How do you calculate quote margin?

Subtract fully loaded cost from quoted price to get absolute margin, then divide by your reference basis. With a price of 125 and cost of 100, absolute margin is 25 and the margin is 25% against a 100 basis.

What is a good quote margin for coil manufacturing?

It varies by shop and volume, but custom wound-magnetics work often targets 25-40% gross margin to cover engineering and low-volume overhead. The 25% in this example is a common floor for standard builds.

Margin vs markup — which does this calculate?

It depends on your reference value. Enter cost (100) as the basis and 25 ÷ 100 is a 25% markup; enter price as the basis and the same 25 dollars is a 20% margin on price. Choose the basis that matches how you quote.

Why does the reference value matter so much?

Because it's the denominator. The same 25-dollar margin is 25% on a 100 cost basis but 20% on a 125 price basis — using the wrong basis can make a job look better or worse than it is.

What happens if cost exceeds price?

Absolute margin goes negative and so does the percent, meaning the quote loses money. That's the signal to reprice, re-source copper, or walk away from the job.

Should copper price volatility change my target margin?

Yes — when copper and insulation prices swing, many shops widen the margin floor or add a material escalator so a quote priced today still clears cost at build time.

Transformers, Coils & Magnetics Manufacturing calculator

Quote Margin Calculator

Quote Margin is the profit a transformer or magnetics shop keeps on a coil job after subtracting fully loaded cost from the quoted price. Estimators and sales engineers use it to make sure a quote clears the shop's margin floor before it goes out the door. It matters because wound magnetics carry volatile copper and insulation costs — a quote that looked healthy at bid time can go thin fast, and margin percent is the fastest read on whether a job is worth taking. This calculator gives both the dollar margin and the percentage against a reference basis so you can compare jobs of different sizes.

What this calculator does

Quote Margin is the profit a transformer or magnetics shop keeps on a coil job after subtracting fully loaded cost from the quoted price.
Use it when quote margin in transformers, coils and magnetics manufacturing needs a clean margin number for a transformers, coils and magnetics manufacturing go / no-go review.
It computes absolute margin as quoted price minus loaded cost, then expresses that margin as a percent of the reference basis you choose.

Formula used

Quote Margin margin = available value - required value
Margin percent = margin ÷ reference value

Inputs explained

Quoted price per coil:
Fully loaded cost per coil:
Price basis for margin percent:

How to use the result

Use it while building or reviewing a quote, comparing margin across coil jobs, or checking a proposed price against a margin floor.
The margin percent depends entirely on which basis you enter — margin on price and margin (markup) on cost give different percentages, so be deliberate about the reference value.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for copper and brass mill shapes stands at 559.593 (BLS, May 2026), up 76.8% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move. Global copper trades at $13,484 per tonne (IMF via FRED, May 2026).
The U.S. has 5,397 electrical equipment and appliances establishments employing about 369,437 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate quote margin? Subtract fully loaded cost from quoted price to get absolute margin, then divide by your reference basis. With a price of 125 and cost of 100, absolute margin is 25 and the margin is 25% against a 100 basis.
What is a good quote margin for coil manufacturing? It varies by shop and volume, but custom wound-magnetics work often targets 25-40% gross margin to cover engineering and low-volume overhead. The 25% in this example is a common floor for standard builds.
Margin vs markup — which does this calculate? It depends on your reference value. Enter cost (100) as the basis and 25 ÷ 100 is a 25% markup; enter price as the basis and the same 25 dollars is a 20% margin on price. Choose the basis that matches how you quote.
Why does the reference value matter so much? Because it's the denominator. The same 25-dollar margin is 25% on a 100 cost basis but 20% on a 125 price basis — using the wrong basis can make a job look better or worse than it is.
What happens if cost exceeds price? Absolute margin goes negative and so does the percent, meaning the quote loses money. That's the signal to reprice, re-source copper, or walk away from the job.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.