FundiJumla

Soap Pricing Calculator

Soap is made in batches and cured over weeks, but sold bar by bar. Enter your batch ingredients, yield and time to get a per-bar price that covers cure time, waste and your margin.

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Recommended price
$10.54
Targets 30.0% profit margin
Do not sell below
$7.38
Break-even after costs & fees (zero profit)

Profitability breakdown

Labour cost$3.75
Base production cost$6.93
Waste-adjusted cost$7.38
Loaded cost (your floor)$7.38
Selling fees at this price$0.00
Profit per unit$3.16
Profit margin30.0%
Markup over loaded cost42.9%
Effective hourly earnings$15.17
Ingredient cost per bar$2.25

Price ladder

Compare your recommended price across target margins.

Target marginSelling priceProfit / unitMarkupHourly earnings
20%$9.22$1.8425.0%$8.85
30%$10.54$3.1642.9%$15.17
40%$12.29$4.9266.7%$23.60
50%$14.75$7.38100.0%$35.40
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Discount floor

Based on your recommended retail price of $10.54.

Max discount before break-even30.0%
Max discount preserving target margin0%
Profit at 10% discount$2.11
Profit at 20% discount$1.05
Profit at 30% discount$-0.00

Any discount below the recommended price reduces your margin below target. Fixed business costs you have not entered here (insurance, software, etc.) are not captured by this calculator.

The formula

per-bar price = (loaded cost per bar + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − selling fee % − target margin %)

Oils, lye and fragrance are divided by the number of bars per batch. Labour and overhead are split across the batch too. The formula then solves for a per-bar price after selling fees and your target margin.

Worked example

Batch: $18 oils, $3 lye, $6 fragrance, 12 bars. 2.5h labour at $18, packaging $0.60, overhead $4, waste 6%. The engine spreads these across the batch and waste-adjusts to a loaded cost of $7.38 per bar (labour $3.75, overhead $0.33 per bar). With a 6.5% fee and 30% margin, the recommended price = $12.09 per bar.

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Candle Pricing CalculatorWholesale PricingCraft Fair Break-Even

Frequently asked questions

How much should I charge for handmade soap?⌄

Cost a single bar: ingredients (oils, lye, fragrance) divided by batch yield, plus packaging, a share of labour and overhead, and a waste allowance for failed or ugly bars. Then add your target margin.

Should cure time be in the price?⌄

Cure time is storage, not active labour — but it ties up space and stock. A small overhead allocation per batch covers it. Don't add it as labour hours you weren't actually working.

What waste rate should I use for soap?⌄

Set it based on your own track record of failed or unsellable bars; beginners often see more waste than experienced makers.

How do I price soap for wholesale?⌄

Set your retail bar price first, then use the wholesale calculator to build volume tiers while checking your producer margin stays above your minimum.