Startup
Break-Even Units Calculator
Find break-even units, revenue, and target-profit volume fast.
Result
Exactly 222.22 units, or $33,333 of revenue, at $90 contribution per unit (60.0% of price).
Volume threshold map
Compare required unit volumes against your current plan.
127.78 units (36.51%)
Sensitivity scenarios
| Scenario | Unit price | Variable cost | Contribution | Break-even units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base case | $150 | $60 | $90 | 222.22 |
| Price −10% | $135 | $60 | $75 | 266.67 |
| Variable cost +10% | $150 | $66 | $84 | 238.1 |
| Price −10% and variable cost +10% | $135 | $66 | $69 | 289.86 |
How to use it
- Choose Single SKU for one product or Weighted Mix for multiple products, then enter fixed costs, target profit, planned units, selling price, and variable cost per unit. Fixed costs should be items like rent and salaried payroll, while variable costs should capture every per-sale dollar such as materials, packaging, shipping, and payment fees.
- Read contribution margin per unit, contribution margin ratio, break-even units, break-even revenue, target-profit units, and margin of safety. As a rule of thumb, a contribution margin ratio below 20% is fragile, because even small cost inflation or discounting can erase break-even feasibility.
- Compare break-even volume with realistic capacity and your planned units. As a rule of thumb, if break-even consumes 70-80% of max capacity or margin of safety is under 20%, the business can be pushed into loss by a modest sales dip.
- Run the built-in pressure cases for a 10% price cut, a 10% variable-cost increase, and both together. Use the result to choose whether to raise price, renegotiate COGS, reduce fixed costs, or kill a low-margin offer before launch.
- Re-run monthly and whenever price, supplier cost, product mix, or overhead changes. Track break-even units as a percentage of capacity over time because a rising percentage usually signals deteriorating economics before the P&L shows it.
Questions people usually ask
What is break-even analysis used for?
Break-even analysis finds the exact sales volume where total revenue equals total costs — zero profit, zero loss. It is used to price new products (is the break-even volume achievable?), evaluate cost structure (fixed vs variable trade-offs), set sales targets, and make go/no-go decisions on new business lines.
What is the difference between fixed and variable costs?
Fixed costs do not change with production volume: rent, salaries, insurance, equipment depreciation. Variable costs scale with every unit sold: raw materials, packaging, shipping, sales commissions, payment processing fees. Contribution margin (price minus variable cost) covers fixed costs first before generating profit.
How do I lower my break-even point?
Three levers: (1) Raise price — most powerful but risks lost volume. (2) Reduce variable costs — better supplier terms, process efficiency, substitute materials. (3) Reduce fixed costs — reduce overhead, renegotiate leases, shift to variable cost structures. A combined 5% price increase and 5% variable cost reduction cuts break-even volume by about 10% at a 60% contribution margin ratio and by about 22% at a 30% ratio: the thinner the margin, the bigger the effect.
What margin of safety should I aim for?
Margin of safety = (actual sales - break-even sales) ÷ actual sales. A 20-30% margin means you can absorb a 20-30% revenue decline before losing money. Startups with high fixed costs may operate with thin margins of safety initially, which is why cash runway matters.
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Background on the Break-Even Units Calculator
- Examples Sales Forecast Examples: 4 Worked SaaS Revenue Forecasts
Sales forecast examples: four worked SaaS revenue forecasts with a month-by-month table, showing how starting MRR, growth and pipeline conversion compound.
Articles
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The five numbers to run before pricing a SaaS: COGS per active user, fully loaded CAC, gross-margin sensitivity, willingness to pay and CAC payback.
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Use it from code
The same calculation as a JavaScript module you can import. It runs where you import it, with no request, key or rate limit.
import { compute } from "https://aibizhub.io/engines/break-even-units-calculator.js";Input and output contract, TypeScript types and the guide for agents.