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Manufacturing · Documentation

How to Do Product Costing in Catalystk

Know your real product cost before you quote. Catalystk's product costing software builds a cost estimate from the bill of materials (BOM), adds labour and machine costs, and applies your markup % to give the selling price and profit margin automatically. Create it from a new costing or with one click from a BOM, download the cost estimate sheet as PDF or print it on your letterhead, and convert the costing into a quotation in one click. Free manufacturing cost calculation – no software to download.

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  • BOM cost
  • Labour & machine
  • Markup & margin
  • PDF cost sheet
  • Free
A cost estimate sheet: total cost, 50% markup, sell price and margin.

A cost estimate sheet: total cost, 50% markup, sell price and margin.

Before you start: create the bill of materials for the product. You can also create a costing straight from a BOM with Generate → Costing.

Step 1 · Open the form

Open Costing and click New Costing

Every cost estimate starts from the Costing list.

  1. 1

    Go to Manufacture → Costing

    In the left menu, open Manufacture and click Costing.

  2. 2

    Click New Costing

    Click New Costing. The costing number is created when you save.

Manufacture → Costing, then New Costing (highlighted in red).

Manufacture → Costing, then New Costing (highlighted in red).

Step 2 · Details

Add the costing details, markup % and BOM

The markup decides your selling price.

  1. 3

    Fill in the cost estimate details

    Enter the Costing Name, Valid From / To, the Markup % and the Currency. Link a deal with Deal Link if the costing is for one.

  2. 4

    Add the BOM

    Under Bill of Materials, add the BOM and quantity. Catalystk works out the material cost.

Cost Estimate Details – Markup % and currency (highlighted in red).

Cost Estimate Details – Markup % and currency (highlighted in red).

Step 3 · Labour & machine

Add labour, machine and other costs

Add every cost on top of materials.

  1. 5

    Add the cost lines

    Under Cost Components, click + Add Cost and enter the Cost Name (for example Labour or Machine), Hours/Qty and Rate.

  2. 6

    Check price and margin, then save

    Catalystk shows the Total Cost, the Sell Price (cost + markup) and the Margin. Click Save, then PDF, Print or Letter Head to share the cost estimate.

Cost Components – hours, rate and amount; then total cost, sell price and margin.

Cost Components – hours, rate and amount; then total cost, sell price and margin.

Step 4 · Quote

Convert the costing into a quotation

Send the customer a quotation at your calculated selling price.

  1. 7

    Click Quotation

    In the costing header, under Generate, click Quotation.

  2. 8

    Click Create Quotation

    Confirm with Create Quotation. A quotation is created straight away, with the BOMs at the marked-up selling price, for the costing's customer.

Generate → Quotation, then Create Quotation.

Generate → Quotation, then Create Quotation.

Example

Worked product costing example

How Catalystk turns cost into a selling price, using the cost estimate at the top of this page.

Product costing example: cost, markup, selling price and margin
LineAmount (₹)
Material cost (from BOM)12,092
Labour (10 hours × 100)1,000
Machine (1 × 200)200
Total cost13,292
Markup 50% → sell price19,938
Margin33.33%

Markup is added to cost (cost × 1.5), while margin is profit as a share of the selling price – that is why 50% markup gives a 33.33% margin.

Tips

Tips for accurate product costing

  • Keep your BOM prices up to date – material cost is the biggest part of most costings.
  • Use Recost after changing the BOM or rates to refresh the totals.
  • Set Valid From and Valid To so old costings are not used for new quotes.
  • Link the costing to a deal so the quotation goes to the right customer.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is product costing?

Product costing works out the full cost of making a product – materials, labour, machine time and overheads – so you can set a profitable selling price.

How is the selling price calculated?

Sell price = total cost × (1 + markup % ÷ 100). With 50% markup, a cost of 13,292 gives a sell price of 19,938.

What is the difference between markup and margin?

Markup is profit as a percentage of cost; margin is profit as a percentage of the selling price. 50% markup equals a 33.33% margin.

Can I create a costing from a BOM?

Yes. Open the BOM and click Generate → Costing. The costing is created straight away.

Can I download the cost estimate as a PDF?

Yes. Click PDF to download the cost estimate, or Print or Letter Head to print it.

Can I turn a costing into a quotation?

Yes. Click Generate → Quotation and confirm. The quotation is created at the marked-up selling price.

Is the product costing software free?

Yes. Product costing is part of Catalystk's free plan – use it online, nothing to download.

What's next: plan the raw materials – MRP material planning.

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