Export Excel graphs as vector graphics files (e.g. SVGs)?

Though you can indeed copy-'n-paste directely into InkScape you might lose some formatting in the process. Exporting to PDF ensures that the background of your Excel file will be retained as well. Works very well in my experience.

1. In Microsoft Excel, "Save as PDF".
2. In Inkscape "Open PDF".
3. Document properties, expand "Resize page to content" (hiddent), click button.
4. Save to SVG or Enhanced Meta-file (emf).

Plugins for PDF export.

1. 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS - "FileFormatConverters.exe" (37 MB)
2. Additional Add-in that creates new menu option "save as pdf" in Excel - "SaveAsPDFandXPS.exe" (933 KB)

1. Select your Microsoft Excel plots.
2. Copy.
3. Open Microsoft PowerPoint.
4. Paste-special as enhanced metafile (EMF) into an otherwise empty slide.
5. Save your PowerPoint slide as an "other format" file, and choose "EMF" (Enhanced Windows Metafile).
6. Import your EMF file into InkScape and ungroup the object.
7. Delete all the A4-sized crappy blank space from the image and enjoy.

Try Gnumeric. It supports exporting graphs to SVG natively. There's a windows version, too. So, the toolchain would be Excel -> Gnumeric -> SVG, or even Gnumeric -> SVG without using Excel. IMHO it's the easiest way to get your graph in SVG.