Although many people use the terms interchangeably, gross profit and gross margin are not the same. Gross profit is a currency amount, while margin is a ratio or percentage. Gross profit margin is the percentage left as gross profit after subtracting the cost of revenue from the revenue. You calculate it by dividing the gross profit by the revenue. In our coffee shop example above, the gross profit was $80,000 from revenue of $200,000. This gives a gross profit margin of $80,000 / $200,000 = 40%. For every dollar in sales, the coffee shop has 40 cents in gross profit that it can use to pay for other business expenses (and hopefully have something left as net profit if it is a profitable business). The easiest way to remember the difference between profit and margin is: If a company's gross margin increases, it means that the company is making more money per unit sold. In other words, the company is becoming more efficient and generating more profits for the same amount of labor and material cost. The best ways to increase gross margin are to raise prices or reduce the cost of producing the goods or services.Gross Profit vs Gross Margin
Gross Margin Calculation
Gross Profit Difference
A Higher Gross Profit Margin Is Better
Gross Profit vs Gross Margin FAQs
Gross profit is the sum total of all income earned in a given year for an individual or a company.
Gross profit is a currency amount, while margin is a ratio or percentage. Gross profit margin is the percentage left as gross profit after subtracting the cost of revenue from the total revenue.
The best ways to increase gross margin are to raise prices or reduce the cost of producing the goods or services.
If a company’s gross margin increases, it means that the company is making more money per unit sold.
No, they are not always equal as gross profit is an absolute value in dollars while gross margin is expressed as a percentage.
True Tamplin is a published author, public speaker, CEO of UpDigital, and founder of Finance Strategists.
True is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF®), author of The Handy Financial Ratios Guide, a member of the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, contributes to his financial education site, Finance Strategists, and has spoken to various financial communities such as the CFA Institute, as well as university students like his Alma mater, Biola University, where he received a bachelor of science in business and data analytics.
To learn more about True, visit his personal website, view his author profile on Amazon, or check out his speaker profile on the CFA Institute website.