Color Scale Treemap Chart Maker

Tiles are automatically colored red (negative / low) to green (positive / high) - ideal for stock heatmaps, performance dashboards, and gain/loss reports.

Import from Excel

Col A: labels · Col B: values (negative = red, positive = green)

Negative (red)
Positive (green)

Export Chart

What Is a Color Scale Treemap Chart?

A color scale treemap uses tile color - not just tile size - to communicate value. Instead of every tile sharing one color, the hue automatically shifts based on the data: tiles with high positive values turn green, tiles with negative or low values turn red, and mid-range values land somewhere in between. This makes it immediately obvious which categories are "winning" and which are "losing" without reading a single number.

This chart type is especially popular in financial dashboards, where traders and analysts need to scan dozens of stocks or assets and instantly identify outliers. But it works equally well for any dataset where the direction of the value (positive vs. negative, above target vs. below target) matters as much as the magnitude. This free tool lets you customize the positive and negative colors, adjust the layout, and export in PNG, SVG, or JPEG.

When a Color Scale Treemap Is the Right Choice

Stock Market Heatmaps

The most iconic use case. Display a portfolio or index snapshot where tile size reflects market cap and tile color reflects daily percentage change - gainers green, losers red.

Performance Dashboards

Showing how each team, region, or product is performing relative to a target or baseline - tiles above target go green, tiles below go red.

Budget Variance Analysis

Visualizing which cost centers are over or under budget at a glance - the color tells the story before the number is even read.

Growth Rate Comparison

Comparing year-over-year or quarter-over-quarter growth rates across products, regions, or channels - positive growth is green, negative is red.

Survey Sentiment Scoring

Displaying net promoter scores, sentiment ratings, or satisfaction indices where the sign of the value carries critical meaning.

Risk & Opportunity Mapping

Any dataset with a natural zero point - profit/loss, gain/decline, above/below average - where the red-green signal makes the risk profile immediately visible.

Tips for an Effective Color Scale Treemap

  • Use percentage changes or ratios rather than raw values where possible. A tile colored red for "-2.3%" is more immediately interpretable than one colored red for "-$48,200" - the sign and magnitude are both clear.
  • Keep the label text white. The Style tab has a Label Color picker. White text on both green and red backgrounds offers the best contrast and legibility across both color families.
  • Include a +/- prefix in your values. The chart automatically adds a + prefix to positive values in the data label, making it easy to distinguish a gain from a loss at a glance without relying on color alone.
  • Choose your positive and negative colors carefully. The default red/green combination is universally understood for gain/loss. If your audience has color-vision deficiencies, consider using blue for positive and orange for negative instead.
  • Size tiles by magnitude, not by the value itself if you have mixed positive and negative values. For example, use the absolute value for sizing and the actual signed value for coloring. Enter absolute values in the Values field and use labels to indicate direction.

Color Scale Treemap - Common Questions

How does the color scale work?+

The chart automatically calculates the minimum and maximum values in your dataset. Values at or below zero are colored with the negative color (default red). Values above zero are colored with the positive color (default green). The color does not blend gradually - each tile is either fully red or fully green based on whether it is negative or positive.

What happens if all my values are positive?+

If all values are positive, all tiles will be green. The color scale still works - it just means there is nothing to flag as a loss or underperformer. You might consider using the standard treemap instead if all values are in the same direction, since the red/green signal adds no additional information.

Can I change the positive and negative colors?+

Yes - open the Style tab and use the Positive Color and Negative Color pickers to choose any colors you like. The chart updates immediately.

How is tile size determined when I have negative values?+

ApexCharts uses the absolute value of each data point to determine tile size - so a value of -5 and a value of +5 would produce tiles of equal size. The color is what distinguishes them. This is intentional and matches the behavior of financial heatmaps.

Can I use this for stock market data?+

Absolutely - this is one of the most common use cases. Enter ticker symbols as labels and daily percentage changes as values. Gainers turn green and losers turn red, exactly like the market heatmaps you see on Bloomberg or Yahoo Finance.

How do I import data from Excel?+

Click Import from Excel in the Data tab and upload a file with label names in column A and numeric values in column B. Negative values should be entered as negative numbers (e.g., -1.31). Download the template for a pre-formatted starting point.

What export formats are supported?+

PNG, JPEG, JPG, and SVG. PNG is the most versatile option for most uses. SVG is best when the chart will be embedded on a website or printed at a large size, since it stays perfectly sharp at any resolution.

Is my data private?+

Yes. All processing happens in your browser - nothing is uploaded to a server. Portfolio data, financial metrics, and any other sensitive information you enter never leaves your device.

Explore More Chart Tools

A color scale treemap is the fastest way to communicate both the size and direction of values across many categories simultaneously. The red-green encoding is immediately intuitive to almost any audience, making it the go-to format for financial heatmaps, performance reviews, and variance reports. Build yours in seconds with this free tool - enter your data, tweak the colors, and export a professional chart without any software or sign-up.