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
Total drink cost
$1.46
Cost per single shot
$0.365
Espresso cost for this drink
$0.73
Gross margin per drink
$3.79
Margin percent
72.2%
Shots per pound of beans
23
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter dose per shot (g).
- 2Enter shots per drink.
- 3Enter grind/purge waste per shot (g).
- 4Enter roasted bean cost per lb ($).
- 5Enter milk & syrup cost per drink ($).
- 6Enter cup, lid, sleeve cost ($).
- 7Enter menu price ($).
- 8Read your total drink cost on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Baristas price drinks off gut feel and lose margin on every double shot. This calculator takes your green or roasted bean cost per pound, the dose you actually pull, and grind waste, then converts it into a hard cost per shot. It also folds in portafilter purge waste, which most cost sheets ignore even though it can run 1-2 grams per pull on a busy bar. Use it to check whether a $4.50 latte with a double shot and 8oz of milk is actually profitable once you account for cups, lids, and labor seconds, not just the bean line. Roasters change price twice a year and baristas drift their dose up over months without anyone re-costing the menu, so this is meant to be rerun quarterly with your actual invoice price, not the price you paid two years ago.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Dose per shot: 18 g
- Shots per drink: 2
- Grind/purge waste per shot: 1.5 g
- Roasted bean cost per lb: 8.5 $
- Milk & syrup cost per drink: 0.45 $
- Cup, lid, sleeve cost: 0.28 $
- Menu price: 5.25 $
Results
- Total drink cost: $1.46
- Cost per single shot: $0.365
- Espresso cost for this drink: $0.73
- Gross margin per drink: $3.79
- Margin percent: 72.2%
- Shots per pound of beans: 23
What each field means
Inputs
- Dose per shot (g)
- The dose per shot used in the calculation, measured in g. Starts at 18 g so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 5–30 g.
- Shots per drink
- The shots per drink used in the calculation. Starts at 2 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–4.
- Grind/purge waste per shot (g)
- The grind/purge waste per shot used in the calculation, measured in g. Starts at 1.5 g so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–5 g.
- Roasted bean cost per lb ($)
- The roasted bean cost per lb used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 8.5 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Milk & syrup cost per drink ($)
- The milk & syrup cost per drink used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0.45 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Cup, lid, sleeve cost ($)
- The cup, lid, sleeve cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0.28 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Menu price ($)
- The menu price used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 5.25 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Total drink cost
- 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.
- Cost per single shot
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Espresso cost for this drink
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Gross margin per drink
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Margin percent
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Shots per pound of beans
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What dose should I use for a single vs double shot?
Most modern espresso standards run 18-20g in for a double (36-40g out) and 8-10g for a single. Older-style single-basket bars sometimes still pull 7g singles. Use whatever your actual recipe card says, since dose creep from 16g to 20g over a year quietly adds real cost per drink without anyone noticing on the P&L.
Why include waste grams separately from dose?
Dose is what ends up in the cup; waste is what gets knocked out during dosing, distributing, and purging the group head before and after the shot. On a busy bar with frequent purges this can add 5-10% to real bean consumption versus the recipe dose alone, which is why cost-per-pound math based on dose alone always underestimates actual usage.
How often should I recalculate this?
Every time your roaster changes price, which is typically twice a year as green coffee futures move, and any time you change your dose or grind recipe. A lot of shops set menu prices once and never revisit them even as bean cost rises 15-20% year over year.
What's a healthy margin percent for espresso drinks?
Coffee shops typically target 75-85% gross margin on espresso-based drinks before labor and occupancy, since the beverage itself is cheap relative to price. If you're under 70% margin on a latte, check your dose, milk waste, and cup cost before raising prices.
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.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Cost Per Espresso Shot Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/espresso-shot-cost
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/espresso-shot-cost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cost Per Espresso Shot Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Cost Per Espresso Shot Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/espresso-shot-cost) (2026).