Bar Pour Cost Calculator
Pour cost as a percentage of the ex-GST selling price — pours per bottle, cost per pour, gross profit per drink and the price a target pour cost implies.
Pours per bottle is the bottle size ÷ the pour size; cost per pour is the bottle cost ÷ that.
How the bar pour cost calculator works
Pours per bottle is the bottle size ÷ the pour size; cost per pour is the bottle cost ÷ that. Pour cost % is the cost per pour over the selling price ex-GST (÷ 1.1) — benchmarks are about 15–20% for spirits, 25–30% for wine and 20–25% for beer. The suggested price is the cost per pour ÷ the target pour cost, with GST added back.
Formula: Pour cost % = (Bottle cost ÷ pours) ÷ (Price ÷ 1.1) × 100
How pour cost is worked out
Four small sums
Pour cost falls out of four steps. First, pours per bottle = bottle size ÷ pour size — a 700 ml spirit bottle poured in 30 ml nips gives about 23 pours. Second, cost per pour = bottle cost ÷ pours — a $35 bottle over 23 nips is about $1.50 a pour. Third, pour cost % = cost per pour ÷ ex-GST selling price — that $1.50 nip sold at $10 ($9.09 ex-GST) is a 16.5% pour cost. And to work backwards to a price, suggested price = cost per pour ÷ target pour cost % — at a $1.50 cost and an 18% target, you'd charge $1.50 ÷ 0.18 ≈ $8.33. The gap between the selling price and the cost per pour is your gross profit per drink.
Australian pour standards
The defaults follow common Australian bar practice: a standard nip is 30 ml, a spirit bottle is 700 ml (so ≈23 nips), and a standard wine pour is 150 ml from a 750 ml bottle (5 glasses). Some venues pour 15 ml or 60 ml, and larger 1 litre spirit bottles give about 33 nips — change the pour and bottle fields to match exactly what you do.
Worked example. A $35 spirit bottle poured in 30 ml nips gives about 23 nips at roughly $1.50 each. Sell that nip at $10 ($9.09 ex-GST) and the pour cost is $1.50 ÷ $9.09 = 16.5%, leaving $7.59 ex-GST gross profit per drink. Pour cost is a wholesale-cost measure, not a profit figure — wages, rent and wastage still come out of that margin.
Pour cost benchmarksWhat is a good pour cost by drink type
There's no single "right" pour cost — it varies by category, venue and how a drink sells. As a rough guide to where most Australian bars aim:
- Spirits — ~15–20%. The most forgiving category: a small measure of a moderately priced bottle sold at a solid pour price. Over-pouring is the fastest way to blow it out.
- Beer — ~20–25%. Tap and packaged beer runs a little richer, and keg wastage (foam, line cleaning, the first pour) eats into the yield.
- Wine by the glass — ~25–30%. Wine carries the highest pour cost of the three: five 150 ml glasses per bottle, and the opened bottle has a short shelf life if it doesn't sell.
- Cocktails — often 20–25%+. Several ingredients, garnishes and more labour push these higher again, which is why signature cocktails are usually priced to a bigger absolute margin.
Use the target field to set the benchmark for your drink, then read the suggested price. If a category is running well above these bands, it's usually over-pouring, discounting or wastage — not your menu price — that's doing the damage.
Pricing & cost controlPricing to a target and keeping pour cost there
Price to a target pour cost
Menu pricing is just pour cost in reverse. Decide the pour cost you want for the category, then price = cost per pour ÷ target %. A $2.00 cost per pour at a 20% target wants a $10 price; the same pour at a 25% target only needs $8. Set the target to the benchmark, read the floor price the calculator gives you, then let the local market set the ceiling — you can always charge more than the minimum on a drink that sells well.
Why pour cost drifts
Free-pouring instead of measuring is the main way pour cost drifts. A 30 ml nip poured by eye is often 35–45 ml — a 20–50% over-pour that lands straight on your cost. Add spillage, comps, staff drinks, breakages and the odd un-rung sale, and a drink you costed at 15% can quietly be running at 22%. A jigger or controlled pourer on every drink, plus a regular stocktake comparing theoretical to actual usage, is the single most effective fix.
Cost per pour, not per bottle
Always cost the pour, not the bottle. Two bottles at the same price can have very different pour costs if one is poured at 30 ml and the other at 45 ml, or if one is a 700 ml spirit and the other a 1 litre. Enter the real pour and bottle sizes for each drink so the percentage reflects what actually goes in the glass.
Frequently asked Frequently asked questions
Where these figures come from
Pour cost is a standard hospitality cost-of-goods measure, not a regulated figure. The formulas here are the mainstream bar-management method; the pour standards and benchmark ranges are typical Australian conventions you can replace with your own venue's numbers.
- Pour cost formula — pour cost % = cost per pour ÷ selling price, where cost per pour = bottle cost ÷ (bottle size ÷ pour size).
- Suggested price — cost per pour ÷ target pour cost %.
- Australian pour standards — standard nip 30 ml, spirit bottle 700 ml (≈23 nips), standard wine pour 150 ml from a 750 ml bottle (5 glasses).
