Pour Cost Calculator
Calculate the pour cost of your beverages to ensure profitable pricing for your bar or cafe.
Fill in the fields above and click Calculate to see your results.
How to use
Enter your beverage inventory value at the start and end of the period, purchases in between, and total beverage sales for the same period. The calculator returns pour cost: the share of every drink sale that goes to the product itself.
Calculate it weekly for bars and at least monthly for cafes, and track each category separately if you can — beer, spirits, wine, and coffee have very different target ranges. A rising pour cost with stable sales almost always means over-pouring, unrecorded comps, spillage, or theft; tightening jiggers, standard recipes, and pour spouts typically pulls it back within weeks.
How it's calculated
Pour Cost %
Examples
Craft beer bar, one month
- Purchases:20,000,000
- Ending Inventory:8,000,000
- Total Beverage Sales:80,000,000
- Starting Inventory:10,000,000
Result
- Pour Cost %:27.5
22M₫ of beverages consumed against 80M₫ of sales gives a 27.5% pour cost — above the 18–24% healthy band, though bottled-beer-heavy menus naturally run high. Check for unrecorded comps first, then review pricing on the best sellers.
Cocktail bar, one month
- Purchases:30,000,000
- Ending Inventory:12,000,000
- Total Beverage Sales:150,000,000
- Starting Inventory:15,000,000
Result
- Pour Cost %:22
33M₫ consumed against 150M₫ of sales is a 22% pour cost — inside the healthy range, though tight for a cocktail-led menu where 16–20% is achievable. Enforcing jiggers on the top five sellers is usually the fastest path down.
Industry Benchmarks
| Metric | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Blended pour cost of 18–24% is standard. By category: spirits 16–20%, draft beer 20–25%, bottled beer 24–28%, wine 26–32%, coffee 15–20%. | 18–24 % |
Data source: Bar & beverage industry standards (US/VN operator benchmarks)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pour cost?
What is a good pour cost for each beverage category?
Why is my pour cost suddenly rising?
How can I lower pour cost without raising prices?
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