Recipe cost calculator
What a batch really costs, ingredients plus your time, packaging and overhead, and what to charge per piece. The example is a batch of 24 chocolate chip cookies; replace it with your recipe.
Use the same unit for pack size and amount used (grams, ml or each). Need grams from cups? See cups to grams.
Cost per piece
$1.17
Batch of 24: $28.04
- Ingredients · 31%
- $8.59
- Labour · 53%
- $15.00
- Packaging · 13%
- $3.60
- Overhead · 3%
- $0.86
Suggested price per piece
$2.34
Profit per piece $1.17, per batch $28.04.
How recipe costing works
Unit cost = package price ÷ package size. A 2.27 kg (5 lb) bag of flour at $4.50 is about $0.002 per gram, so 280 g costs about $0.56. Do that for every ingredient, then add the costs that don’t appear in the recipe: your hands-on time, packaging and a share of overhead.
- Margin: price = cost ÷ (1 − margin). Profit as a share of the selling price.
- Markup: price = cost × multiplier. A 2.5× markup on a $0.80 cost is $2.00.
| Margin | Same as markup | Price for a $1.00 cost |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | × 1.25 | $1.25 |
| 30% | × 1.43 | $1.43 |
| 40% | × 1.67 | $1.67 |
| 50% | × 2.00 | $2.00 |
| 60% | × 2.50 | $2.50 |
| 70% | × 3.33 | $3.33 |
Scaling a recipe up for an order? Get the gram weights from the batch scaling calculator or the recipe scaler, then copy the amounts here. Your figures stay in this browser only.
Questions bakers ask
How do I calculate the cost of a recipe?
For each ingredient, divide the package price by the package size to get a unit cost, then multiply by the amount the recipe uses. Add the ingredient costs together, then add packaging, labour and overhead. Divide by the number of pieces for cost per piece.
How do I price baked goods from cost?
Two common methods: a markup (price = cost × a multiplier, often 2–3× for home bakers) or a target profit margin (price = cost ÷ (1 − margin)). A 50% margin on a $1.20 cookie means a $2.40 price. Check local prices too; cost sets the floor, not the ceiling.
What is the difference between markup and margin?
Markup is profit as a share of cost; margin is profit as a share of price. A $1 cost sold at $2 is a 100% markup but a 50% margin. Margin can never reach 100%.
Should I include my time?
Yes. Unpaid hours hide the true cost. Multiply the hands-on hours for the batch by an hourly rate you would accept, and include it before adding profit.
What counts as overhead?
Electricity or gas for the oven, cleaning supplies, parchment, card boxes, labels, licences and the share of equipment wear. Many small bakers add a flat 10–15% of ingredient cost when they can’t measure it directly.