diff --git a/src/traces/bar/defaults.js b/src/traces/bar/defaults.js
index 2ea8c258e2c..419cb45c095 100644
--- a/src/traces/bar/defaults.js
+++ b/src/traces/bar/defaults.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ var Registry = require('../../registry');
 var handleXYDefaults = require('../scatter/xy_defaults');
 var handlePeriodDefaults = require('../scatter/period_defaults');
 var handleStyleDefaults = require('./style_defaults');
-var getAxisGroup = require('../../plots/cartesian/constraints').getAxisGroup;
+var handleGroupingDefaults = require('./grouping_defaults');
 var attributes = require('./attributes');
 
 var coerceFont = Lib.coerceFont;
@@ -58,45 +58,6 @@ function supplyDefaults(traceIn, traceOut, defaultColor, layout) {
     Lib.coerceSelectionMarkerOpacity(traceOut, coerce);
 }
 
-function handleGroupingDefaults(traceIn, traceOut, fullLayout, coerce) {
-    var orientation = traceOut.orientation;
-    // N.B. grouping is done across all trace types that support it
-    var posAxId = traceOut[{v: 'x', h: 'y'}[orientation] + 'axis'];
-    var groupId = getAxisGroup(fullLayout, posAxId) + orientation;
-
-    var alignmentOpts = fullLayout._alignmentOpts || {};
-    var alignmentgroup = coerce('alignmentgroup');
-
-    var alignmentGroups = alignmentOpts[groupId];
-    if(!alignmentGroups) alignmentGroups = alignmentOpts[groupId] = {};
-
-    var alignmentGroupOpts = alignmentGroups[alignmentgroup];
-
-    if(alignmentGroupOpts) {
-        alignmentGroupOpts.traces.push(traceOut);
-    } else {
-        alignmentGroupOpts = alignmentGroups[alignmentgroup] = {
-            traces: [traceOut],
-            alignmentIndex: Object.keys(alignmentGroups).length,
-            offsetGroups: {}
-        };
-    }
-
-    var offsetgroup = coerce('offsetgroup');
-    var offsetGroups = alignmentGroupOpts.offsetGroups;
-    var offsetGroupOpts = offsetGroups[offsetgroup];
-
-    if(offsetgroup) {
-        if(!offsetGroupOpts) {
-            offsetGroupOpts = offsetGroups[offsetgroup] = {
-                offsetIndex: Object.keys(offsetGroups).length
-            };
-        }
-
-        traceOut._offsetIndex = offsetGroupOpts.offsetIndex;
-    }
-}
-
 function crossTraceDefaults(fullData, fullLayout) {
     var traceIn, traceOut;
 
@@ -172,6 +133,5 @@ function handleText(traceIn, traceOut, layout, coerce, textposition, opts) {
 module.exports = {
     supplyDefaults: supplyDefaults,
     crossTraceDefaults: crossTraceDefaults,
-    handleGroupingDefaults: handleGroupingDefaults,
     handleText: handleText
 };
diff --git a/src/traces/bar/grouping_defaults.js b/src/traces/bar/grouping_defaults.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..de957569108
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/traces/bar/grouping_defaults.js
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var getAxisGroup = require('../../plots/cartesian/constraints').getAxisGroup;
+
+module.exports = function handleGroupingDefaults(traceIn, traceOut, fullLayout, coerce) {
+    var orientation = traceOut.orientation;
+    // N.B. grouping is done across all trace types that support it
+    var posAxId = traceOut[{v: 'x', h: 'y'}[orientation] + 'axis'];
+    var groupId = getAxisGroup(fullLayout, posAxId) + orientation;
+
+    var alignmentOpts = fullLayout._alignmentOpts || {};
+    var alignmentgroup = coerce('alignmentgroup');
+
+    var alignmentGroups = alignmentOpts[groupId];
+    if(!alignmentGroups) alignmentGroups = alignmentOpts[groupId] = {};
+
+    var alignmentGroupOpts = alignmentGroups[alignmentgroup];
+
+    if(alignmentGroupOpts) {
+        alignmentGroupOpts.traces.push(traceOut);
+    } else {
+        alignmentGroupOpts = alignmentGroups[alignmentgroup] = {
+            traces: [traceOut],
+            alignmentIndex: Object.keys(alignmentGroups).length,
+            offsetGroups: {}
+        };
+    }
+
+    var offsetgroup = coerce('offsetgroup');
+    var offsetGroups = alignmentGroupOpts.offsetGroups;
+    var offsetGroupOpts = offsetGroups[offsetgroup];
+
+    if(offsetgroup) {
+        if(!offsetGroupOpts) {
+            offsetGroupOpts = offsetGroups[offsetgroup] = {
+                offsetIndex: Object.keys(offsetGroups).length
+            };
+        }
+
+        traceOut._offsetIndex = offsetGroupOpts.offsetIndex;
+    }
+};
diff --git a/src/traces/box/defaults.js b/src/traces/box/defaults.js
index 1a8980d0a64..5ecb56e0e02 100644
--- a/src/traces/box/defaults.js
+++ b/src/traces/box/defaults.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ var Lib = require('../../lib');
 var Registry = require('../../registry');
 var Color = require('../../components/color');
 var handlePeriodDefaults = require('../scatter/period_defaults');
-var handleGroupingDefaults = require('../bar/defaults').handleGroupingDefaults;
+var handleGroupingDefaults = require('../bar/grouping_defaults');
 var autoType = require('../../plots/cartesian/axis_autotype');
 var attributes = require('./attributes');
 
diff --git a/src/traces/funnel/defaults.js b/src/traces/funnel/defaults.js
index 74c2238a72d..eaba2fb103b 100644
--- a/src/traces/funnel/defaults.js
+++ b/src/traces/funnel/defaults.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 var Lib = require('../../lib');
 
-var handleGroupingDefaults = require('../bar/defaults').handleGroupingDefaults;
+var handleGroupingDefaults = require('../bar/grouping_defaults');
 var handleText = require('../bar/defaults').handleText;
 var handleXYDefaults = require('../scatter/xy_defaults');
 var handlePeriodDefaults = require('../scatter/period_defaults');
diff --git a/src/traces/histogram/cross_trace_defaults.js b/src/traces/histogram/cross_trace_defaults.js
index fc40897d43d..15eeb3c8eb7 100644
--- a/src/traces/histogram/cross_trace_defaults.js
+++ b/src/traces/histogram/cross_trace_defaults.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ var Lib = require('../../lib');
 var axisIds = require('../../plots/cartesian/axis_ids');
 
 var traceIs = require('../../registry').traceIs;
-var handleGroupingDefaults = require('../bar/defaults').handleGroupingDefaults;
+var handleGroupingDefaults = require('../bar/grouping_defaults');
 
 var nestedProperty = Lib.nestedProperty;
 var getAxisGroup = require('../../plots/cartesian/constraints').getAxisGroup;
diff --git a/src/traces/waterfall/defaults.js b/src/traces/waterfall/defaults.js
index 4abbd2ebc29..299c894e39d 100644
--- a/src/traces/waterfall/defaults.js
+++ b/src/traces/waterfall/defaults.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 var Lib = require('../../lib');
 
-var handleGroupingDefaults = require('../bar/defaults').handleGroupingDefaults;
+var handleGroupingDefaults = require('../bar/grouping_defaults');
 var handleText = require('../bar/defaults').handleText;
 var handleXYDefaults = require('../scatter/xy_defaults');
 var handlePeriodDefaults = require('../scatter/period_defaults');