diff --git a/src/traces/bar/set_positions.js b/src/traces/bar/set_positions.js
index 67b4cdb1b24..79df94decc5 100644
--- a/src/traces/bar/set_positions.js
+++ b/src/traces/bar/set_positions.js
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ module.exports = function setPositions(gd, plotinfo) {
             fullTrace.visible === true &&
             Registry.traceIs(fullTrace, 'bar') &&
             fullTrace.xaxis === xa._id &&
-            fullTrace.yaxis === ya._id
+            fullTrace.yaxis === ya._id &&
+            !calcTraces[i][0].placeholder
         ) {
             if(fullTrace.orientation === 'h') {
                 calcTracesHorizontal.push(calcTraces[i]);
diff --git a/test/jasmine/tests/bar_test.js b/test/jasmine/tests/bar_test.js
index 8edf4e1d608..cd7b44674b5 100644
--- a/test/jasmine/tests/bar_test.js
+++ b/test/jasmine/tests/bar_test.js
@@ -680,6 +680,23 @@ describe('Bar.setPositions', function() {
         expect(Axes.getAutoRange(xa)).toBeCloseToArray([-0.5, 2.5], undefined, '(xa.range)');
         expect(Axes.getAutoRange(ya)).toBeCloseToArray([-1.11, 1.11], undefined, '(ya.range)');
     });
+
+    it('should skip placeholder trace in position computations', function() {
+        var gd = mockBarPlot([{
+            x: [1, 2, 3],
+            y: [2, 1, 2]
+        }, {
+            x: [null],
+            y: [null]
+        }]);
+
+        expect(gd.calcdata[0][0].t.barwidth).toEqual(0.8);
+
+        expect(gd.calcdata[1][0].x).toBe(false);
+        expect(gd.calcdata[1][0].y).toBe(false);
+        expect(gd.calcdata[1][0].placeholder).toBe(true);
+        expect(gd.calcdata[1][0].t.barwidth).toBeUndefined();
+    });
 });
 
 describe('A bar plot', function() {
@@ -1231,18 +1248,8 @@ function mockBarPlot(dataWithoutTraceType, layout) {
         calcdata: []
     };
 
-    // call Bar.supplyDefaults
     Plots.supplyDefaults(gd);
-
-    // call Bar.calc
-    gd._fullData.forEach(function(fullTrace) {
-        var cd = Bar.calc(gd, fullTrace);
-
-        cd[0].t = {};
-        cd[0].trace = fullTrace;
-
-        gd.calcdata.push(cd);
-    });
+    Plots.doCalcdata(gd);
 
     var plotinfo = {
         xaxis: gd._fullLayout.xaxis,