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Markup Calculator

Markup is a percentage of your cost. Margin is a percentage of your price. They are different numbers, and charging a 20% markup when you meant to keep a 20% margin quietly hands away a fifth of your profit. Put your cost in and see both.

Your numbers

Result

Price at your markup
$1,250
Margin that actually gives you
20%
Profit per job
$250
Price for your target margin
$1,429
Markup needed for that margin
42.9%
What the confusion costsGap between the two prices
$179

How this is calculated

  • Price = cost × (1 + markup %).
  • Margin % = (price − cost) ÷ price × 100.
  • Price for a target margin = cost ÷ (1 − target margin %).
  • Markup needed = (price for target margin ÷ cost − 1) × 100.

Before you order

  • The rule of thumb worth memorising: to keep a 50% margin you need a 100% markup. To keep 33%, mark up 50%. To keep 20%, mark up 25%.
  • Markup on cost is easier to apply in the field. Margin is what your accountant and your bank look at. Quote in markup, check in margin.
  • Neither number means anything if the cost side is wrong — see the job cost calculator for what burden and overhead do to a cost figure.

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