Calculating your loss percentage is straightforward once you know the Loss Percentage formula and what each input means. This guide explains the method in plain language, walks through a manual calculation, and gives worked examples you can follow — then you can do it instantly with the Loss Percentage Calculator.
What is Loss Percentage?
The Loss Percentage calculation tells you your loss percentage from a few simple inputs. The figure you are solving for here is the loss percentage, expressed in percent.
The Loss Percentage formula
The core formula is:
Loss percentage = (Cost price - Selling price) ÷ Cost price × 100Here is what each input means:
- Cost price — a money amount. Example: ₹1,000.
- Selling price — a money amount. Example: ₹800.
How to calculate it step by step
- Write down the cost price (for example, ₹1,000).
- Write down the selling price (for example, ₹800).
- Apply the formula above to get your loss percentage.
- Double-check the result with the Loss Percentage Calculator.
Worked examples
Example 1
| Input / Output | Value |
|---|---|
| Cost price | ₹1,000 |
| Selling price | ₹800 |
| Loss percentage | 20.00% |
| Loss amount | ₹200.00 |
With cost price of ₹1,000 and selling price of ₹800, the loss percentage works out to 20.00%.
Example 2
With cost price of ₹2,000 and selling price of ₹800, the loss percentage works out to 60.00%.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Loss percentage | 60.00% |
| Loss amount | ₹1,200.00 |
Example 3
With cost price of ₹500 and selling price of ₹800, the loss percentage works out to -60.00%.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Loss percentage | -60.00% |
| Loss amount | -₹300.00 |
Tips for an accurate result
- Keep your units consistent — mixing, say, months with years or grams with kilograms is the most common source of error.
- Round only at the very end. Rounding inputs early can shift the final answer noticeably.
- Re-run the numbers whenever an input changes, rather than estimating from an old result.
- Annual rates must be converted to the period you are calculating for (for example, divide an annual rate by 12 for a monthly figure).
Prefer not to do the maths by hand? — the Loss Percentage Calculator does it instantly, for free, with the formula and a worked example built in.
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