How Do Gross Profit and Gross Margin Differ? (2024)

Gross profit and gross margin show the profitability of a company when comparingrevenue to the costs involved in production.Both metrics are derivedfrom a company's income statementand sharesimilaritiesbutshow profitability in a different way.

Key Takeaways

  • Gross profit describes a company's top line earnings; that is, its revenues less the direct costs of goods sold.
  • The gross profit margin then takes that figure and divides it by revenue to get a handle on how much gross profit is generated on a percentage basis after taking costs into account.
  • Both of these differ from net profit or net profit margin in that net deducts several other indirect costs and expenses not found in the gross profit.

Gross Profit

Gross profit refers to the moneya company earnsafter subtractingthe costs associated with producingand selling its products. Gross profit is represented as a wholedollar amount, showing therevenue earned after subtracting the costs of production.

Gross profitiscalculated by:

Grossprofit=NetsalesCOGSwhere:Netsales=Equivalenttorevenue,orthetotalamountofmoneygeneratedfromsalesfortheperiod.Itcanalsobecallednetsalesbecauseitcanincludediscountsanddeductionsfromreturn-edmerchandise.Revenueistypicallycalledthetoplinebecauseitsitsontopofthein-comestatement.Costsaresubtractedfromrevenuetocalculatenetincomeorthebottomline.COGS=Costofgoodssold.Thedirectcostsassociatedwithproducinggoods.Includesbothdirectla-borcosts,andanycostsofmaterialsusedinpro-ducingormanufacturingacompany’sproducts.\begin{aligned}&\text{Gross profit}=\text{Net sales}-COGS\\&\textbf{where:}\\&\text{Net sales}=\text{Equivalent to revenue, or the total amount}\\&\quad\qquad\quad\text{\ \ \ \ \ of money generated from sales for the period.}\\&\qquad\qquad\text{\ \ \ \ \ It can also be called net sales because it can}\\&\qquad\qquad\text{\ \ \ \ \ include discounts and deductions from return-}\\&\qquad\qquad\text{\ \ \ \ \ ed merchandise. Revenue is typically called}\\&\qquad\qquad\text{\ \ \ \ \ the top line because it sits on top of the in-}\\&\qquad\qquad\text{\ \ \ \ \ come statement. Costs are subtracted from}\\&\qquad\qquad\text{\ \ \ \ \ revenue to calculate net income or the bottom}\\&\qquad\qquad\text{\ \ \ \ \ line.}\\&COGS=\text{Cost of goods sold. The direct costs associated}\\&\qquad\qquad\text{\ \ with producing goods. Includes both direct la-}\\&\qquad\qquad\text{\ \ bor costs, and any costs of materials used in pro-} \\&\qquad\qquad\text{\ \ ducing or manufacturing a company's products.}\end{aligned}Grossprofit=NetsalesCOGSwhere:Netsales=Equivalenttorevenue,orthetotalamountofmoneygeneratedfromsalesfortheperiod.Itcanalsobecallednetsalesbecauseitcanincludediscountsanddeductionsfromreturn-edmerchandise.Revenueistypicallycalledthetoplinebecauseitsitsontopofthein-comestatement.Costsaresubtractedfromrevenuetocalculatenetincomeorthebottomline.COGS=Costofgoodssold.Thedirectcostsassociatedwithproducinggoods.Includesbothdirectla-borcosts,andanycostsofmaterialsusedinpro-ducingormanufacturingacompany’sproducts.

Gross profit measures how wella company generates profit from its labor and direct materials. Some of the costs include:

  • Direct materials
  • Direct labor
  • Equipment costs involved in production
  • Utilities for the production facility
  • Shipping costs
  • Example of Gross Profit

    As a historical example, let's consider Apple's September 30, 2017 gross profit reported from their consolidated10-K statementthe following:

    • Net sales or (total sales or revenue) = $229 billion
    • Cost of goods sold(cost of sales) =$141billion
    • Gross profit =$88 billion (or $229B- $141B).

    We can see that Apple recorded atotalgross profit, aftersubtracting revenue fromCOGSof$88 billion for 2017 as listed on their income statement labeled asgross margin. Please note, thegross margin figure of $88 billionis an absolute dollar amount and should not be confused with gross profit margin, which is displayed asa percentage andwhich we'll addressin the next section.

    How Do Gross Profit and Gross Margin Differ? (1)

    Gross Profit Margin

    Gross profit margin shows the percentage of revenue that exceeds a company'scosts of goods sold. It illustrates how wella companyisgenerating revenue from the costs involved in producing their products andservices. The higher the margin, the more effective the company'smanagement is ingenerating revenue for each dollar of cost.

    Gross profit margin is calculated by subtractingthecost of goods soldfromtotal revenuefor the periodand dividing thatnumber by revenue.

    GrossProfitMargin=RevenueCostofGoodsSoldRevenue\text{Gross Profit Margin}=\frac{\text{Revenue}-\text{Cost of Goods Sold}}{\text{Revenue}}GrossProfitMargin=RevenueRevenueCostofGoodsSold

    Example of Gross Profit Margin

    In the earlier example, Apple Inc.(AAPL), reported total sales or revenueof $229 billion and COGS of $141billion as shown from their consolidated10-K statementabove. The gross margin dollar total was $88 billion.

    Gross profit margin for Apple in 2017:

    $229(revenue)$141(COGS)$229=38%\frac{\$229 \text{ (revenue)}-\$141 \text{ (COGS})}{\$229}=\textbf{38\%}$229$229(revenue)$141(COGS)=38%

    Apple earned 38 cents in gross profit whencompared to their costs of goods sold.If a company's ratio is rising, it means the company is selling its inventory for a higher profit.

