Gross profit

In accounting, gross profit, gross margin, sales profit, or credit sales is the difference between revenue and the cost of making a product or providing a service, before deducting overheads, payroll, taxation, and interest payments. This is different from operating profit (earnings before interest and taxes). Gross margin is the term normally used in the U.S., while gross profit is the more common usage in the UK and Australia.

The various deductions (and their corresponding metrics) leading from net sales to net income are as follows:

Net sales = gross sales – (customer discounts + returns + allowances) Gross profit = net sales – cost of goods sold Gross profit percentage = [(net sales – cost of goods sold)/net sales] × 100%. Operating profit = gross profit – total operating expenses Net income (or net profit) = operating profit – taxes – interest

(Note: Cost of goods sold is calculated differently for a merchandising business than for a manufacturer.)