{
  "slug": "hair-extension-markup-calculator",
  "title": "Hair Extension Markup Calculator",
  "heading": "Hair Extension Markup Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/hair-extension-markup-calculator",
  "summary": "Price extension hair and installation labor separately for true margin.",
  "description": "Hair extensions combine a high-cost physical product (the hair itself) with a labor-intensive installation service, and blending them into one price often hides whether you're actually making money on the hair markup, the labor, or neither. This calculator separates wholesale hair cost, your markup on the hair, and installation labor priced by time, then shows total client price, margin on the hair product alone, and margin on labor alone. Extension hair typically carries a 100-150% markup over wholesale cost to account for damaged/returned bundles, storage, and consultation time, while installation labor should be priced using the same target-hourly method used for other chemical or long-format services.",
  "formula": "Hair price = wholesale cost × (1 + markup%). Labor price = install hours × hourly rate. Total price = hair price + labor price. Margins computed separately for each component.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=hair-extension-markup-calculator",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "wholesaleCost",
      "label": "Wholesale hair cost (per set)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 220,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "hairMarkupPct",
      "label": "Markup on hair",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 120,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 300
    },
    {
      "id": "installHours",
      "label": "Installation time",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2.5,
      "unit": "hrs",
      "min": 0.25,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "installHourlyRate",
      "label": "Installation labor rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 85,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "totalPrice",
      "label": "Total client price",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "hairPrice",
      "label": "Hair product price",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "hairMargin",
      "label": "Margin on hair product",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "hairMarginPct",
      "label": "Hair margin %",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "laborPrice",
      "label": "Installation labor price",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Wholesale hair cost (per set): 220 $",
      "Markup on hair: 120 %",
      "Installation time: 2.5 hrs",
      "Installation labor rate: 85 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total client price: $697",
      "Hair product price: $484",
      "Margin on hair product: $264",
      "Hair margin %: 54.5%",
      "Installation labor price: $213"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter wholesale hair cost (per set) ($).",
      "Enter markup on hair (%).",
      "Enter installation time (hrs).",
      "Enter installation labor rate ($).",
      "Read your total client price on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "wholesaleCost": 130,
        "hairMarkupPct": 70,
        "installHours": 1.5,
        "installHourlyRate": 50
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "wholesaleCost": 220,
        "hairMarkupPct": 120,
        "installHours": 2.5,
        "installHourlyRate": 85
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "wholesaleCost": 350,
        "hairMarkupPct": 190,
        "installHours": 4,
        "installHourlyRate": 135
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What markup should I use on extension hair?",
      "a": "100-150% over wholesale is standard in the industry, which nets a 50-60% margin on the hair itself. This covers the risk of client dissatisfaction with color match or texture, storage, and the consultation and sourcing time that goes into finding the right hair before install day."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should I ever sell hair without installing it myself?",
      "a": "Only if you're comfortable losing the labor revenue and any control over how it's installed, which affects your reputation if it's installed poorly. Most extension specialists don't sell standalone hair for this reason, treating hair and install as a bundled service even when priced separately on the invoice."
    },
    {
      "q": "How do I price maintenance/move-up appointments?",
      "a": "Price move-ups (reinstalling existing hair as it grows out) as pure labor using your installation hourly rate, since there's no new hair cost. A typical move-up takes 60-75% of the original install time depending on method (tape-in, weft, keratin bond)."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/salon-service-pricing-target-hourly",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/hair-color-cost-per-service",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/retail-attachment-rate"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Hair Extension Markup Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/hair-extension-markup-calculator)"
}