Contribution Margin
A cost accounting concept that allows a company to determine the profitability of individual products.
It is calculated as follows:
Product Revenue - Product Variable Costs
Product Revenue
The phrase "contribution margin" can also refer to a per unit measure of a product's gross operating margin, calculated simply as the product's price minus its total variable costs. Investopedia Says:
Consider a situation in which a business manager determines that a particular product has a 35% contribution margin, which is below that of other products in the company's product line. This figure can then be used to determine whether variable costs for that product can be reduced, or if the price of the end product could be increased.
If these options are unattractive, the manager may decide to drop the unprofitable product in order to produce an alternate product with a higher contribution margin. Related Terms:
Accounting
Capacity Utilization Rate
Fixed Cost
Income Statement
Margin
Margin Pressure
Operating Margin
Revenue
Unit Sales
Variable Cost |