There are many financial terms that are important in sales and
when running a business. Here are the most important you may
find helpful in using our margin calculator.
Gross Profit Margin
While the two terms — gross profit and gross margin — are used
interchangeably, there is one big difference between them. Gross
profit is expressed in percentages, while gross margin is in
currency.
Also, the gross profit margin is calculated by considering only
net sales, or your sales price minus COGS. It doesn't concern
other costs of your business like, for example, selling
expenses, general admin expenses, costs of having an office and
employees.
To make it easier, you can think about it as of gross margin
percentage.
Net Profit Margin
Net profit margin (or net margin) is usually expressed as a
percentage but can also be shown in a decimal form. It's the net
income after deducting all the expenses and costs (e.g., taxes,
marketing costs, admin expenses, office rental).
Net profit margin = Revenue - costs
Net profit margin helps to assess if operating costs are covered
and the product you're selling is profitable and brings value to
the company.
Operating Profit Margin
The operating profit margin formula is simple: operating profit
margin = operating profit ÷ total revenue
To calculate operating profit, you need to subtract from the
revenue all operating earnings like COGS, costs of running a
business, taxes, and interests.
Operating profit margin is also expressed in percentage.
Operating profit margin indicates how well the company is
managed because it includes variable costs that may change over
time and in different circumstances. It's not always easy to
manage these expenses.