Profit Margin Calculator
Calculate profit margin, markup, and selling price instantly. Real-time results with visual breakdown.
Results
Understanding Profit Margin Formulas
Gross Margin
Shows what percentage of each sale is profit. A 40% margin means you keep $0.40 of every $1 in revenue.
Markup Percentage
Shows how much you've increased the cost. A 100% markup means you doubled the cost to get the selling price.
Selling Price from Margin
Calculate the required selling price when you know your cost and desired margin percentage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Margin is profit expressed as a percentage of the selling price (revenue), while Markup is profit expressed as a percentage of the cost. For example, if you buy a product for $50 and sell it for $100: the margin is 50% (profit $50 ÷ revenue $100), but the markup is 100% (profit $50 ÷ cost $50). Margin is always less than markup for the same transaction.
Use the formula: Selling Price = Cost ÷ (1 - Margin%/100). For example, if your cost is $60 and you want a 40% margin: $60 ÷ (1 - 0.40) = $60 ÷ 0.60 = $100 selling price. You can also use our calculator by selecting "Solve for: Revenue" mode, entering your cost and desired margin.
Profit margins vary significantly by industry. Retail typically sees 2-5% net margins, while software companies can achieve 20-40%+. For gross margins specifically: grocery stores average 25-30%, restaurants 60-70%, and software 80-90%. Compare your margin to industry benchmarks and focus on consistency and improvement over time.
Markup to Margin: Margin = Markup ÷ (1 + Markup). Example: 50% markup = 0.50 ÷ 1.50 = 33.3% margin.
Margin to Markup: Markup = Margin ÷ (1 - Margin). Example: 25% margin = 0.25 ÷ 0.75 = 33.3% markup. Our calculator automatically shows both values so you don't need to convert manually.