- Benchmark ranges — spirits ~15–20%, beer ~20–25%, wine by the glass ~25–30%, cocktails higher again; typical industry targets, not fixed rules.
- Further guidance — business.gov.au — Australian government business guidance.
Last checked: July 2026. This is a pricing and cost-control estimate, not financial advice. Costs are ex-GST wholesale figures; actual yields fall short of the theoretical pours because of spillage and over-pouring, so measure every pour and stocktake regularly.
Understanding your resultSelect the question that matches where you are right now.
The headline number is the pour cost percentage for this drink — the wholesale cost of one pour as a share of what you charge for it. The breakdown shows pours per bottle, the cost per pour, the gross profit per drink and the price you'd need to hit your target pour cost.
What to do with itCompare the pour cost to the benchmark for that drink type. If it's above the band, either lift the price to the suggested figure or tighten the pour — a smaller measure or a controlled pourer brings the percentage straight back down.
What it is notIt's not your profit. Pour cost only counts the wholesale liquor — wages, rent, GST, wastage and card fees all come out of the gross margin on top. A 15% pour cost does not mean an 85% profit.
Cost the pour, not the bottleTwo bottles at the same price can have very different pour costs if the measures differ. Enter the real pour and bottle sizes so the percentage reflects what actually goes in the glass.
Four things move pour cost the most: the wholesale bottle cost, the pour size, the bottle size and the price you charge.
Pour & bottle sizeThese set how many pours you get. A 30 ml nip from a 700 ml bottle is ≈23 pours; drop to 15 ml and you double it, halving the cost per pour and the pour cost.
Cost vs pricePour cost is cost per pour ÷ price, so raising the price or buying the bottle cheaper both pull the percentage down. It's the ratio that matters, not either figure alone.
Drink type & wastageSpirits, beer and wine sit in different benchmark bands, and real yield always falls short of the theoretical pours because of spillage, foam and over-pouring — so the actual pour cost runs a little above the calculated one.
A few habits keep the pour cost you calculate close to the one you actually run.
Measure every pourUse a jigger or controlled pourer — free-pouring a 30 ml nip often lands at 35–45 ml, a 20–50% over-pour straight onto your cost. This is the single biggest lever.
Stocktake regularlyCompare theoretical usage to actual. A gap between the two is wastage, un-rung sales or over-pouring — find it before it becomes a habit.
Price to a targetSet the target pour cost per category and use the suggested price as your floor. Revisit it whenever a supplier price rises so margins don't quietly erode.
Pour cost is one line in the venue's numbers. Model the wider margin, GST and running costs of the business.
Margin on the menuTurn cost and price into a gross margin across the whole list.
Profit margin calculator → GST on the tillAdd or back out the 10% GST on your prices.
GST calculator → Covering fixed costsSee how many drinks cover rent, wages and overheads.
Break-even calculator → Related calculators 📈Profit MarginMargin on the menu 🧾GST CalculatorAdd or back out GST ⚖️Break-EvenCover your fixed costs 🚀Business StartupCost to open 🏦Business LoanFit-out finance 💼Business ValuationWhat the venue is worth You might also be interested in 📈Profit MarginGross margin 🧾GST Calculator10% GST ⚖️Break-EvenCover fixed costs 🚀Business StartupCost to open 📊Budget SurplusTrading budget 💼Business ValuationValue the venue Rate this calculatorQuick answers
What is pour cost? Cost per pour ÷ price
Pour cost is a drink's liquor cost divided by its selling price, as a percentage — the bar equivalent of food cost. A $35 spirit bottle poured in 30 ml nips gives about 23 pours, so each pour costs about $1.50; sold at $10 that's a 15% pour cost. The lower the pour cost, the more profit per drink. It's the number bar owners watch to catch over-pouring, theft and under-pricing across the drinks list.
| Formula | cost ÷ price |
|---|---|
| Cost per pour | $1.50 |
| At $10 | 15% pour cost |
- Lower % More profit
- Catches Over-pour + theft
Spirit pour cost and pours per bottle 700 ml ÷ 30 ml ≈ 23 pours
A standard Australian spirit nip is 30 ml and a bottle is 700 ml, so you get about 23 full pours from a bottle. A $35 house-spirit bottle then costs about $1.50 a nip; at a $10 sell price that's a 15% pour cost — right at the low end of the 15–20% spirits benchmark, which is why spirits are a bar's highest-margin category. Free-pouring an extra 5–10 ml per drink quietly wipes out several pours per bottle.
| Pours/bottle | ~23 |
|---|---|
| Cost per nip | $1.50 |
| Pour cost @ $10 | 15% |
- Benchmark 15–20%
- Free-pouring Kills margin
Wine pour cost by the glass 750 ml ÷ 150 ml = 5 glasses
A 750 ml bottle at a 150 ml restaurant pour yields 5 glasses. A $12 wholesale bottle then costs about $2.40 a glass; sold at $9 that's a 26.7% pour cost — inside the typical 25–30% wine benchmark. Wine carries a higher pour cost than spirits, so the markup looks smaller, but the dollar profit per glass is still healthy. Larger 175 ml pours cut you to about 4 glasses a bottle and push the pour cost up.
