Tool · free

Prep cost calculator

Enter prep minutes, hourly wage and portions produced. See batch and per-portion prep cost instantly.

Prep inputs

Prep time

min

Hourly wage

$

Portions produced

Portion cost = ((min / 60) x hourly wage) / portions.

Ingredient cost shows in the recipe; prep labor is often missed. On sauce-heavy items, portion profit can look better than it is.

This tool only prices labor prep; ingredients stay in the food cost calculator.

Batch cost = (minutes / 60) x hourly wage. Portion cost = batch cost / portions.

Portion cost is the labor share to consider in the menu price. Long time and few portions means simplify prep or revisit price.

This tool is for information only.

Does hourly wage include employer burden?

Use fully loaded cost if you want; plain wage also works. Stay consistent.

What if more than one person preps?

Enter total minutes (for example 2 people x 45 min = 90) or adjust wage for the team.

Where are ingredients?

Not here. Combine with the food cost calculator.

Can I email myself the result?

Yes. Use Email me the result with your name, email and phone and we will send the summary. Our team may also contact you if helpful.

See prep and sales impact together. Try it free.