the built-in Set as Total command to establish the bar positions.

Data labels can be helpful, especially when the chart is used in a report. Add labels to the visible Increase, Decrease, and Total series rather than to the invisible Base series. If Excel places labels on the wrong series, select the desired series first and use Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels. Check negative and positive signs in the labels so a decrease is not mistaken for an increase.

For a target measured in the same units, keep the line on the primary axis where possible. If the line represents a different unit, such as a percentage, a secondary vertical axis may be more appropriate. In the custom combo dialog, select the secondary-axis option for that series, then label both axes explicitly. A secondary axis can make the line easier to see, but it can also make relationships look stronger or weaker depending on the chosen scale, so set and disclose the scale deliberately.

Common problems and how to fix them

Bars start at zero: The Base values may be missing, incorrectly ordered, or plotted as visible columns. Confirm that each change bar has the correct cumulative starting value and format Base with no fill.
The closing amount is wrong: Check the sequence and signs in the source data. In the example, the final amount must be 115 because 100 + 40 − 25 = 115. A decrease is shown as a positive height in the Decrease helper series while its base is set to the value before the drop.
The line is absent or looks like bars: Reopen the custom combo settings and assign the Target series to Line. Confirm the target cells contain numeric values, not text.
Columns are too wide or crowded: Select a column series, open Format Data Series, and adjust Gap Width. A smaller gap makes bars wider; a larger gap separates categories. Use a setting that keeps the steps distinct.
The legend is confusing: Rename the helper-series headings to reader-friendly labels, such as Starting position, Increase, Decrease, Closing total, and Budget target. The Base series can be omitted from the legend if it serves only as a positioning aid.

When values change, verify the cumulative Base values as well as the visible change amounts. A helper-column chart can update with its source cells, but Excel will not infer a new sequence of step positions unless the helper data is also updated correctly.

Native Waterfall versus a custom combo

Choose the native Waterfall chart when the main purpose is to explain a sequence of changes and no extra series is essential. It is quicker to set up, recognizes totals, and is easier to maintain when the steps change. It is usually the better option for a straightforward bridge or variance explanation.

Choose the helper-column combo when a line or another measure is central to the story and needs to share the chart. It requires more setup and careful maintenance, but allows you to combine waterfall-style bars with a line and to control how the steps are displayed. If readers mainly need the target comparison rather than the bridge, a native Waterfall chart beside a separate line or KPI chart may communicate more clearly.

Overlaying a line chart on top of a separate native Waterfall chart is another workaround, but it is fragile. The charts can shift out of alignment when resized, and their plot areas or axes may not match. Use overlays only when the appearance is more important than easy editing, and check alignment after changing the worksheet layout or chart dimensions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a line to Excel’s built-in Waterfall chart?
No, not as a normal combo-chart series. Build the waterfall appearance with stacked columns and add the line through a custom combo chart, or display the line in a separate chart.

Can I show a budget target line on a waterfall chart?
Yes. In a helper-column version, repeat the target value for each category and plot that series as a line. If the target uses a different unit from the waterfall values, use a clearly labeled secondary axis.

Do I need formulas to make the helper columns?
No. You can enter the helper values directly, as in the example. For a longer or frequently updated bridge, formulas can calculate cumulative starting positions, but the correct formulas depend on how your source data identifies increases, decreases, and totals.

Can I use the chart for profit and margin together?
Yes, if profit is shown by the waterfall bars and margin by a line. Because profit and margin use different units, plot margin on a secondary axis and label that axis as a percentage. Keep the scales visible so the chart does not suggest the two measures are directly comparable.

Is a custom combo chart better than a native Waterfall chart?
Not in every case. The native chart is simpler and handles totals conveniently. The custom combo is worthwhile when the extra series adds meaningful context and the chart will be maintained carefully.

Bottom line

You can create a combo waterfall-style chart in Excel, but the built-in Waterfall chart itself does not accept a line series in the standard combo-chart workflow. Use a stacked-column chart with helper series for the floating steps, then assign a line series to the target or related measure. For a simple bridge, use the native Waterfall chart; for a bridge that genuinely needs an overlaid measure, the custom construction offers more flexibility.

Try it: the Percentage Formula Generator: percent of, percent change, increase and decrease, with the formula.

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

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