diff --git a/web-common/src/components/data-graphic/guides/Axis.svelte b/web-common/src/components/data-graphic/guides/Axis.svelte
index 2b4a1763673..d1eb0829fca 100644
--- a/web-common/src/components/data-graphic/guides/Axis.svelte
+++ b/web-common/src/components/data-graphic/guides/Axis.svelte
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ This component will draw an axis on the specified side.
 -->
 <script lang="ts">
   import { NumberKind } from "@rilldata/web-common/lib/number-formatting/humanizer-types";
-  import { IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter } from "@rilldata/web-common/lib/number-formatting/strategies/IntTimesPowerOfTen";
+  import { SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter } from "@rilldata/web-common/lib/number-formatting/strategies/SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTen";
   import { formatMsInterval } from "@rilldata/web-common/lib/number-formatting/strategies/intervals";
   import { getContext } from "svelte";
   import { contexts } from "../constants";
@@ -161,14 +161,15 @@ This component will draw an axis on the specified side.
     );
   } else {
     superlabel = false;
-    // If this is a numeric axis, the d3 tick function used by
-    // getTicks offers us some guarantees about the numbers returned.
-    // In that case, we should be able to use the
-    // IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter, which is taylored to this situation.
-    const formatter = new IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter(ticks, {
-      strategy: "intTimesPowerOfTen",
+    // Note that SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter expects a single
+    // digit time a power of ten. The d3 axis function used upstream
+    // in this context _normally_ satisfies this requirement, but
+    // there are edge cases where it does not. In these edge cases,
+    // this formatter often does the right thing, but may not in some
+    // circumstances. See https://github.com/rilldata/rill/issues/3631
+    const formatter = new SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter(ticks, {
+      strategy: "singleDigitTimesPowerOfTen",
       numberKind,
-      onInvalidInput: "consoleWarn",
       padWithInsignificantZeros: false,
     });
     formatterFunction = (x) =>
diff --git a/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/humanizer-types.ts b/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/humanizer-types.ts
index fab0155131b..74dc14e97db 100644
--- a/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/humanizer-types.ts
+++ b/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/humanizer-types.ts
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ export type FormatterOptionsNoneStrategy = {
  * of ten given as an input.
  */
 export type FormatterOptionsIntTimesPowerOfTenStrategy = {
-  strategy: "intTimesPowerOfTen";
+  strategy: "singleDigitTimesPowerOfTen";
   onInvalidInput?: "doNothing" | "throw" | "consoleWarn";
 };
 
diff --git a/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/humanizer.ts b/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/humanizer.ts
index 14c70ef285f..079a9bcde7c 100644
--- a/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/humanizer.ts
+++ b/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/humanizer.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { Formatter, FormatterFactory, NumberKind } from "./humanizer-types";
-import { IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter } from "./strategies/IntTimesPowerOfTen";
+import { SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter } from "./strategies/SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTen";
 import { NonFormatter } from "./strategies/none";
 import { IntervalFormatter } from "./strategies/intervals";
 import { PerRangeFormatter } from "./strategies/per-range";
@@ -52,8 +52,8 @@ export const humanizedFormatterFactory: FormatterFactory = (
       }
       break;
 
-    case "intTimesPowerOfTen":
-      formatter = new IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter(sample, options);
+    case "singleDigitTimesPowerOfTen":
+      formatter = new SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter(sample, options);
       break;
 
     default:
diff --git a/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/strategies/IntTimesPowerOfTen.spec.ts b/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/strategies/SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTen.spec.ts
similarity index 90%
rename from web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/strategies/IntTimesPowerOfTen.spec.ts
rename to web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/strategies/SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTen.spec.ts
index b48116e2aac..dd45427607b 100644
--- a/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/strategies/IntTimesPowerOfTen.spec.ts
+++ b/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/strategies/SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTen.spec.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 import { FormatterFactoryOptions, NumberKind } from "../humanizer-types";
 import {
-  IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter,
+  SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter,
   closeToIntTimesPowerOfTen,
-} from "./IntTimesPowerOfTen";
+} from "./SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTen";
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
 
 const baseOptions: FormatterFactoryOptions = {
-  strategy: "intTimesPowerOfTen",
+  strategy: "singleDigitTimesPowerOfTen",
   padWithInsignificantZeros: true,
   numberKind: NumberKind.ANY,
   onInvalidInput: "doNothing",
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ const testCases: [
 describe("default formatter, default options `.stringFormat()`", () => {
   testCases.forEach(([input, options, output]) => {
     it(`returns the correct split string in case: ${input}`, () => {
-      const formatter = new IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter([input], {
+      const formatter = new SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter([input], {
         ...baseOptions,
         ...options,
       });
@@ -165,10 +165,10 @@ describe("default formatter, default options `.stringFormat()`", () => {
 // ];
 
 //FIXME re-enable this test when we have a better way to handle invalid inputs
-// describe("IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter, returns empty NumberParts on invalid inputs", () => {
+// describe("SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter, returns empty NumberParts on invalid inputs", () => {
 //   errorCases.forEach(([input, options]) => {
 //     it(`throws an error for input: ${input}`, () => {
-//       const formatter = new IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter([input], {
+//       const formatter = new SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter([input], {
 //         ...baseOptions,
 //         ...options,
 //         ...{ onInvalidInput: "consoleWarn" },
@@ -187,10 +187,10 @@ const closeCases: [number, string][] = [
   [0.0030000000003, "3e-3"],
 ];
 
-describe("IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter handles cases within an rounding error", () => {
+describe("SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter handles cases within an rounding error", () => {
   closeCases.forEach(([input, output]) => {
     it(`returns the correct split string in case: ${input}, and does not throw an error`, () => {
-      const formatter = new IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter([input], {
+      const formatter = new SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter([input], {
         ...baseOptions,
         ...{ onInvalidInput: "throw" },
       });
diff --git a/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/strategies/IntTimesPowerOfTen.ts b/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/strategies/SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTen.ts
similarity index 93%
rename from web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/strategies/IntTimesPowerOfTen.ts
rename to web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/strategies/SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTen.ts
index d3acb22fa5f..b33641b46b8 100644
--- a/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/strategies/IntTimesPowerOfTen.ts
+++ b/web-common/src/lib/number-formatting/strategies/SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTen.ts
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ export const closeToIntTimesPowerOfTen = (x: number) =>
  * or log a warning if a of a non integer multiple of a power
  * of ten given as an input.
  */
-export class IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter implements Formatter {
+export class SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter implements Formatter {
   options: FormatterOptionsCommon & FormatterOptionsIntTimesPowerOfTenStrategy;
   initialSample: number[];
 
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ export class IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter implements Formatter {
     if (typeof x !== "number") {
       // FIXME add these warnings back in when the upstream code is robust enough
       // console.warn(
-      //   `Input to IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter must be a number, got: ${x}. Returning empty NumberParts.`
+      //   `Input to SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter must be a number, got: ${x}. Returning empty NumberParts.`
       // );
       return { int: "", dot: "", frac: "", suffix: "" };
     }
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ export class IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter implements Formatter {
         // valid inputs must already be close to a single digit
         //  integer multiple of a power of ten
         if (!closeToIntTimesPowerOfTen(x)) {
-          const msg = `received invalid input for IntTimesPowerOfTenFormatter: ${x}`;
+          const msg = `received invalid input for SingleDigitTimesPowerOfTenFormatter: ${x}`;
           if (onInvalidInput === "consoleWarn") {
             console.warn(msg);
           } else {