Mini-App · Calculators
Break-Even Calculator: Units and Revenue You Need Each Month
For small business owners who want to know how many units they must sell to cover monthly bills. Enter your fixed costs per month, your price per unit and your variable cost per unit.
You get your contribution margin per unit and as a ratio, your break-even units per month rounded up to whole units, and the monthly sales revenue that number represents.
Results update as you type. Free to use.
Break-even units per month
500 units
Break-even revenue per month
25,000
- Contribution margin per unit
- 20
- Contribution margin ratio
- 40 %
How to use it
- 1Enter your total fixed costs per month, such as rent, salaries and subscriptions.
- 2Enter the selling price per unit and the variable cost per unit, such as materials, packaging and per-sale fees.
- 3Contribution margin is what each unit contributes toward fixed costs. The margin ratio is that amount as a share of the price.
- 4Break-even units is rounded up to whole units, and break-even revenue is those units times the price. A result of 0 means the price does not exceed the variable cost, so you can never break even.
Common questions
What should I count as fixed costs versus variable costs?
Fixed costs stay the same each month no matter how much you sell, such as rent, salaries, insurance and software subscriptions. Variable costs rise with each unit sold, such as materials, packaging, shipping supplies and per-sale payment or marketplace fees.
Why does the calculator show 0 break-even units?
A result of 0 means your price per unit is the same as or lower than your variable cost per unit. Each sale adds nothing toward fixed costs, so you can never break even until you raise the price or lower the variable cost.
Why is break-even revenue slightly higher than fixed costs divided by the margin ratio?
Break-even units are rounded up to the next whole unit, because you can't sell part of a unit. Break-even revenue is those rounded units times your price, so it can be a little higher than the exact figure.
Does it cost anything, and is my data kept private?
This calculator is free to use and costs no credits. You only type in three numbers and no file is uploaded, so your figures are used only to show your results.