---
title: "Markup and margin calculator: price from your cost"
description: "Free markup and margin calculator. Enter a cost and the margin or markup you want, and get the selling price, the profit and the other percentage."
canonical: "https://www.meadowdesk.com/tools/markup-and-margin-calculator"
last_modified: "2026-10-27"
---

# Markup and margin calculator

Source: https://www.meadowdesk.com/tools/markup-and-margin-calculator

Free markup and margin calculator. Enter a cost and the margin or markup you want, and get the selling price, the profit and the other percentage.

Enter what something costs you and the margin you want to keep, and get the price to charge, with the matching markup beside it.

## How to use it

1. Choose how to set the price: by the margin you want to keep, or by a markup on your cost.
2. Enter your cost: what you pay for the print run, the license or the subcontracted work.
3. Enter the percentage, then read the selling price and the profit it leaves.
4. Check the other figure as well, so you know both numbers before you quote.

## Markup and margin calculator FAQ

**What’s the difference between markup and margin?**
Markup compares the profit with your cost; margin compares it with the price. On a $400 cost sold for $666.67, the $266.67 profit is a 66.7% markup and a 40% margin.

**Which one should I use?**
Use margin when you know how much of each sale you want to keep, and markup when you add a set percentage to costs. Either way, check the other number before you quote.

**Should I mark up costs I pass on to a client?**
Many studios add 10–20% to costs they buy on a client’s behalf, like printing, stock images or licenses, to cover the time spent sourcing and managing them. Say so in your proposal, so the line on the invoice is no surprise.

**Can a margin be 100%?**
Only if the cost is zero. As a margin gets close to 100%, the price it needs climbs steeply: a 90% margin on a $400 cost means charging $4,000.

**Does this work for pricing my own time?**
Not well, because your time isn’t a cost you buy. Start from what you need to earn: the [freelance rate calculator](https://www.meadowdesk.com/tools/freelance-rate-calculator) works back to an hourly rate, and the [project profitability calculator](https://www.meadowdesk.com/tools/project-profitability-calculator) checks what a finished project paid.