Vegan Pantry Math · Chapter 11

Cost per Pack

Price per gram, times the grams you use, divided by the packs. Then add the pouch, the label and your time.

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Opens on the book's Smoky Tofu Jerky. Switch to the chips or the rub, or type your own packs and prices.

Ingredients: pack price, pack size, and what this batch uses (a liquid sold by volume needs its g per mL)

Per batch, and per pack

Your time

Enter the ingredients and press Calculate.

The formula

  • Price per kg = pack price ÷ pack size in kg (1 lb = 0.4536 kg; a liquid: fl oz × 29.57 mL × its g per mL)
  • Cost of an ingredient = grams used ÷ 1000 × price per kg
  • Per pack = (ingredients + per-batch extras) ÷ packs + each piece (pouch, absorber, jar, label)
  • Your time per pack = minutes ÷ 60 × your rate ÷ packs. Cost to make = materials + time
The book's worked example, Chapter 11. The Stall Batch's jerky: tofu 29.90, the marinade 6.62, power 1.80, and 0.26 a pack for pouch, absorber and label: 42.22 a run, 2.81 a pack. Chips: 16.20 a run, 1.35 a pack. The rub: 2.23 a jar, half of it the 1.15 jar. With 20 an hour for your time: 6.15, 4.13 and 3.07 to make.
Check it. Multiply back: cost per pack × packs, minus the pieces, gives the batch's ingredients and extras. The widest slice of the stack is where saving pays.

Honest limits. The marinade left in the bowl is a real cost: the tamari in it was paid for. Kit (the dehydrator, scale, sealer) belongs in fixed costs: see the break-even calculator. The hourly rate is yours to choose; the book's example is 20. Prices are illustrative US prices from October 2026, shown without a currency sign; put in your own. Everything stays in your browser: no sign-up, nothing stored.

These calculators go with Vegan Pantry Math (Craft & Studio, Book 3), where every number on this page is worked by hand.