RevenueLab.fyi
Revenue Rex logo mark
💰 Financial · Rex's Toolbox

Lab Fee Margin Calculator

True margin on crowns, dentures, and other outsourced lab cases.

Revenue Rex peeking

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

Net margin per case

$1,135.00

Margin as % of fee

81.1%

Margin per chair-hour

$756.67

Remake reserve applied

$15.00

Revenue Rex peeking

Psst — share this and help Rex grow

One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.

More financial

How to use this

  1. 1Enter patient fee for procedure ($).
  2. 2Enter lab invoice cost ($).
  3. 3Enter historical remake/redo rate (%).
  4. 4Enter chair time for procedure (hours).
  5. 5Read your net margin per case on the right — it updates as you type.
  6. 6Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.

About this calculator

Restorative and prosthetic procedures that rely on an outside lab look profitable on the fee schedule until the lab invoice, chair time, and remake risk are factored in. This calculator takes the patient fee for a lab-dependent procedure, subtracts the lab bill and a remake reserve, and divides the remaining margin by chair time to show true profitability per hour, which is often lower than a simple exam or hygiene visit despite the higher sticker price.

FormulaNet margin = fee − lab cost − (remake rate × lab cost); margin per hour = net margin ÷ chair hours used.

Worked example

Using the values the calculator loads with:

Inputs

  • Patient fee for procedure: 1400 $
  • Lab invoice cost: 250 $
  • Historical remake/redo rate: 6 %
  • Chair time for procedure: 1.5 hours

Results

  • Net margin per case: $1,135.00
  • Margin as % of fee: 81.1%
  • Margin per chair-hour: $756.67
  • Remake reserve applied: $15.00

What each field means

Inputs

Patient fee for procedure ($)
The patient fee for procedure used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1400 $ so you have a working example on load.
Lab invoice cost ($)
The lab invoice cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 250 $ so you have a working example on load.
Historical remake/redo rate (%)
The historical remake/redo rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 6 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–50 %.
Chair time for procedure (hours)
The chair time for procedure used in the calculation, measured in hours. Starts at 1.5 hours so you have a working example on load.

Results

Net margin per case
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.
Margin as % of fee
Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Margin per chair-hour
Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Remake reserve applied
Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.

FAQ

Why include a remake reserve if the lab redoes bad cases for free?

Even when the lab covers a remake at no additional cost, you lose the chair time and staff labor for a second appointment. Building a remake rate into the margin calculation gives a more honest picture of expected profitability across a batch of similar cases rather than the best-case single outcome.

How do in-house milling systems change this math?

Same-day CAD/CAM crowns replace a lab invoice with equipment amortization and material cost, which is usually lower per unit once the system is paid off, but chair time often increases for the design and mill cycle. Run both scenarios through this calculator with your actual per-unit material cost to compare.

What margin per hour should restorative work target?

Most practices aim for restorative and prosthetic procedures to match or exceed their general hygiene chair's per-hour rate, typically $200-$350/hour net. If a lab case nets meaningfully less than that, either the fee needs adjusting or the lab relationship needs renegotiating.

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

Dental Chair Hourly Production Calculator

Revenue generated per chair-hour after adjustments and lab costs.

Insurance Write-Off Adjustment Calculator

See the true collection rate after dental/vet insurance contractual adjustments.

Surgery Block Profitability Calculator

Revenue, direct cost, and margin for a scheduled surgical block.

Cite this calculator

Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.

APA
RevenueLab. (2026). Dental/Vet Lab Fee Margin Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/lab-fee-margin
HTML
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/lab-fee-margin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dental/Vet Lab Fee Margin Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Markdown
Source: [Dental/Vet Lab Fee Margin Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/lab-fee-margin) (2026).
Advertisement