Unit Economics Calculator
Know your real contribution margin by channel. Select how you sell, plug in your numbers, and instantly see margins, break-even, and benchmarks — built specifically for CPG brands.
How do you sell your product?
Pick your primary sales channel. This changes the inputs, default values, and the benchmarks we grade your margins against. Sell in multiple channels? Run the calculator once for each.
Not sure about a number?
We've pre-filled realistic defaults for a typical CPG product in the wholesale channel. Hover or tap the icon next to any field for guidance. Results update in real time as you type.
Pricing & Retailer Cut
What does the consumer pay on shelf, and what percentage does the retailer keep? Your wholesale price (what you actually receive) is calculated automatically.
Cost of Goods (per unit)
How much does it cost to make one unit of your product? Break it into three buckets. If you manufacture in-house, put your labor cost under co-manufacturing.
Freight & Trade Spend
Costs specific to the retail channel — shipping product to stores/distributors and trade promotions to get and keep shelf space.
Fixed Costs
Your monthly overhead that doesn't change with volume — rent, salaries, insurance, software, etc. Only used for the break-even calculation below.
Wholesale Channel Results
Your Unit Economics
Wholesale Price
Retail price minus the retailer's cut — what you actually receive
$6.49
Total COGS
Ingredients + packaging + co-manufacturing
$2.80
Gross Margin
56.88% — wholesale minus COGS
$3.69
Freight
Shipping product to stores or distributors
−$0.40
Trade Spend
Promos, slotting fees, and chargebacks
−$1.50
Contribution Margin
27.64% — real profit per unit after all variable costs
$1.80
For wholesale, a healthy contribution margin is 25%+. Between 15–25% is moderate. Below 15% means you're likely losing money after overhead.
Break-even
13,928
units per month to cover fixed costs
$25,000 fixed costs ÷ $1.80 margin per unit. Sell more than this and you're profitable.
Where the Money Goes
Every dollar of your retail price broken down. The green slice is what you keep.
Want help optimizing these numbers?
Our CPG finance team can build a custom model for your brand.
Book a Free CallWholesale Benchmarks
How do your margins compare?
Typical contribution margin ranges for CPG brands selling through wholesale. Your category, stage, and product type all factor in.
Margin Grading Scale — Wholesale
Healthy
25%+
Strong unit economics
Moderate
15–25%
Room to optimize
At Risk
Below 15%
Likely unprofitable
Negotiate Retailer Margin
Even 2-3% better margin from your buyer can add up to hundreds of thousands in profit at scale. Come prepared with velocity data.
Optimize Trade Spend
Track every promo dollar. Cut underperforming promotions and double down on ones that drive sustained velocity, not just one-time lifts.
Lower COGS at Volume
Renegotiate co-man rates when you hit volume thresholds. Consolidate packaging runs. Every $0.10 per unit matters at scale.
Glossary
Key terms explained
New to CPG finance? Here's a quick reference for every metric in this calculator.
Retail / Selling Price
The price a consumer pays for your product — on shelf, online, or through your store. Everything else is deducted from here.
Retailer Margin
The percentage the retailer keeps. If your product is $10 and they take 35%, they keep $3.50. You receive $6.50 (your wholesale price).
Platform / Processing Fee
For DTC: the percentage taken by Amazon (~15%), Shopify Payments (~3%), or other platforms on each sale.
COGS (Cost of Goods Sold)
Direct cost to make one unit — raw ingredients, packaging, and co-manufacturing or labor. Does not include freight or overhead.
Trade Spend
Money spent to get and keep shelf space — promotional allowances, slotting fees, chargebacks. Typically 15–25% of retail.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
For DTC: how much you spend on marketing per new customer. Monthly ad spend ÷ new customers acquired.
Contribution Margin
What's left from each sale after ALL variable costs. This covers your fixed costs and eventually becomes profit.
Break-even Units
Units (or orders) you need to sell monthly so total contribution margin covers fixed costs. Above this = profitable.
Need more than a calculator?
We build full financial models, track real-time margins by SKU and channel, and give you the clarity to scale with confidence.