What this calculator does
Cake pricing works out a sale price for a custom cake from ingredient cost, labour and a target profit margin. Enter your own figures above and the answer updates as you type: nothing is fixed in the code, so the result reflects exactly the numbers you supply.
The formula this calculator evaluates is printed under the tool and explained below, so you can check the working by hand or reuse it in a spreadsheet.
The formula
FormulaCost = ingredients + labour hours × rate, marked up for overhead; Price = cost ÷ (1 − target margin)
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Ingredient cost ($) | A number, measured in your currency. Starts at 35. |
| Labour hours | A number. Starts at 3. |
| Labour rate ($/hr) | A number, measured in your currency/hr. Starts at 25. |
| Overhead (packaging, utilities, delivery) (%) | A number, measured in %. Starts at 10. |
| Target profit margin (%) | A number, measured in %. Starts at 30. |
| Servings | A number. Starts at 20. |
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
How the answer changes with ingredient cost
Every other input is held at the calculator’s starting values while ingredient cost varies. Select any row to load that scenario into the calculator.