Mini-App · Calculators
Break-even point calculator: units and revenue you need each month
For small business owners who want to know how much they need to sell before they start making a profit. Enter your monthly fixed costs, your price per unit and your variable cost per unit.
You get back your contribution margin per unit and as a ratio, the number of units you must sell each month to break even, and the revenue that 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 counts as a fixed cost versus a variable cost?
Fixed costs stay the same no matter how much you sell, like rent, salaries, insurance and software subscriptions. Variable costs go up with each unit sold, like 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 not higher than your variable cost per unit, so each sale adds nothing toward fixed costs. You can never break even until you raise the price or lower the variable cost.
Why is the break-even number rounded up?
You can't sell part of a unit, so break-even units are rounded up to the next whole unit. Break-even revenue is then those whole units times your price, so it may be slightly above the exact break-even point.
Does it cost anything, and is my data kept private?
This calculator is free to use, with no credits needed. You only type in three numbers, no file upload is required, and your figures are not shared.