Chocolate Pricing Calculator
To price chocolates, cost a whole batch of couverture and fillings, add the tempering and mould time that does not change with the count, then divide by the pieces the batch actually yields and apply your margin. The calculator below does it, and a box is simply the pieces in it plus the box.
How much should you charge for chocolates?
To price chocolates, cost a whole batch of couverture and fillings, add the tempering and mould time that does not change with the count, then divide by the pieces the batch actually yields and apply your margin. The calculator below does it, and a box is simply the pieces in it plus the box.
Chocolate Pricing Calculator: FAQs
How do I work out the cost of one chocolate?
Cost the batch, not the piece. Total the couverture and fillings, add tempering and mould time and your finishing time, then divide by the number of good pieces the batch yields. Dividing ingredient weight alone gives a figure that ignores most of the work.
How should I price a box of twelve?
Twelve times the cost per piece, plus the box, insert and ribbon, then your margin. The box is a per-unit cost of that product; the tempering that made the pieces is a batch cost already inside the per-piece figure.
Does a smaller batch really cost more per piece?
Substantially. Tempering takes roughly the same time for 40 pieces as for 400, so a small batch spreads that time across far fewer sales. Running larger batches is usually the single biggest lever on a chocolatier's margin.
How do I account for rejected shells?
Set the yield to the pieces you actually sell, not the pieces the mould holds. If one in ten shells is rejected, a 48-cavity mould yields about 43, and the cost per piece rises accordingly.
What margin should a chocolatier aim for?
Seventy percent or more is common on direct sales, lower on trade. Chocolate is labour-heavy relative to its ingredient cost, so a margin set on ingredients alone will not pay for the hours.