Formula to Calculate Break-Even Sales

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Where,

  • FC is the Fixed CostASP is the Average Selling Price per unitAVC is the Average Variable Cost per unit

It is very useful for manufacturing firms.

  • The numerator of the equation is Fixed CostFixed CostFixed Cost refers to the cost or expense that is not affected by any decrease or increase in the number of units produced or sold over a short-term horizon. It is the type of cost which is not dependent on the business activity.read more, which shall be incurred irrespective of whether a single unit is sold or not, and hence that cost has to be recovered before the firm could start making profits.The denominator of the equation is contribution per unit, which is a difference in selling price per unit, and the average variable costAverage Variable CostAverage Variable Cost refers to the cost that directly varies with the output incurred on each unit of goods or services. It is evaluated by dividing the total variable cost incurred during the period by the number of units produced.read more per unit. As the Variable cost are those cost which is incurred only when the firm sells the units and hence the remaining would be the contribution, and that shall be used to recover the fixed cost.

Break-Even Sales Formula Calculation Examples

Example #1

Suppose that sales per unit are 550, and the variable cost per unit is 350. The total fixed cost of the firm is 600,000. You are required to calculate Break-Even Sales in units based on the above information.

Solution

  • Average Sale Price per Unit: 550.00Average Variable Cost per Unit: 350.00Contribution Per Unit: 200.00Fixed Cost (FC): 600000.00

Calculation of Break-Even Sales can be done as,

=600000/(550-350)

Example #2

Thomas & Thomas are thinking of launching one of the below two products as their market capitalization has been hit by competition, and now, they are looking back to bounce back in the market by introducing new products and increase shareholder valueShareholder ValueShareholder’s value is the value that company shareholders receive as dividends and stock price appreciation due to better decision-making by the management that ultimately results in a company’s growth in sales and profit.read more by increasing the firm’s profitability.

Below are the details of the two products based on market research and estimation.

Since they are looking to add value to shareholders as soon as they can, they want to select the product which shall comparatively lower the sale of units to recover the cost.

You are required to calculate Break-Even Sales in units and advise which product should be launched?

Solution:

Here we are given to analyze two products, and the one that takes a lesser number of units to sell to recover the cost shall be selected for the time being.

Now, we can calculate BES in units for both the products:

Calculation of Break-Even Sales of Product X can be done as,

Product X will be –

Calculation of Break-Even Sales of Product Y can be done as,

Product Y will be –

Based on the above comparison, it appears that product X should be launched as it takes a lesser number of units to sell to recover the fixed cost of the firm.

Example #3

Veronica started a new business of selling hotdogs alone. She realized that most of the cost is variable, and the only fixed cost she would incur is the movable vehicle, which she will use to do business. After operating business for the year, she has come out with the below details:

NOTE

In this example, we are ignoring the gross profit marginGross Profit MarginGross Profit Margin is the ratio that calculates the profitability of the company after deducting the direct cost of goods sold from the revenue and is expressed as a percentage of sales. It doesn’t include any other expenses into account except the cost of goods sold.read more. The firm could make otherwise selecting product Y if the profit margin is considered.

  • Sales During the Period: 1000000Cost of Bread used in Hotdogs: 400000Cost of Spreads Used: 300000Cost of Vegetables: 200000Annual Maintenance: 75000Annual Insurance: 35000Net Profit of Year: -10000

She noticed that she incurred a loss of 10,000 after accounting for all the expenses, and the takeover at home was zero, and in fact, she had to introduce 10,000 worth from home funds.

She desires to earn 50,000 net profit next year, but before that, she wants to know how she needs to how much she should sell so that she doesn’t incur losses next year. Assume that last year she sold 10,000 units.

You are required to calculate Break-Even Sales assuming the cost remains the same next year as well.

First, we need to calculate the sales and variable cost per unit and also the total fixed cost.

Selling Price Per Unit

=1000000/10000

  • Selling Price Per Unit = 100

Average Variable Cost Per Unit

=900000/10000

  • Average Variable Cost Per UnitVariable Cost Per UnitVariable cost per unit refers to the cost of production of each unit produced, which changes when the output volume or the activity level changes. These are not committed costs as they occur only if there is production in the company.read more = 90

Total Fixed Cost to be recovered

=75000+35000

  • Total Fixed Cost = 110000

The calculation can be done as,

Break-Even Sales will be –

Therefore, the total minimum sales required next year will be 11,000 x 100, which is 11,00,000

Relevance and Use

There are several ways to use this important concept in the field of finance. Production executives and managers have to be aware of their sales levels and how far or close they are to recover the variable and fixed cost every time. That’s the key reason that these managers keep constantly trying to alter those key elements in the formulas to reduce or increase the number of units to produce as per the situation and accordingly maintained the profitability of the firm. Further, it is worth noting that firms can avoid non-cash fixed costs like depreciation to calculate advance cash break-even sales.

This article has been a guide to Break Even Sales Formula. Here we discuss how to calculate break-even point sales using its formula and practical examples, and a downloadable excel template. You can learn more about financing from the following articles –

  • Break-Even Price FormulaBreak-Even Price FormulaThe formula for break-even price is Fixed cost divided by production volume plus variable cost. The break-even price is the price that the seller should quote which enables him to recover the costs of the business operations. read moreCalculate Marginal Product of LaborCalculate Marginal Product Of LaborThe marginal product of labour formula calculates the change in the level of the company’s output when there is the addition of a new employee. The marginal product of labour is calculated by dividing the total product value by the difference in the labour.read moreExamples of Fixed CostFormula of Total Variable Cost