01Loaded cost
Direct cost + overhead + contingency
Use a fixed overhead amount or a percent of direct cost. Contingency uses direct cost.
Free bid calculator
Construction markup vs. margin calculator
Build a bid from cost plus markup, solve for a target margin, or check the margin already hiding in your price. Overhead and contingency stay visible at every step.
FreeNo signupResults in secondsRuns in your browser
Bid math
Updates as you type
Direct cost breakdown
$48,000.00
These four lines sum to direct construction cost before overhead.
Overhead
12.0%
Office, insurance, trucks, supervision, and indirect costs.
5.0%
A project-specific allowance for uncertainty, not profit.
20.0%
Profit as a share of the final bid. Capped below 100%.
Free. No signup. Your numbers stay in this browser.
Calculated bid $70,200.00. Loaded cost $56,160.00. Gross profit $14,040.00. Markup 25.0%. Margin 20.0%.
Calculated bid
$70,200.00
Cost covered
Loaded cost
$56,160.00
Gross profit
$14,040.00
Markup
25.0%
Margin
20.0%
Bid build-up
Scale by largest lineDirect cost$48,000.00
Overhead allowance$5,760.00
Contingency allowance$2,400.00
Profit above loaded cost$14,040.00
Formula receipt
$56,160.00 ÷ (1 − 20.0%) = $70,200.00
20.0% margin requires 25.0% markup.
The formulas
Three lines of math. No hidden assumptions.
The calculator keeps job cost, overhead, contingency, and profit separate so you can see exactly what the customer price is carrying.
02Bid from markup
Loaded cost × (1 + markup)
Markup measures profit against the loaded cost basis.
03Bid from margin
Loaded cost ÷ (1 − target margin)
Margin measures profit against the final bid price.
Markup is not margin
The same percentage can price two different bids
Markup starts with cost. Margin starts with selling price. Mixing them up can leave a bid below the profit target even when every cost line is right.
Starting point20% markup20% margin
Loaded cost$10,000.00$10,000.00
Bid total$12,000.00$12,500.00
Gross profit$2,000.00$2,500.00
Achieved margin16.67%20.00%
Questions
Straight answers about bid math
Next bid
Put the same discipline on every line item
Portravo turns a plan set into a reviewable takeoff, then prices confirmed quantities with the source and date beside each number.