    The Bottom Line

    Gross profit and gross profitmargin both provide goodindications of a company's profitability based on theirsales and costs of goods sold. However, the ratios are not a thorough measure of profitability since theydon't include operating expenses, interest, and taxes.

    Analysts and investors typically use multiple financial ratiosto gauge how a company is performing.It's best to compare the ratios to companies within the same industry and over multiple periods to get a sense of anytrends.

How Do Gross Profit and Gross Margin Differ? (2024)

FAQs

How Do Gross Profit and Gross Margin Differ? ›

Gross profit is the monetary value that results from subtracting cost-of-goods-sold from net sales. Gross margin is the gross profit expressed as a percentage. It divides the gross profit by net sales and multiplies the result by 100.

How does gross margin differ from gross profit? ›

Gross profit is the money left over after a company's costs are deducted from its sales. Gross margin is a company's gross profit divided by its sales and represents the amount earned in profit per dollar of sales. Gross profit is stated as a number, while gross margin is stated as a percentage.

What is a difference between the profit margin and the gross profit rate quizlet? ›

The gross profit rate is computed by dividing net sales by gross profit and the profit margin is computed by dividing net sales by net income. The gross profit rate will normally be higher than the profit margin ratio.

What is the difference between profit and profit margin? ›

Profit Margin Measures a Company's Profitability

Unlike profit, which gets measured in dollars and cents, profit margin gets measured as a percentage. To measure profit margin, use the company's net income divided by the total sales generated.

What is the difference between profit and gross profit? ›

Net profit reflects the amount of money you are left with after having paid all your allowable business expenses, while gross profit is the amount of money you are left with after deducting the cost of goods sold from revenue. You need to calculate gross profit to arrive at net profit.

What is the difference between gross profit margin and gross profit mark up? ›

Key Takeaways. Profit margin and markup are separate accounting terms that use the same inputs and analyze the same transaction, yet they show different information. Profit margin refers to the revenue a company makes after paying the cost of goods sold (COGS). Markup is the retail price for a product minus its cost.

How do you compare gross profit margin and net profit margin? ›

Gross profit margin is the gross profit divided by total revenue, multiplied by 100, to generate a percentage of income retained as profit after accounting for the cost of goods. Net profit margin or net margin is the percentage of net income generated from a company's revenue.

What is the difference between profit rate and margin? ›

While profit rate is a look at how profitable a company is based on the investment needed to start it, the profit margin ratio looks at how efficiently a business manages its expenses when producing net income – in other words, how much net income each dollar of sales actually generates.

Why the gross profit margin is always higher than the net profit margin? ›

It's because the gross profit margin is equal to the cost of goods sold subtracted from revenue, then divided by revenue. While the net profit margin is determined by subtracting revenue from the cost of goods sold, operating expenses, and other expenses divided by revenue.

What is the gross profit margin equal to? ›

How do you calculate gross profit margin? The gross profit margin is calculated by subtracting direct expenses or cost of goods sold (COGS) from net sales (gross revenues minus returns, allowances and discounts). That number is divided by net revenues, then multiplied by 100% to calculate the gross profit margin ratio.

What is the difference between profit and marginal profit? ›

Let's look at a few of them: Marginal profit: Marginal profit is the amount earned by producing and selling one more unit of production. Average profit: Average profit is the average amount earned per unit of production. Total profit: Total profit is the total amount earned from selling everything produced.

What is meant by gross margin? ›

What Is Gross Margin? Gross margin is the percentage of a company's revenue that's retained after direct expenses such as labor and materials have been subtracted. It's an important profitability measure that looks at a company's gross profit as compared to its revenue.

What is the main difference between the profit margin and operating profit margin? ›

Gross profit margin and operating profit margin are two metrics used to measure a company's profitability. Gross profit margin includes the direct costs involved in production, while operating profit margin accounts for operating expenses like overhead.

Is it gross profit or gross profit margin? ›

Gross profit describes a company's top line earnings; that is, its revenues less the direct costs of goods sold. The gross profit margin then takes that figure and divides it by revenue to get a handle on how much gross profit is generated on a percentage basis after taking costs into account.

Can you make 100% margin? ›

Margins can never be more than 100 percent, but markups can be 200 percent, 500 percent, or 10,000 percent, depending on the price and the total cost of the offer.

What is the difference between gross sales and profit? ›

For example, if a company charges $300 for a TV and sells 1000 TVs, its sales revenue is $300,000. On the other hand, gross profit is the income that a company makes from its sales after the cost of the goods and operating expenses have been subtracted.

What is considered a good gross margin? ›

But for other businesses, like financial institutions, legal firms or other service industry companies, a gross profit margin of 50% might be considered low. Law firms, banks, technology businesses and other service industry companies typically report gross profit margins in the high-90% range.

Are gross profit and contribution margin the same thing? ›

The contribution margin is different from the gross profit margin, the difference between sales revenue and the cost of goods sold. While contribution margins only count the variable costs, the gross profit margin includes all of the costs that a company incurs in order to make sales.

Does gross margin include fixed costs? ›

Expense Considerations: Gross margin encompasses all costs of goods sold, whether fixed or variable. Fixed overhead is only included in the gross margin, not the contribution margin.

How to calculate margin? ›

Calculation: revenue - cost = gross profit ÷ revenue x 100 = margin. For example, if your revenue on a given project is currently $54,000 and your costs are $46,000 your exact margin will be 14.8%. Example calculation: 54,000 - 46,000 = 8,000 ÷ 54,000 x 100 = 14.8%.

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