Break-Even Calculator
Enter your fixed costs, your selling price and the variable cost per unit. We show how many units you need to sell to break even.
This calculator gives estimates for information only. It is not financial, tax or legal advice. Real results depend on lender terms, fees and local rules.
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The formula
Break-even units = fixed costs / (price per unit - variable cost per unit).
What break-even means
It is the point where your total revenue equals your total costs, so you make neither a profit nor a loss. Every sale after that adds to profit.
A worked example
Fixed costs are 10,000 (rent, tools, salaries). You sell at 25 and each unit costs 10 to make. Each sale contributes 15 toward fixed costs, so you need 10,000 / 15 = 667 units, or about 16,675 in revenue.
Add a profit target
Enter the profit you want and we add it to the fixed costs. To earn 5,000 in the example you need (10,000 + 5,000) / 15 = 1,000 units.
If the price is below the cost
If the price is not higher than the variable cost, each sale loses money, so no number of sales will break even. The calculator tells you that instead of giving a meaningless answer.
Examples to check
Type these into the calculator above to see how it behaves. Every result below was produced by the same calculator code that runs on this page.
| What you enter | What you get |
|---|---|
| Fixed costs ($): 10000; Selling price per unit ($): 25; Variable cost per unit ($): 10 | Break-even units: 667 |
| Fixed costs ($): 10000; Selling price per unit ($): 25; Variable cost per unit ($): 10; Target profit ($) (optional): 5000 | Break-even units: 667 |
| Fixed costs ($): 2400; Selling price per unit ($): 12; Variable cost per unit ($): 4.5 | Break-even units: 320 |
Break-Even Calculator: frequently asked questions
What is contribution margin?
The price minus the variable cost per unit. It is the amount each sale contributes toward covering your fixed costs and then profit.
Is this financial advice?
No. It gives an estimate from the numbers you enter. Real offers depend on fees, tax and the lender or provider, so check the terms before you commit.
Is what I enter in this calculator saved or sent anywhere?
No. The calculation runs in your browser, so what you enter is not sent to our servers. We only count, anonymously, whether a tool ran successfully.
Is this calculator free to use?
Yes. It is free, needs no sign-up and has no usage limit.
Last reviewed: October 3, 2026