Markup Calculator

Calculates profit per unit and markup percentage from a cost price and a selling price. Markup expresses profit as a percentage of cost — a different figure from margin, which expresses the same profit as a percentage of the selling price.

Enter a positive cost price and a selling price. Results update immediately and show profit per unit and markup percentage to two decimal places, without a currency symbol — use one currency consistently for both inputs.

With the defaults of a 50 cost and an 80 selling price, profit per unit is 30.00 and markup is 60.00% — the selling price is 60% higher than the cost.

Markup % = (selling price − cost) ÷ cost × 100. Profit per unit = selling price − cost. To hit a target markup, multiply cost by (1 + markup% ÷ 100) to get the required selling price.

These two percentages are commonly confused because they describe the same profit from different denominators. A 60% markup on a 50 cost gives an 80 selling price, but that same 30 profit is only 37.5% of the 80 selling price — its margin. Confusing the two when setting prices or comparing profitability across products can lead to under- or over-pricing.

Cost must be a positive number; the tool doesn't calculate a result for zero or negative cost, since markup is undefined when dividing by zero. Selling price can be entered below cost, producing a negative profit and markup, which the tool doesn't flag as an error — that's a valid way to check the loss on a discounted or clearance price.

This is a per-unit estimate; it doesn't account for shipping, payment processing, returns, or overhead unless you build those into the cost you enter. Calculations run locally in your browser; the values you enter are never uploaded.