Contractor Markup vs. Margin Calculator
ANA›Life Services Authority›National Calculator Authority›Contractor Markup vs. Margin Calculator
.calc-container { max-width: 640px; margin: 2rem 0; padding: 1.5rem; background: #fff; border: 1px solid #ddd; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.06); font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, sans-serif; } .calc-container h3 { font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.15rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin-bottom: 1rem; padding-bottom: 0.5rem; border-bottom: 2px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-row { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.75rem; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; flex-wrap: wrap; } .calc-row label { min-width: 160px; font-size: 0.9rem; color: #333; font-weight: 500; } .calc-row input[type="number"], .calc-row select { flex: 1; min-width: 120px; max-width: 200px; padding: 0.5rem 0.6rem; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.9rem; font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; color: #1a1a1a; background: #fafaf8; } .calc-row input:focus, .calc-row select:focus { outline: none; border-color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(26,74,138,0.12); } .calc-row .unit { font-size: 0.82rem; color: #888; min-width: 30px; } .calc-btn { display: inline-block; margin-top: 0.5rem; padding: 0.55rem 1.5rem; background: var(--ac, #3d5a80); color: #fff; border: none; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.9rem; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; } .calc-btn:hover { opacity: 0.9; } .calc-result { margin-top: 1.25rem; padding: 1rem 1.25rem; background: #f0f6fc; border-left: 3px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); border-radius: 0 6px 6px 0; display: none; } .calc-result.visible { display: block; } .calc-result-label { font-size: 0.78rem; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.06em; color: #666; margin-bottom: 0.25rem; } .calc-result-value { font-size: 1.6rem; font-weight: 700; color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-result-detail { font-size: 0.85rem; color: #555; margin-top: 0.5rem; line-height: 1.5; } .calc-note { margin-top: 1rem; font-size: 0.8rem; color: #888; font-style: italic; } .calc-grid { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 0.75rem; margin-top: 0.75rem; } .calc-grid-item { padding: 0.6rem 0.8rem; background: #f8f9fa; border-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid #eee; } .calc-grid-item .label { font-size: 0.75rem; color: #888; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.04em; } .calc-grid-item .value { font-size: 1.1rem; font-weight: 600; color: #1a1a1a; } @media (max-width: 720px) { .calc-row { flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; gap: 0.3rem; } .calc-row label { min-width: auto; } .calc-row input[type="number"], .calc-row select { max-width: 100%; width: 100%; } .calc-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } } .calc-chart { margin: 1rem 0; text-align: center; } .calc-chart svg { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .calc-chart-legend { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: center; gap: 0.6rem 1.2rem; margin-top: 0.6rem; font-size: 0.8rem; color: #555; } .calc-chart-legend span { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.3rem; } .calc-chart-legend i { display: inline-block; width: 10px; height: 10px; border-radius: 2px; font-style: normal; } .calc-related { max-width: 640px; margin: 2rem 0 1rem; padding: 1.25rem 1.5rem; background: #f8f9fa; border: 1px solid #e8e8e8; border-radius: 8px; } .calc-related h3 { font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin: 0 0 0.75rem; padding-bottom: 0.4rem; border-bottom: 2px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-related-list { list-style: none; padding: 0; margin: 0 0 0.75rem; display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 0.4rem 1.5rem; } .calc-related-list li a { font-size: 0.88rem; color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); text-decoration: none; } .calc-related-list li a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } .calc-browse-all { margin: 0.5rem 0 0; font-size: 0.9rem; font-weight: 600; } .calc-browse-all a { color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); text-decoration: none; } .calc-browse-all a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } @media (max-width: 720px) { .calc-related-list { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } }
Contractor Markup vs. Margin Calculator
Convert between markup and margin, and calculate selling price, cost, and profit for your contracting projects.
### Project Cost & Percentage
Total Project Cost ($)
Enter as
Markup % Margin %
Markup (%)
Calculate
### Results
Total Cost Profit (Gross) Selling Price Markup % Margin %
document.getElementById('con-pct-type').addEventListener('change', function() { var label = document.getElementById('con-pct-label'); label.textContent = this.value === 'markup' ? 'Markup (%)' : 'Margin (%)'; document.getElementById('con-pct').placeholder = this.value === 'markup' ? 'e.g. 25' : 'e.g. 20'; });
function conFmt(n) { return '$' + n.toLocaleString('en-US', {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2}); } function conFmtPct(n) { return n.toLocaleString('en-US', {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2}) + '%'; }
function conCalc() { var errEl = document.getElementById('con-error'); var resEl = document.getElementById('con-result'); errEl.style.display = 'none'; resEl.style.display = 'none';
var cost = parseFloat(document.getElementById('con-cost').value); var pct = parseFloat(document.getElementById('con-pct').value); var type = document.getElementById('con-pct-type').value;
// --- Validation --- if (isNaN(cost) || cost = 100) { errEl.textContent = 'Margin must be less than 100%. A 100% margin is mathematically impossible.'; errEl.style.display = 'block'; return; }
var markup, margin, sellingPrice, profit;
if (type === 'markup') { // Markup % = (Profit / Cost) × 100 // Selling Price = Cost × (1 + Markup/100) markup = pct; sellingPrice = cost * (1 + markup / 100); profit = sellingPrice - cost; // Margin % = (Profit / Selling Price) × 100 margin = (profit / sellingPrice) * 100; } else { // Margin % = (Profit / Selling Price) × 100 // Selling Price = Cost / (1 - Margin/100) margin = pct; sellingPrice = cost / (1 - margin / 100); profit = sellingPrice - cost; // Markup % = (Profit / Cost) × 100 markup = (profit / cost) * 100; }
document.getElementById('con-r-cost').textContent = conFmt(cost); document.getElementById('con-r-profit').textContent = conFmt(profit); document.getElementById('con-r-price').textContent = conFmt(sellingPrice); document.getElementById('con-r-markup').textContent = conFmtPct(markup); document.getElementById('con-r-margin').textContent = conFmtPct(margin);
// Contextual note var note = ''; if (markup > 0 && margin > 0) { note = 'Key insight: A ' + conFmtPct(markup) + ' markup equals a ' + '' + conFmtPct(margin) + ' margin. ' + 'Markup is always higher than margin for the same job because markup is calculated on cost, ' + 'while margin is calculated on selling price.'; } document.getElementById('con-r-note').innerHTML = note; resEl.style.display = 'block'; }
#### Formulas Used
From Markup:
From Margin:
Conversion shortcuts:
#### Assumptions & References
- Cost includes all direct costs: labor, materials, subcontractors, equipment, and permits.
- Markup is applied to cost and must be ≥ 0%. There is no upper mathematical limit, but typical contractor markups range from 10%–50%.
- Margin must be between 0% and 100% (exclusive). A 100% margin would require infinite selling price.
- Reference: Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) — Financial Benchmarker; Craftsman Book Company — Contractor's Pricing Guide.
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