diff --git a/plugins/excel/ms-chart.c b/plugins/excel/ms-chart.c
index f838fa5..91fddee 100644
--- a/plugins/excel/ms-chart.c
+++ b/plugins/excel/ms-chart.c
@@ -4947,6 +4947,13 @@ chart_write_axis (XLChartWriteState *s, GogAxis const *axis,
 	if (axis != NULL) {
 		GOStyle *style = GOG_STYLED_OBJECT (axis)->style;
 		int font;
+		GOFormat *fmt = gog_axis_get_format (axis);
+		if (fmt) {
+			int ifmt = excel_write_add_object_format (s->ewb, fmt);
+			data = ms_biff_put_len_next (s->bp, BIFF_CHART_ifmt, 2);
+			GSF_LE_SET_GUINT16 (data, ifmt);
+			ms_biff_put_commit (s->bp);
+		}
 		data = ms_biff_put_len_next (s->bp, BIFF_CHART_tick,
 			(s->bp->version >= MS_BIFF_V8) ? 30 : 26);
 		g_object_get (G_OBJECT (axis),
diff --git a/plugins/excel/ms-excel-write.c b/plugins/excel/ms-excel-write.c
index 64b49cb..9bbd6a5 100644
--- a/plugins/excel/ms-excel-write.c
+++ b/plugins/excel/ms-excel-write.c
@@ -2638,6 +2638,23 @@ put_format (ExcelStyleVariant const *esv, gpointer dummy, XLExportBase *xle)
 }
 
 static void
+set_ifmt (G_GNUC_UNUSED GOFormat *format, G_GNUC_UNUSED gboolean was_added,
+          gint index, int *tmpl)
+{
+		*tmpl = index;
+}
+
+int
+excel_write_add_object_format (ExcelWriteState *ewb, GOFormat *format)
+{
+	int ifmt;
+	two_way_table_put (ewb->base.formats.two_way_table,
+	                   /* cast the int* to char* until the API accepts void* there */
+	                   format, TRUE, (AfterPutFunc) set_ifmt, (char*) &ifmt);
+	return ifmt;
+}
+
+static void
 excel_write_FORMAT (ExcelWriteState *ewb, int fidx)
 {
 	guint8 data[64];
diff --git a/plugins/excel/ms-excel-write.h b/plugins/excel/ms-excel-write.h
index 7627674..32862b9 100644
--- a/plugins/excel/ms-excel-write.h
+++ b/plugins/excel/ms-excel-write.h
@@ -178,4 +178,6 @@ int excel_font_from_go_font (XLExportBase *ewb, GOFont const *font);
 void xls_write_pivot_caches (ExcelWriteState *ewb, GsfOutfile *outfile,
 			     MsBiffVersion version, int codepage);
 
+int excel_write_add_object_format (ExcelWriteState *ewb, GOFormat *format);
+
 #endif /* GNM_MS_EXCEL_WRITE_H */
