Markup Calculator

Work out the selling price, markup, margin and profit from any two of cost, price and markup, and see exactly how markup percent and margin percent differ.

Need help with the calculation?

Pick a scenario

What do you want the calculator to work out?

Unit cost What one item costs you to buy or make, before any profit is added.

Markup (%) Profit measured as a share of the cost. A 50% markup adds half the cost as profit.

Advanced: currency symbol

Currency symbol Used for display only. Change it to your own currency.

Selling price

Enter the figures above to see a result.

Profit per unit0

Markup0

Margin0

Where the selling price goes

Cost Profit

The bar splits the selling price into the cost you paid and the profit on top. Markup compares profit to the blue cost slice; margin compares the same profit to the whole bar.

Markup compared with margin

Markup	Selling price	Profit per unit	Equivalent margin

For the same cost, raising the markup raises the margin too, but the two never match: the margin is always the smaller number, because it is measured against the larger selling price.

For beginners: how to read this result

Markup is built on the costMarkup is the profit written as a percent of what the item cost you. Selling price equals cost plus cost times the markup percent.

Margin is built on the priceMargin is the same profit written as a percent of the selling price. Margin equals profit divided by selling price.

They are not the same numberBecause the price is larger than the cost, the margin percent is always smaller than the markup percent. A 100% markup is only a 50% margin.

Three modes solve for different unknownsPick the mode for the number you do not know: the selling price, the markup and margin, or the cost. The field being solved for disappears from the inputs.

This is an estimate based on the figures you enter. It works only with unit cost, selling price, markup and margin and does not account for sales tax or VAT, discounts, shipping, overheads, payment fees or volume pricing. Use it to set or check a per-unit price, then confirm the full figures for your own situation.

To get a result, choose a preset scenario or enter your own figures, then pick the mode for the number you want to solve for. The headline result answers that mode directly, and markup percent and margin percent are always shown side by side.

The three modes

The mode toggle changes which input field is shown and what the headline answers. The field being solved for is hidden so the inputs always match the question.

Selling price — enter the unit cost and the markup percent. The calculator returns the selling price, the profit per unit and the resulting margin percent.
Markup & margin — enter the unit cost and the selling price. The calculator returns the markup percent, the margin percent and the profit.
Cost — enter the selling price and the markup percent. The calculator returns the unit cost that price implies, plus the profit and margin.

The formulas in plain English

Profit per unit is the selling price minus the unit cost. Markup is that profit written as a percent of the cost: markup percent equals profit divided by cost, times one hundred. So selling price equals cost plus cost times the markup percent. Margin is the same profit written as a percent of the selling price: margin percent equals profit divided by selling price, times one hundred. To find the cost behind a price and a markup, divide the selling price by one plus the markup percent.

Why markup and margin are different

Markup and margin describe the same profit but measure it against different bases. Markup compares profit to the cost; margin compares it to the larger selling price. Because the selling price is always bigger than the cost, the margin percent is always smaller than the markup percent. A 50% markup is a 33.3% margin, and a 100% markup is only a 50% margin. The reference table inside the calculator lists several markups with their equivalent margins so the gap is visible at a glance, and the split bar shows the selling price divided into a cost slice and a profit slice.

What is not included

This calculator works only with unit cost, selling price, markup and margin. It does not handle sales tax or VAT, discounts and promotions, shipping, overhead costs beyond the unit cost, payment processing fees, order quantities or volume pricing. Use it to set or check a per-unit price, then confirm the full figures for your own situation.