Pricing · markup guide

75% markup: margin and selling price

A 75% markup means the selling price is your cost plus 75% of that cost, so you multiply the cost by 1.75. It gives a profit margin of 42.86%, because the profit is measured against the higher selling price. An item that costs £100 sells for £175.00 and makes £75.00 profit.

VAT rate checked against GOV.UK on .

Profit margin

42.86%

from a 75% markup

Multiply cost by

1.75

to get the price ex VAT

Price on £100 cost

£175.00

before VAT

With 20% VAT

× 2.1

cost to shelf price

Selling prices with a 75% markup

Price with VAT assumes you are VAT registered and the item is standard-rated at 20%.

CostSelling priceProfitPrice with VAT
£1.00£1.75£0.75£2.10
£5.00£8.75£3.75£10.50
£10.00£17.50£7.50£21.00
£25.00£43.75£18.75£52.50
£50.00£87.50£37.50£105.00
£100.00£175.00£75.00£210.00
£250.00£437.50£187.50£525.00
£1,000.00£1,750.00£750.00£2,100.00

Nearby markups

Markup, the margin it gives and the multiplier to use on your cost.

MarkupMarginMultiplier
55%35.48%× 1.55
60%37.5%× 1.6
65%39.39%× 1.65
70%41.18%× 1.7
80%44.44%× 1.8
85%45.95%× 1.85
90%47.37%× 1.9
95%48.72%× 1.95

Markup is not the same as margin

People often mix these up. A 75% markup is a 42.86% margin. If you actually want a 75% margin, you need a markup of 300%, so the price is cost × 4.

How far you can discount

With a 75% markup you can take up to 42.86% off the selling price before you are selling at cost. A 10% discount leaves a margin of 36.51%, and 20% off leaves 28.57%.

Adding VAT

If you are VAT registered and sell at the 20% standard rate, add VAT after the markup. That makes the shelf price cost × 2.1. The VAT goes to HMRC, so it does not change your 42.86% margin.

Profit in each pound of sales

Gross profit is between two fifths and half of each pound you take before VAT, and the goods cost you the other 57p. After a 10% discount you would need to sell about 30% more units to make the same gross profit as at full price.

How far apart the markup and margin are

At this level the two figures are far apart: the margin is 32.14 percentage points below the markup. On a £100 cost, pricing for a true 75% margin would mean charging £400.00 instead of £175.00. Another 10 points of markup would add 3.09 percentage points of margin.

Other markups

Markup calculator · Work out your own prices

Common questions

What margin is a 75% markup?

42.86%. Divide the markup by 100 plus the markup: 75 ÷ 175 = 42.86%.

How do I add a 75% markup to a price?

Multiply the cost by 1.75. For example, £40 × 1.75 = £70.00. In Excel or Google Sheets, with the cost in A2, use =A2*1.75.

What is a 75% markup on £100?

£75 of profit, so the selling price is £175.00 before VAT, or £210.00 with 20% VAT added.

How do I work out the cost from a price with a 75% markup?

Divide the selling price by 1.75. A price of £60 means a cost of £34.29. If the price includes 20% VAT, divide by 1.2 first.

Sources and assumptions

  • Markup = profit ÷ cost. Margin = profit ÷ selling price. Both use prices before VAT.
  • Cost means what you pay for the item, excluding any VAT you can reclaim.

Figures are rounded to the nearest penny or to two decimal places.