R barplot() – Set Colors for Bars in Bar Plot

To set colors for bars in Bar Plot drawn using barplot() function, pass the required color value(s) for col parameter in the function call.

col parameter can accept a single value for color, or a vector of color values to set color(s) for bars in the bar plot.

If single color value is passed for col parameter, then the color of all bars will be set with this color.

If a vector is passed, whose length is equal to the the number of bars, then the bars will be set with the respective color from the vector.

Examples

In the following program, we set different colors for different bars in the bar plot by passing a vector of colors to col parameter in barplot() function call.

example.R

height <- c(2, 4, 7, 5)
barplot(height, col = c("red", "green", "yellow", "blue"))

Output

R barplot() - Set Colors for Bars in Bar Plot

If we pass a single value for col parameter in barplot() function call, then this color value will be set for all the bars.

example.R

height <- c(2, 4, 7, 5)
barplot(height, col = "yellow")

Output

R barplot() - Set Colors for Bars in Bar Plot

We can pass hex values in RGB or RGBA format for colors.

example.R

height <- c(2, 4, 7, 5)
barplot(height, col = c("#eb8060", "#b9e38d", "#a1e9f0", "#d9b1f0"))

Output

R barplot() - Set Colors for Bars in Bar Plot
ADVERTISEMENT

Conclusion

In this R Tutorial, we learned how to set specific colors for bars in Bar Plot using R barplot() function, with the help of examples.