Soap Making Business Planner Spreadsheet

About this template

This soap business planner answers the question every soap maker eventually asks: what does one bar really cost in materials? It links your batches to the oils, lye, fragrance and wrappers that went into them, then divides by the bars that came out of the mold, with the bookkeeping kept in the same workbook.

Please read: This is a tracker tool only, not financial, tax, legal, medical or any other professional advice or advisory service. It records and calculates what you enter; you are solely responsible for checking all figures, rates, dates and results and for every decision you make. By purchasing, downloading or using it, you accept these terms (your statutory consumer rights are not affected).

Batches and what went into them

Most soap templates keep the recipe and the order form apart, so the cost per bar still ends up on paper. Here the two are joined, and the sheet works as a soap cost calculator and batch tracker at once.

• 120 batches, each with its price, date and status
• 300 component lines, each tagged to a batch from a dropdown
• Five batch states, from Planned to Sold out
• Cost per batch summed from its components, then cost per bar calculated

In the worked example, a bar of oatmeal and honey comes to 0.69 in materials.

Margin per batch

Each batch is compared with the price you charge. The margin shows red under 40% and green over 60%, so a rise in the price of a fragrance oil appears as a color change before it reaches the bank account. An if it all sells figure, bars made times price less what they cost, is shown per batch and totaled, which makes the sheet a simple profit calculator for every recipe.

One honest note about cost

The cost here is materials only. It does not include your time, and the tab says so. A 90% materials margin is not a 90% business, so treat this number as a guide to which batches are worth making rather than your full profit.

The whole ledger behind it

• Income and Expenses: both registers for the business
• Inventory: soap inventory and stock on hand
• Monthly, Quarterly and Profit and Loss: the totals by period
• Balances and Dashboard: the overall picture
• Start Here and Setup: setup in a few minutes

Works with

• Microsoft Excel 2016, 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365, on Windows and Mac, and LibreOffice
• Google Sheets with a free Google account. The Google Sheets version is a real workbook you copy, not a PDF with a link in it.
• No dynamic arrays, no macros, no add-ins and no subscription

What you download

• Two Excel files: a worked example with eight real batches from planned to sold out, costed down to the wrapper, and a blank copy
• The instruction guide, which has one-click links to the Google Sheets versions
• The terms of use as a PDF

Your files are ready as soon as payment clears. The planner is for personal and business use on your own devices, so please do not share or resell the files. Questions? Reach us through our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Excel, or can I use Google Sheets?

Either. The download has Excel files for Excel 2016 or later on Windows and Mac, and the instruction guide has one-click links to copy the Google Sheets versions with a free Google account.

How does it calculate cost per bar?

Every component line is tagged to a batch. The sheet sums the components for each batch and divides by the number of bars made.

Does the cost include my time?

No. The cost is materials only, and the tab says so. Your time is not part of the figure.

Can I see where each batch stands?

Each batch has one of five states, running from Planned to Sold out, so you can see where every batch stands.

Is there bookkeeping as well?

Yes. There are income and expense registers, inventory, monthly and quarterly totals, a profit and loss and a dashboard.