DIY Cost Tools
Food Cost Percentage Calculator
COOKING CALCULATOR
Compare ingredient cost with selling price and estimate a price at a chosen food-cost target.
Use the units shown. All fields are required; absolute values cannot exceed one trillion. The remaining amount is not net profit. Labor, rent, utilities, packaging, commissions, waste, taxes, and other expenses are excluded unless included consistently in your inputs. This is a pricing calculation, not a business recommendation.
How to use this calculator
Replace the defaults with your measured ingredient quantities or chosen recipe assumptions. Select Calculate and read the units beside each result. Weigh ingredients when volume measurement or packing would introduce uncertainty.
Formula and explanation
Food cost % = ingredient cost ÷ selling price × 100; target price = ingredient cost ÷ (target percentage/100)
The target percentage is a user-selected pricing assumption. The amount left after ingredient cost must still cover other costs and any desired profit.
Worked example
For Ingredient cost per portion ($) = 3, Selling price per portion ($) = 12, Target food cost (%) = 25, the results are Actual food cost (%): 25; Price at target food cost ($): 12; Price minus ingredient cost ($): 9.
Important limitations
The remaining amount is not net profit. Labor, rent, utilities, packaging, commissions, waste, taxes, and other expenses are excluded unless included consistently in your inputs. This is a pricing calculation, not a business recommendation.
These tools calculate quantities from your assumptions; they do not establish food safety, nutrition, or recipe quality. Follow appropriate recipe and product instructions.
Frequently asked questions
Does 25% food cost mean 75% profit?
No. The remainder still needs to cover other expenses.
Should tax be included in the price?
Use a consistently defined revenue figure. For business decisions, confirm accounting treatment with your records or accountant.
Can I mix measurement units?
Convert to the units beside each input first. Grams measure mass; milliliters and cups measure volume.
What happens with invalid inputs?
The previous result clears and a validation instruction appears, preventing an old result from being mistaken for a new calculation.
Review notes
Reviewed October 1, 2026. Default examples were independently checked against the displayed formulas and conversion factors. Script checks covered blank, negative, nonfinite, and excessive values. Calculations run in your browser.