Markup Calculator
Find a selling price from a cost and a markup percent, recover the cost from a selling price, or turn a cost-and-selling pair into a markup percent and the matching margin. Markup is a percent of cost. Margin is the same profit as a percent of selling price. They are not interchangeable.
Selling price = $100.00
- A 25% markup adds 25% of the cost, so the factor is 1 + 25/100 = 1.25.
- Selling price = $80.00 × 1.25 = $100.00.
- Profit = $20.00. Margin is profit ÷ selling = 20%.
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How to Use the Markup Calculator
Selling from cost multiplies the cost by (1 + m/100). Cost from selling divides by that factor. Markup from prices reports the percent of cost and the matching margin on the selling price.
- Choose the pair you know.
- Enter non-negative dollars. Markup percents are 0 or more — they may exceed 100%.
- Read the selling price (or the cost, or the markup percent), the profit, the margin, and the price factor.
A sale markdown belongs on the Discount Calculator. A bare “what is 25% of 80” belongs on the Percent Calculator. Writing 0.25 as 25% belongs on the Decimal to Percent Calculator.
Markup vs Margin
Markup starts at cost and looks up. A 25% markup means you add one-fourth of what you paid. The selling price is 125% of cost, so the factor is 1.25. Margin starts at the selling price and looks down. The same $20 profit on a $100 ticket is 20% of what the customer pays.
If the markup as a decimal is m, the matching margin is m / (1 + m). For 0.25 that is 0.25 / 1.25 = 0.20. Going the other way, markup = margin / (1 − margin). A 20% margin is a 25% markup. Homework that says “25% markup” and then treats $100 as if 25% of it were the profit has mixed the two.
Markup Calculator Examples
$80 at 25%
Factor 1.25. Selling = $100. Profit = $20. Margin = 20%.
$40 at 50%
Selling = $60. Profit = $20. Markup is 50% of cost; margin is 20 / 60 ≈ 33.333% of selling.
$100 was a 25% markup
Cost = 100 / 1.25 = $80. The same pair as the first example, run backwards.
$80 cost, $100 selling
Markup = 20 / 80 × 100 = 25%. Margin = 20 / 100 × 100 = 20%.
0% markup
You sell at cost. Profit is $0 and the margin is 0%. The factor is 1.
A negative markup is rejected
A price below cost is a markdown. Use the Discount Calculator.
The 25% / 20% Pair
Retail worksheets reuse this pair because the numbers stay whole: $80, 25%, $100, $20, 20%. It is the cleanest classroom check that markup and margin share a profit and do not share a percent. Doubling the cost to $160 at the same 25% markup doubles the selling price to $200 and the profit to $40; the percents stay 25% and 20%.
A 100% markup doubles the cost. The matching margin is 50% — half the ticket is profit, half is cost. That is not a 100% margin, which would require a free item (cost $0) and is undefined as a markup percent.
Common Markup Mistakes
Calling a 25% markup a 25% margin
Markup divides by cost. Margin divides by selling. On $80 to $100 they are 25% and 20%.
Taking 25% of the selling price
25% of $100 is $25, which would make the cost $75. A 25% markup on $80 adds $20, not $25.
Using the discount factor 1 − m/100
Markdowns subtract a percent of the ticket. Markups add a percent of the cost. The factor is 1 + m/100.
Treating a tip or sales tax as a markup
A tip or tax is a percent of a bill, on the Percent Calculator. This page is cost to selling price.
Entering a selling price below cost
That is a markdown or a loss. The Discount Calculator reduces a price. This page will not invent a negative markup.
Markup Calculator FAQs
How do you calculate a markup?
Multiply the cost by (1 + m/100). A 25% markup on $80 is 80 × 1.25 = $100.
How do you find the cost after a markup?
Divide the selling price by (1 + m/100). $100 after a 25% markup cost $80.
What is the difference between markup and margin?
Markup is profit ÷ cost. Margin is profit ÷ selling price. A 25% markup is a 20% margin on the $80-to-$100 pair.
Is this the same as the Discount Calculator?
No. Discount reduces a ticket price. Markup adds a percent onto cost. The factors are 1 − d/100 and 1 + m/100.
Does this add sales tax?
No. Tax is a percent on top of a price. Use the Percent Calculator for a tax amount.
Are my numbers sent to a server?
No. The calculation runs locally in your browser.
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Reviewed by Prof. Dr. Khalil Mudassar (PhD) · Last updated: [mc_modified_date]
Sources
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Disclaimer
This calculator is intended for general educational and practical use. Review important results before relying on them in professional work.