Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Breakeven sale price
$203.00
Total cost per head
$1,725.50
Purchase cost
$1,347.50
Cost of gain, total
$285.00
Total yardage cost
$67.50
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How to use this
- 1Enter purchase weight (lb).
- 2Enter purchase price ($/cwt).
- 3Enter finished/sale weight (lb).
- 4Enter cost of gain ($/lb).
- 5Enter yardage ($/head/day).
- 6Enter days on feed.
- 7Enter death loss (%).
- 8Read your breakeven sale price on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Backgrounders and feeders live or die on the gap between breakeven and the actual sale price, and that breakeven number shifts every time feed costs or death loss assumptions move. This calculator takes purchase weight and price, projected finished weight, days on feed, cost of gain, and yardage or interest costs to compute the total cost per head and the breakeven price per hundredweight needed at sale to cover it all. Run it before buying a set of calves to know exactly what sale price you need, and rerun it as corn and feeder prices move through the feeding period since the breakeven isn't static once you own the cattle.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Purchase weight: 550 lb
- Purchase price: 245 $/cwt
- Finished/sale weight: 850 lb
- Cost of gain: 0.95 $/lb
- Yardage: 0.45 $/head/day
- Days on feed: 150
- Death loss: 1.5 %
Results
- Breakeven sale price: $203.00
- Total cost per head: $1,725.50
- Purchase cost: $1,347.50
- Cost of gain, total: $285.00
- Total yardage cost: $67.50
What each field means
Inputs
- Purchase weight (lb)
- The purchase weight used in the calculation, measured in lb. Starts at 550 lb so you have a working example on load.
- Purchase price ($/cwt)
- The purchase price used in the calculation, measured in $/cwt. Starts at 245 $/cwt so you have a working example on load.
- Finished/sale weight (lb)
- The finished/sale weight used in the calculation, measured in lb. Starts at 850 lb so you have a working example on load.
- Cost of gain ($/lb)
- The cost of gain used in the calculation, measured in $/lb. Starts at 0.95 $/lb so you have a working example on load.
- Yardage ($/head/day)
- The yardage used in the calculation, measured in $/head/day. Starts at 0.45 $/head/day so you have a working example on load.
- Days on feed
- The days on feed used in the calculation. Starts at 150 so you have a working example on load.
- Death loss (%)
- The death loss used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 1.5 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–10 %.
Results
- Breakeven sale price
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total cost per head
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Purchase cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Cost of gain, total
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total yardage cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What's included in cost of gain?
Feed is the majority, but a proper cost-of-gain number should also include a share of health/vet costs, implants, and bunk management labor. Backgrounders in cheap-corn years might see $0.70-0.85/lb, while high-corn years or high-concentrate finishing diets can push it to $1.00-1.20/lb.
Why include death loss as a percentage of total cost rather than per head?
Spreading death loss risk across the whole cost basis reflects that the animals that die still consumed feed and yardage before they were lost, and the survivors have to cover that sunk cost. A flat 1.5-2% add-on is a reasonable industry approximation for a typical backgrounding lot.
How often should I recheck breakeven during the feeding period?
At minimum monthly, since corn and feeder cattle futures move enough to shift cost of gain meaningfully within a feeding period. Many feedlots recalculate weekly and use it to time hedging decisions on the finished cattle.
Does interest on the cattle investment matter?
Yes, and this simplified version leaves it out explicitly beyond yardage — if you're financing the purchase, add opportunity or loan interest on the purchase cost across the feeding days, which typically adds another $8-20 per head depending on rates and days on feed.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Feedlot Cost of Gain Calculator
Dollar cost per pound of gain from ration cost and feed conversion.
Calf Weaning Weight Value Calculator
Adjusted 205-day weaning weight and sale value for a calf crop.
Beef Cutout Value Calculator
Estimated wholesale value of a beef carcass from primal cut yields and prices.
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Cattle Breakeven Price Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cattle-breakeven-price
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cattle-breakeven-price" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cattle Breakeven Price Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Cattle Breakeven Price Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cattle-breakeven-price) (2026).