| Glasses/bottle | 5 (at 150 ml) |
|---|---|
| Cost per glass | $2.40 |
| Pour cost @ $9 | 26.7% |
- Benchmark 25–30%
- Bigger pours Fewer glasses
Beer pour cost ~20–25% target
Beer runs a higher pour cost than spirits — around 20–25%. A bottle or can costing about $2 wholesale and sold for $9 is a 22% pour cost. Draught (keg) beer is usually cheaper per pour but adds line-cleaning, wastage and the first frothy pours to the equation. Beer is a volume game: the margin percentage is thinner than spirits, so bars rely on turnover and on spirits and cocktails to lift the blended margin.
| Benchmark | 20–25% |
|---|---|
| $2 cost / $9 sell | 22% |
| Keg | Cheaper + wastage |
- Thin margin Volume game
- Lifted by Spirits + cocktails
Pricing a drink to a target Cost per pour ÷ target %
To price a drink, divide its cost per pour by your target pour cost percentage. A spirit costing $1.50 a pour at an 18% target should sell for 1.50 ÷ 0.18 = $8.33; at a tighter 15% target it's $10.00. This works backwards from the margin you want instead of guessing. Setting different targets by category — lower for spirits, higher for wine and beer — is how a bar builds a drinks list that hits a healthy blended pour cost.
| At 18% target | $8.33 |
|---|---|
| At 15% target | $10.00 |
| Formula | cost ÷ target |
- Price from Target margin
- Vary target By category
Why pour cost drifts Free-pouring & wastage
The gap between theoretical and actual pour cost is where profit leaks. The big culprits are free-pouring instead of using a 30 ml measure (an extra 10 ml per drink is a third more liquor gone), spillage and over-topping, comps and staff drinks, and plain theft. Jiggers or measured pourers, regular stocktakes comparing what sold to what poured, and clear pour standards are how good bars keep actual pour cost close to the target on paper.
| Biggest leak | Free-pouring |
|---|---|
| Fix | Jigger / measure |
| Check | Stocktake vs sales |
- +10 ml/drink ~⅓ more liquor
- Standards Protect margin
Worked examples
| Inputs | Pour cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 30 ml pours from a 700 ml bottle costing 35, sold at 10 a pour | 16.5% | about 16.5% pour cost |
FAQFrequently asked questions
What is pour cost?
Pour cost is the wholesale cost of a drink expressed as a percentage of its selling price. You work out the cost of a single pour — bottle cost divided by the number of pours in the bottle — then divide that by what you charge. A $35 spirit bottle poured in 30 ml nips gives about 23 pours, so each pour costs about $1.50; sold at $10 ($9.09 ex-GST) that's a pour cost of 16.5%. The lower the pour cost, the higher your gross margin on the drink.
How many drinks do you get from a bottle of spirits?
Divide the bottle size by your pour size. A standard Australian spirit bottle is 700 ml and a standard nip is 30 ml, so 700 ÷ 30 ≈ 23 nips per bottle. Larger 1 litre bottles give about 33 nips, and a 15 ml pour doubles those figures. Because most bars lose a little to spillage and over-pouring, the real yield is usually a pour or two short of the theoretical number — which is exactly where pour cost quietly drifts up.
What is a good pour cost percentage?
It depends on the drink. Spirits are typically run at about 15–20%, beer at about 20–25%, and wine by the glass at about 25–30%. Cocktails with several ingredients sit higher again. There's no single right number — a busy venue might accept a higher pour cost on a signature drink that sells in volume — but if a category drifts well above these ranges it's usually a sign of over-pouring, discounting or wastage rather than a pricing decision.
How do I price a drink at my bar?
Start from the cost per pour and your target pour cost. Suggested price = cost per pour ÷ target pour cost %. If a nip costs you $1.50 and you want a 15% pour cost, the ex-GST price is 1.50 ÷ 0.15 = $10 — about $11 on the menu once GST goes back on. Set the target to the benchmark for that drink type, then sanity-check the result against what the venue next door charges — the calculator gives you the floor, the market sets the ceiling.
Why is my pour cost higher than expected?
The usual culprit is free-pouring instead of measuring. A 30 ml nip poured by eye is often 35–45 ml, and that 20–50% over-pour lands straight on your pour cost. Spillage, comps, staff drinks, broken bottles and un-rung sales all push it up too. Measuring every pour with a jigger or a controlled pourer, and stocktaking regularly, is the single most effective way to bring a drifting pour cost back to target. Sources
The sources behind this calculator
- Corporate Finance Institute — EBITDA — why EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure with no single definition
- US SEC — Non-GAAP Financial Measures, Compliance & Disclosure Interpretations — the disclosure rules that exist precisely because EBITDA is not standardised
- Australian Securities and Investments Commission — the Australian corporate regulator
Last checked: September 2026. These are standard management-accounting definitions; where a term has no single agreed definition, the page says so.