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Markup calculator
Cost in, price out — plus the conversion everyone gets wrong at least once: what your markup on cost actually means as a margin on price.
Markup ≠ margin
| Markup on cost | = margin on price |
|---|---|
| 10% | 9.1% |
| 15% | 13.0% |
| 20% | 16.7% |
| 25% | 20.0% |
| 30% | 23.1% |
| 40% | 28.6% |
| 50% | 33.3% |
Why the difference matters:a 25% markup is only a 20% margin. Quote “25% margin” but calculate it as markup and you've quietly given away a twentieth of the job. When a supplier, accountant or main contractor says a percentage, always ask: of cost, or of price?
What should trades mark up?
Materials typically carry 10–25% — you collect them, store them, wheel them in and warranty them. Subcontracted labour usually carries 10–20% for the management and the risk. Whole-job pricing works better through the job cost calculator, which handles overheads and profit margin properly rather than a single blanket percentage.
Guide, not financial advice.