Gross Margin
📈 Investing
intermediate

Quick Definition

Gross margin is a financial metric that measures the percentage of total sales revenue that exceeds the cost of goods sold (COGS). It indicates how efficiently a company uses labor and supplies in the production process.

Formula

Gross Margin = ((Total Sales Revenue - Cost of Goods Sold) / Total Sales Revenue) * 100

Examples

  • 1A company with $200,000 in sales and $150,000 in COGS has a gross margin of 25%, showing it retains $0.25 from each dollar of sales after covering the cost of goods sold.
  • 2A retail clothing store with higher gross margins than its competitors can offer competitive pricing or invest more in marketing.
  • 3A manufacturer improves its gross margin by reducing production costs through more efficient manufacturing techniques or cheaper raw material sourcing.
  • 4A business tracking its gross margin over time to assess whether changes in pricing strategies or cost management are improving profitability.

Tags

gross-marginprofitabilityfinancial-metricscost-managementsales-revenue