Lemonade Stand Calculator: Profit, Break-Even, and Pricing

Your details

Cost of lemons for one batch of lemonade, e.g. $3 for a bag of 6-8 lemons.
USD
Cost of sugar for one batch, roughly $0.50 for 1 cup of sugar.
USD
Cost of disposable cups and napkins for one batch.
USD
Cost of ice per batch. A small bag of ice typically runs $1-2.
USD
Any extras like mint, fruit slices, or flavoring syrup.
USD
How many cups of lemonade one batch of ingredients makes. A standard pitcher yields about 16-24 cups.
cups
Daily overhead not tied to each cup: table, permit amortization, signage, transportation. Use $0 if none apply.
USD
Expected number of cups sold in a typical operating day. Peak summer stands sell 60-100+ cups on busy days.
cups
How many days per week you plan to operate, used for weekly and monthly projections.
days
What you charge customers per cup. Most stands charge $0.75-$2.50; $1.00-$1.50 is typical for a neighborhood stand.
USD
Gross profit marginStrong margin
0.8%

Contribution per cup as a percentage of selling price

Ingredient cost per cup0.275USD
Contribution per cup1.225USD
Break-even cups per day4.1cups
Daily revenue60USD
Daily ingredient cost11USD
Daily total cost16USD
Daily net profit44USD
Weekly profit220USD
Monthly profit952.6USD
Revenue60
Total cost16
Net profit44

Profitable at 81.7% gross margin

  • You need to sell 4 cups per day just to cover your fixed costs. Every cup after that is net profit.
  • Your contribution margin is $1.23 per cup (81.7% of the selling price).
  • At 40 cups per day you earn $44.00 net profit per day.
  • Lemonade stands typically earn 50-70% gross margin. If you are below 40%, consider raising your price by $0.25 or sourcing cheaper ingredients.

Next stepYour margin looks solid. To grow earnings, focus on selling more cups per day or opening an additional day each week.

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