diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/__tests__/metrics/parent_pipeline.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/__tests__/metrics/parent_pipeline.js
index 89eb6757bc9d3b..2074813f628268 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/__tests__/metrics/parent_pipeline.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/__tests__/metrics/parent_pipeline.js
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ describe('parent pipeline aggs', function () {
         ngMock.inject(function (Private) {
           const Vis = Private(VisProvider);
           const indexPattern = Private(StubbedIndexPattern);
+          indexPattern.stubSetFieldFormat('bytes', 'bytes');
           metricAgg = Private(metric.provider);
 
           const params = settings || {
@@ -52,6 +53,12 @@ describe('parent pipeline aggs', function () {
                 type: metric.name,
                 schema: 'metric',
                 params
+              },
+              {
+                id: '3',
+                type: 'max',
+                params: { field: '@timestamp' },
+                schema: 'metric'
               }
             ],
             listeners: {}
@@ -137,6 +144,33 @@ describe('parent pipeline aggs', function () {
         expect(aggDsl.parentAggs['2-metric'][metric.name].buckets_path).to.be('2-metric-metric');
       });
 
+      it('should have correct formatter', function () {
+        init({
+          metricAgg: '3'
+        });
+        expect(metricAgg.getFormat(aggConfig).type.id).to.be('date');
+      });
+
+      it('should have correct customMetric nested formatter', function () {
+        init({
+          metricAgg: 'custom',
+          customMetric: {
+            id:'2-metric',
+            type: metric.name,
+            params: {
+              buckets_path: 'custom',
+              customMetric: {
+                id:'2-metric-metric',
+                type: 'max',
+                params: { field: 'bytes' },
+                schema: 'orderAgg'
+              }
+            },
+            schema: 'orderAgg'
+          }
+        });
+        expect(metricAgg.getFormat(aggConfig).type.id).to.be('bytes');
+      });
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/__tests__/metrics/sibling_pipeline.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/__tests__/metrics/sibling_pipeline.js
index dcb41b28a4a595..bcd6acff9bab5b 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/__tests__/metrics/sibling_pipeline.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/__tests__/metrics/sibling_pipeline.js
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ describe('sibling pipeline aggs', function () {
         ngMock.inject(function (Private) {
           const Vis = Private(VisProvider);
           const indexPattern = Private(StubbedIndexPattern);
+          indexPattern.stubSetFieldFormat('bytes', 'bytes');
           metricAgg = Private(metric.provider);
 
           const params = settings || {
@@ -103,6 +104,24 @@ describe('sibling pipeline aggs', function () {
         expect(aggDsl.parentAggs['2-bucket'].aggs['2-metric'].avg.field).to.equal('bytes');
       });
 
