Free soap pricing calculator
Soap cost calculator
A cold-process batch of 10 bars is already filled in: olive and coconut oil, shea butter, lye, lavender essential oil and water. Change any line to match your recipe.
Free, no signup. See the worked example.
What to count in the cost of a bar of soap
- 1
Oils and butters
Enter them as your recipe lists them, by weight. Bought by the litre or gallon? Pick that unit for the pack and the calculator converts it with a typical density (marked as an estimate).
- 2
Lye and water
Sodium hydroxide is cheap per batch but still a real cost. Get the amount from a lye calculator; CostPerBatch only works out what it costs.
- 3
Fragrance or essential oils
Often the single most expensive line in a batch. In this example the lavender oil costs more than the coconut oil.
- 4
Your time
Weighing, mixing, pouring, cutting, wrapping and labeling. Cure time on the rack is not hands-on time.
- 5
Overhead
Molds, cutters, gloves and goggles wear out. Add a share per batch, plus anything you pay for space to cure bars.
- 6
Packaging and fees
Wraps, bands and ingredient labels per bar, then Etsy, Shopify or market card fees.
Worked example
The cold-process soap bar above, line by line
One batch makes 10. These are the example's prices (illustrative US retail); the calculator above shows the same numbers until you change them. Lines marked (est.) convert volume to weight with a typical density.
| Material | You buy | Batch uses | Batch cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil (est.) | 3 l for $24.99 | 14 oz | $3.59 |
| Coconut oil | 54 oz for $15.99 | 10 oz | $2.96 |
| Shea butter | 16 oz for $13.99 | 4 oz | $3.50 |
| Sodium hydroxide (lye) | 2 lb for $12.99 | 4.4 oz | $1.79 |
| Lavender essential oil | 4 fl oz for $18.99 | 1 fl oz | $4.75 |
| Distilled water | 1 gal for $1.49 | 10 fl oz | $0.12 |
| Materials for the batch | $16.70 | ||
Cost to make one
- Materials ($16.70 ÷ 10)
- $1.67
- Your time (1.5 h × $18.00 ÷ 10)
- $2.70
- Overhead ($4.00 ÷ 10)
- $0.40
- Packaging
- $0.60
- Cost to make one
- $5.37
The pricing formula
price = (cost + per-order fee) ÷ (1 − fee % − margin)
($5.37 + $0.45) ÷ (1 − 9.5% − 35%) = $10.49
Rounded up to a .99 ending: $10.99. Etsy (US) fees at that price are $1.49, and you keep $4.13 (38% margin, 77% markup) after paying yourself.
Wholesale at a 25% margin with no marketplace fees: $7.17, so a shop would likely sell it for about $14.34.
Charging shipping? If you charge $5.99 shipping per order, Etsy (US)'s 9.5% also applies to it: another $0.57 per order. Enter it in step 4 and the price for the same margin becomes $11.99.
Pricing tips
- Weigh oils instead of measuring by volume. Weight makes both your recipe and your costs exact.
- Saving each recipe in a slot makes it easy to see which scents earn the most per bar.
- Selling a gift set? Set "One batch makes" to the number of sets and add the box to packaging.
Not sure about margin and markup? See the difference with your own numbers.
Your products
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Straight answers
How much does it cost to make a bar of soap?
In this example, one cold-process soap bar costs $5.37 to make: $1.67 in materials, $2.70 for your time, $0.40 overhead and $0.60 packaging. Oils and essential oils move the number most, so enter your own prices.
Does this calculate how much lye to use?
No. CostPerBatch does pricing math only. Work out your lye and water amounts with a dedicated lye calculator, then enter those amounts here to see what the batch costs.
Why does the olive oil line say estimate?
The example buys olive oil by the litre but uses it by weight. Converting volume to weight needs a density, and the calculator uses a typical value for vegetable oil. Weigh your oils or enter the pack in weight units for an exact cost.
Does Etsy charge fees on the shipping I charge?
Yes. Etsy's 6.5% transaction fee and 3% payment processing also apply to shipping and gift wrap you charge the buyer. Enter it in step 4 under "Shipping you charge per order".
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