Business pricing

Markup Calculator

Keep markup, margin, and batch pricing aligned while you solve one item or a full list.

Modes3
ResultLive
ExportsCSV + XLS

Mode

Live

Inputs

Live sync

Steps

Transparent math trail.

Show
  1. 1$80.00 * (1 + 25%) = $100.00
  2. 2profit = $100.00 - $80.00 = $20.00
  3. 3markup = $20.00 / $80.00 = 25%
  4. 4margin = $20.00 / $100.00 = 20%

Result

$80.00 with 25% markup gives $100.00 selling price and 20% margin.

Cost + Markup

Selling price

$100.00

Markup uses cost as the base. Margin uses selling price as the base.

Profit

$20.00

Cost

$80.00

Profit

$20.00

Markup

25%

Margin

20%

Batch

Use one markup rate across many rows.

CSV / XLS

Need a change for Markup Calculator?

About this calculator

Method, formulas, and limits.

What this does

Solves pricing scenarios three ways: find the selling price from cost plus markup, find the cost from selling price, or find the markup percentage from cost and selling price. It also displays the equivalent margin percentage, supports batch pricing with CSV export, and provides an Excel template for offline workflows.

Who it is for

Small business owners, retailers, e-commerce sellers, and accountants who need to price products consistently and understand the difference between markup and margin.

How it works

Select a pricing mode—Cost + Markup, Cost + Selling Price, or Selling Price + Markup—then enter the two known values. The calculator computes the unknown value plus the profit amount, markup percentage, and margin percentage in real time. In batch mode, paste multiple rows of data to process them all at once, then export as CSV or download the Excel template.

Limitations

Does not account for volume discounts, tiered pricing, variable costs, taxes, or currency conversion. The markup-to-margin conversion is mathematically exact, but actual business pricing may include factors not modeled here.

Key calculations

Selling Price from Cost + Markup
sellingPrice = cost × (1 + markupPercent / 100)
Markup Percentage
markupPercent = (sellingPrice - cost) / cost × 100
Margin Percentage
marginPercent = (sellingPrice - cost) / sellingPrice × 100
Markup to Margin Conversion
margin = markup / (1 + markup). Example: a 25% markup equals 20% margin, and a 50% markup equals 33.3% margin.

Reference ranges

Typical Markup Percentages
Retail: 25–50% markup (20–33% margin). Restaurants: 100–300% markup (50–75% margin). Wholesale: 10–20% markup (9–17% margin).
Typical Margin Percentages
Grocery: 1–5% net margin. Specialty retail: 10–20%. SaaS: 70–85%. Professional services: 15–40%. Margins vary widely by industry.
Markup vs. Margin Confusion
A 25% markup equals a 20% margin, not 25%. A 50% markup equals 33.3% margin. The two metrics are often confused, which can lead to incorrect pricing.
Industry Pricing Rules of Thumb
Retail keystone pricing: 100% markup (50% margin). Manufacturer suggested retail: typically 30–50% markup above wholesale. Service businesses often use 2.5–3× labor cost.

How to use it

  1. 1.Pick a pricing modeSelect Cost + Markup to find the selling price, Cost + Selling Price to find the markup, or Selling Price + Markup to find the cost.
  2. 2.Enter your known valuesType the cost, markup percentage, or selling price depending on the selected mode. The calculator fills in the missing value automatically.
  3. 3.Review computed resultsCheck the calculated selling price, profit amount, markup percentage, and margin percentage all displayed on the result board.
  4. 4.Switch modes to verifyToggle between modes to confirm consistency. For example, use Cost + Markup to set a price, then switch to Cost + Selling Price to see the resulting markup.
  5. 5.Use batch pricingPaste multiple rows of cost or selling price data into the batch table, then compute all rows at once for bulk pricing workflows.
  6. 6.Export resultsDownload the computed batch as a CSV file or get the Excel template for offline use in your spreadsheet application.

Markup is the amount added to the cost of a product to set the selling price, expressed as a percentage of cost. For example, if an item costs $80 and you sell it for $100, the markup is $20 divided by $80 = 25%. Markup tells you how much you increased the cost to arrive at the selling price.

Margin (or gross profit margin) is the profit expressed as a percentage of the selling price, not the cost. Using the same example: $20 profit divided by $100 selling price = 20% margin. Margin tells you what portion of each sales dollar is profit. Markup is always a higher percentage than the equivalent margin.

Markup is profit divided by cost; margin is profit divided by selling price. A 25% markup equals a 20% margin, and a 50% markup equals a 33.3% margin. Confusing the two is one of the most common pricing mistakes in business—using markup when you mean margin can lead to significantly underpricing your products.

The formula is Selling Price = Cost × (1 + Markup% / 100). In Cost + Markup mode, enter the cost and the markup percentage, and the calculator computes the selling price, profit, and equivalent margin percentage automatically.

Yes. In batch mode, paste multiple rows of products with their costs, markup percentages, or selling prices. The calculator processes all rows at once, and you can export the full batch as a CSV file or download an Excel template pre-configured with the same formulas for offline use.

Typical retail markup ranges from 25–50% (20–33% margin), restaurants often use 100–300% markup (50–75% margin), and wholesale is typically 10–20% (9–17% margin). The right percentage depends on your industry, operating costs, target profit margins, and competitive pricing. The benchmark ranges section provides more sector-specific guidance.

Margin = markup / (1 + markup). For example, 25% markup = 0.25 / 1.25 = 20% margin. Conversely, markup = margin / (1 - margin). For example, 20% margin = 0.20 / 0.80 = 25% markup. The calculator shows both values side by side so you never have to do the conversion manually.

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