The break-even point is the level of sales at which a business generates enough revenue to cover all of its costs, resulting in neither a profit nor a loss. At this point, a business is “breaking even.”
For example, if a company’s fixed costs are $50,000 and the variable costs associated with producing a product are $10 per unit, the break-even point can be calculated as follows:
Break-even point = Fixed costs ÷ (Selling price per unit – Variable cost per unit)
If the selling price per unit is $20, the break-even point can be calculated as:
Break-even point = $50,000 ÷ ($20 – $10) = 5,000 units.
This means that the company needs to sell 5,000 units of the product in order to cover all of its costs and break even. If the company sells more than 5,000 units, it will start to make a profit, while selling fewer than 5,000 units will result in a loss.
The break-even point is an important concept for businesses to understand as it helps them to determine the minimum amount of sales needed to cover their costs and make a profit.
