diff --git a/src/plots/cartesian/axis_defaults.js b/src/plots/cartesian/axis_defaults.js
index b1cae96206d..9c7887df813 100644
--- a/src/plots/cartesian/axis_defaults.js
+++ b/src/plots/cartesian/axis_defaults.js
@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@ module.exports = function handleAxisDefaults(containerIn, containerOut, coerce,
 
     var visible = coerce('visible', !options.visibleDflt);
 
-    var axType = containerOut.type;
+    var axTemplate = containerOut._template || {};
+    var axType = containerOut.type || axTemplate.type || '-';
 
     if(axType === 'date') {
         var handleCalendarDefaults = Registry.getComponentMethod('calendars', 'handleDefaults');
@@ -105,10 +106,10 @@ module.exports = function handleAxisDefaults(containerIn, containerOut, coerce,
 
     if(options.automargin) coerce('automargin');
 
-    var isMultiCategory = containerOut.type === 'multicategory';
+    var isMultiCategory = axType === 'multicategory';
 
     if(!options.noTickson &&
-        (containerOut.type === 'category' || isMultiCategory) &&
+        (axType === 'category' || isMultiCategory) &&
         (containerOut.ticks || containerOut.showgrid)
     ) {
         var ticksonDflt;
@@ -124,14 +125,16 @@ module.exports = function handleAxisDefaults(containerIn, containerOut, coerce,
         }
     }
 
-    if(containerOut.type === 'date') {
-        var rangebreaks = containerIn.rangebreaks;
-        if(Array.isArray(rangebreaks) && rangebreaks.length) {
-            handleArrayContainerDefaults(containerIn, containerOut, {
-                name: 'rangebreaks',
-                inclusionAttr: 'enabled',
-                handleItemDefaults: rangebreaksDefaults
-            });
+    if(axType === 'date') {
+        handleArrayContainerDefaults(containerIn, containerOut, {
+            name: 'rangebreaks',
+            inclusionAttr: 'enabled',
+            handleItemDefaults: rangebreaksDefaults
+        });
+
+        if(!containerOut.rangebreaks.length) {
+            delete containerOut.rangebreaks;
+        } else {
             setConvert(containerOut, layoutOut);
 
             if(layoutOut._has('scattergl') || layoutOut._has('splom')) {
diff --git a/src/plots/cartesian/tick_label_defaults.js b/src/plots/cartesian/tick_label_defaults.js
index 877c1acb40e..ad3a1d166a1 100644
--- a/src/plots/cartesian/tick_label_defaults.js
+++ b/src/plots/cartesian/tick_label_defaults.js
@@ -59,14 +59,16 @@ function handleOtherDefaults(containerIn, containerOut, coerce, axType, options)
 
         if(axType !== 'category') {
             var tickFormat = coerce('tickformat');
-            var tickformatStops = containerIn.tickformatstops;
-            if(Array.isArray(tickformatStops) && tickformatStops.length) {
-                handleArrayContainerDefaults(containerIn, containerOut, {
-                    name: 'tickformatstops',
-                    inclusionAttr: 'enabled',
-                    handleItemDefaults: tickformatstopDefaults
-                });
+
+            handleArrayContainerDefaults(containerIn, containerOut, {
+                name: 'tickformatstops',
+                inclusionAttr: 'enabled',
+                handleItemDefaults: tickformatstopDefaults
+            });
+            if(!containerOut.tickformatstops.length) {
+                delete containerOut.tickformatstops;
             }
+
             if(!tickFormat && axType !== 'date') {
                 coerce('showexponent', showAttrDflt);
                 coerce('exponentformat');
diff --git a/test/jasmine/tests/axes_test.js b/test/jasmine/tests/axes_test.js
index ad06ff73e53..94887094815 100644
--- a/test/jasmine/tests/axes_test.js
+++ b/test/jasmine/tests/axes_test.js
@@ -5411,3 +5411,51 @@ describe('Test tickformatstops:', function() {
         .then(done);
     });
 });
+
+describe('Test template:', function() {
+    'use strict';
+
+    var gd;
+    beforeEach(function() {
+        gd = createGraphDiv();
+    });
+    afterEach(destroyGraphDiv);
+
+    it('apply axis *type*, *rangebreaks* and *tickformatstops* from template', function(done) {
+        Plotly.newPlot(gd, {
+            data: [{
+                x: [1e10, 2e10, 3e10, 4e10, 5e10, 6e10, 7e10],
+                y: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
+            }],
+            layout: {
+                template: {
+                    layout: {
+                        xaxis: {
+                            type: 'date',
+                            rangebreaks: [{
+                                name: 'name1', // N.B. should provide name
+                                bounds: ['sat', 'mon']
+                            }],
+                            tickformatstops: [{
+                                name: 'name2', // N.B. should provide name
+                                enabled: true,
+                                dtickrange: [1000, 60000],
+                                value: '%H:%M:%S s'
+                            }]
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        })
+        .then(function() {
+            var xaxis = gd._fullLayout.xaxis;
+            expect(xaxis.type).toBe('date');
+            expect(xaxis.rangebreaks).not.toBe(undefined, 'rangebreaks');
+            expect(xaxis.rangebreaks.length).toBe(1);
+            expect(xaxis.tickformatstops).not.toBe(undefined, 'tickformatstops');
+            expect(xaxis.tickformatstops.length).toBe(1);
+        })
+        .catch(failTest)
+        .then(done);
+    });
+});