Color scales in Google Sheets - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

Sales data for a week in column A from A2 to A6.

Cell	Value
A1	Sales
A2	100
A3	200
A4	300
A5	400
A6	500

Formula Trace

Color scale applied to range A2:A6

Step 1: Identify minimum value in A2:A6

Step 2: Identify maximum value in A2:A6

Step 3: Assign colors based on value position between min and max

Cell Reference Map

   A   
1 Sales 
2 100  
3 200  
4 300  
5 400  
6 500  

Arrows: A2:A6 values feed into color scale

Range A2:A6 is used for applying the color scale based on their values.

Result

   A       
1 Sales    
2 100 (lightest color) 
3 200 (light color)   
4 300 (medium color)  
5 400 (dark color)    
6 500 (darkest color) 

Cells A2 to A6 are colored from light to dark based on their sales values, showing a gradient from lowest to highest.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What value gets the lightest color in the color scale?

A 300

B 100

C 500

D 200

Key Result

Color scales assign colors to cells based on their relative values between minimum and maximum in the range.