+      it('should have correct formatter', function () {
+        init({
+          customMetric: {
+            id: '5',
+            type: 'avg',
+            schema: 'metric',
+            params: { field: 'bytes' },
+          },
+          customBucket: {
+            id: '6',
+            type: 'date_histogram',
+            schema: 'bucket',
+            params: { field: '@timestamp' },
+          }
+        });
+        expect(metricAgg.getFormat(aggConfig).type.id).to.be('bytes');
+      });
+
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_avg.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_avg.js
index 4124e0d1667a3a..048168a74ac5c2 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_avg.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_avg.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export function AggTypesMetricsBucketAvgProvider(Private) {
     subtype: siblingPipelineHelper.subtype,
     params: [
       ...siblingPipelineHelper.params()
-    ]
+    ],
+    getFormat: siblingPipelineHelper.getFormat
   });
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_max.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_max.js
index 0d37be22b2b007..b3e9230d0b67ca 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_max.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_max.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export function AggTypesMetricsBucketMaxProvider(Private) {
     subtype: siblingPipelineHelper.subtype,
     params: [
       ...siblingPipelineHelper.params()
-    ]
+    ],
+    getFormat: siblingPipelineHelper.getFormat
   });
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_min.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_min.js
index 3ed3cd6d2e88c6..817d5bea75af5a 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_min.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_min.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export function AggTypesMetricsBucketMinProvider(Private) {
     subtype: siblingPipelineHelper.subtype,
     params: [
       ...siblingPipelineHelper.params()
-    ]
+    ],
+    getFormat: siblingPipelineHelper.getFormat
   });
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_sum.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_sum.js
index f10dca7fb848a1..7ec30eebec9a6a 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_sum.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/bucket_sum.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export function AggTypesMetricsBucketSumProvider(Private) {
     subtype: siblingPipelineHelper.subtype,
     params: [
       ...siblingPipelineHelper.params()
-    ]
+    ],
+    getFormat: siblingPipelineHelper.getFormat
   });
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/cumulative_sum.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/cumulative_sum.js
index 4a4024ce65edc1..bf7ac57360869a 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/cumulative_sum.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/cumulative_sum.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export function AggTypesMetricsCumulativeSumProvider(Private) {
     makeLabel: agg => makeNestedLabel(agg, 'cumulative sum'),
     params: [
       ...parentPipelineAggHelper.params()
-    ]
+    ],
+    getFormat: parentPipelineAggHelper.getFormat
   });
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/derivative.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/derivative.js
index 9fbbd82918582c..959d1e32d6fbdf 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/derivative.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/derivative.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export function AggTypesMetricsDerivativeProvider(Private) {
     makeLabel: agg => makeNestedLabel(agg, 'derivative'),
     params: [
       ...parentPipelineAggHelper.params()
-    ]
+    ],
+    getFormat: parentPipelineAggHelper.getFormat
   });
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/lib/parent_pipeline_agg_helper.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/lib/parent_pipeline_agg_helper.js
index 1c063d8e1530af..5228d7b4890d27 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/lib/parent_pipeline_agg_helper.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/lib/parent_pipeline_agg_helper.js
@@ -56,6 +56,15 @@ export const ParentPipelineAggHelperProvider = function (Private) {
           write: parentPipelineAggWritter
         }
       ];
+    },
+    getFormat: function (agg) {
+      let subAgg;
+      if (agg.params.customMetric) {
+        subAgg = agg.params.customMetric;
+      } else {
+        subAgg = agg.vis.aggs.byId[agg.params.metricAgg];
+      }
+      return subAgg.type.getFormat(subAgg);
     }
   };
 };
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/lib/sibling_pipeline_agg_helper.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/lib/sibling_pipeline_agg_helper.js
index 9e79b5d105da03..5e18f2dfa20710 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/lib/sibling_pipeline_agg_helper.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/lib/sibling_pipeline_agg_helper.js
@@ -83,6 +83,9 @@ export const SiblingPipelineAggHelperProvider = function (Private) {
           write: siblingPipelineAggWritter
         }
       ];
+    },
+    getFormat: function (agg) {
+      return agg.params.customMetric.type.getFormat(agg.params.customMetric);
     }
   };
 
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/moving_avg.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/moving_avg.js
index 32bb389d5f8099..c808fb1cf50798 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/moving_avg.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/moving_avg.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export function AggTypesMetricsMovingAvgProvider(Private) {
     makeLabel: agg => makeNestedLabel(agg, 'moving avg'),
     params: [
       ...parentPipelineAggHelper.params()
-    ]
+    ],
+    getFormat: parentPipelineAggHelper.getFormat
   });
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/serial_diff.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/serial_diff.js
index 36caa7c281f99f..e93583af80cdbf 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/serial_diff.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/serial_diff.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export function AggTypesMetricsSerialDiffProvider(Private) {
     makeLabel: agg => makeNestedLabel(agg, 'serial diff'),
     params: [
       ...parentPipelineAggHelper.params()
-    ]
+    ],
+    getFormat: parentPipelineAggHelper.getFormat
   });
 }