For independent bakers
Bakery cost calculator
Calculate the cost of a cake, cookie box or brownie batch. Include ingredients, labor, packaging and overhead, then check your price per portion.
Calculate my batch costFree calculator · No signup · Download your calculation
Free recipe cost calculator
Calculate a batch
Try a bakery, café, food-truck or meal-prep example, then enter your own costs. No account needed.
Load an example to replace the inputs below with illustrative USD figures. These are not market prices.
Original example: 12 brownies: USD 9 ingredients + 3 packaging + 8 labor + 4 overhead = USD 24 per batch, or USD 2 each.
Use one currency throughout. Changing the label does not convert prices.
Flour, Butter, Chocolate, Other ingredients. Edit to match your recipe.
Include preparation time, packaging and your share of overhead. Match raw or cooked weights to the price you paid, and use the portions you can actually sell after waste. Your target margin is a choice, not an industry recommendation.
Cost per portion
USD 2.00
Left after entered costs
USD 1.00
33.3% margin on entered costs.
Price for your 40% target: USD 3.34 per portion.
An estimate, not net profit. Costs, taxes and fees you have not entered are excluded.
This calculator stays in this page and does not change your inventory. Download your calculation before leaving; it is not saved to an account.
How recipe cost and margin are calculated
Ingredient cost = pack price × quantity used ÷ pack quantity. A USD 20 bag of coffee weighing 1,000 g costs USD 0.36 for an 18 g dose.
Add ingredients, packaging, labor and overhead, then divide by the sellable portions. The latte example totals USD 2.20; selling it for USD 4 leaves USD 1.80, a 45% margin on the entered costs.
Margin = (selling price − cost) ÷ selling price × 100. Markup divides by cost instead. To reach a chosen margin, divide cost by (1 − margin ÷ 100). Unentered costs, taxes and fees still reduce your actual profit.
Need to keep recipes and update ingredient stock as you sell?
Save recipes and track stockPaid access: US$9.99/month or US$99/year. No trial. Calculator inputs are not transferred to your account.
Include the costs that are easy to miss
- Ingredients you actually use. A 1,000 g bag costing $2 contributes $0.50 when a batch uses 250 g. Keep pack size and quantity used in the same unit.
- Boxes, boards and decorations. Enter packaging for the whole batch, including boxes, boards and labels.
- Your time. Estimate hours for preparation, decorating and cleanup. Enter those hours and the hourly rate you choose.
- Order-specific extras. Include delivery and allocated overhead where relevant. This calculator only accounts for costs you enter.
Illustrative example
Worked example: 12 brownies for $36
- Ingredients
- $9.00
- Labor: 1 hour × $8
- $8.00
- Packaging
- $3.00
- Allocated overhead
- $4.00
- Total batch cost
- $24.00
$24 ÷ 12 = $2 per brownie. At $3 each, the batch brings in $36 and leaves $12 after entered costs: a 33.3% margin.
For a 40% target margin: $2 ÷ (1 − 0.40) = $3.333… per brownie. Round up to $3.34 to meet that target.
These are illustrative USD amounts, not a tested recipe, wage recommendation or market price. Fees, taxes and costs you leave out still reduce what you keep.
Before you set your price
Is margin the same as markup?
No. For a $1 cost and $2 selling price, markup is 100% of cost, while margin is 50% of the selling price. The calculator uses margin on your entered costs.
Can this tell me what customers will pay?
It shows the relationship between your costs and selling price. It does not predict demand or set a market rate. Compare your product, portion size and local market before deciding on a quote.
Is the calculator free?
Yes. Calculate and download without an account. Your calculation is not saved online or imported into an account. The paid Inventory Boss app lets you enter and save recipes, track ingredients and record sales.
Save recipes and track bakery stock
Keep your ingredient quantities and recipe costs together. Recording a menu sale deducts the ingredients you assigned to that recipe.
See the bakery inventory workflowUS$9.99/month or US$99/year
No free trial on either plan. Payment is required for app access. Cancel future renewals anytime.
Create account & choose a plan