Free tools Batches
Calculate unit capacity first, as the smallest value of stock divided by per unit usage, then divide that capacity by the units your batch yields and round down. Rounding down matters because a part batch usually consumes a full mix, a full mould set or a full oven cycle.
Batches possible = ⌊capacity ÷ batch yield⌋; batches required = ⌈target ÷ batch yield⌉
A batch yields 10 cakes. Butter caps unit capacity at 12 cakes. An order asks for 25.
Result. Stock supports one batch today. The order needs three, so two batches worth of materials must arrive first.
Enter the batch recipe, batch yield and target quantity. The calculator reports full batches your stock supports and batches the target requires.
300 g per unit7500 g needed for 25enough in stock
120 g per unit3000 g needed for 25short 1500 g
4 pcs per unit100 pcs needed for 25short 40 pcs
80 g per unit2000 g needed for 25enough in stock
This runs entirely in your browser and nothing is saved. Makeable keeps the same calculation running against your live stock, so it re-answers itself every time an order arrives. Start free or read how to calculate production capacity.
Units are how you sell. Batches are how you produce. Equipment, mixing, curing and cleaning are all organised around batches, so a plan expressed in units hides the real workload.
Converting a target into batches immediately exposes the schedule: three batches at 90 minutes each will not fit into a two hour window, however plentiful the ingredients.
If your process allows a part batch, the leftover units between batch boundaries are usable capacity. If it does not, they are not, and treating them as available is a common source of missed dates.
Where surplus is unavoidable, plan its destination in advance: samples, seconds, or a market stall. Surplus with a plan is marketing, surplus without one is waste.
Makeable is production capacity and inventory planning software for small businesses that make physical goods from recipes or bills of materials. It stores your materials and recipes, keeps stock current as orders arrive, and runs the calculation on this page continuously rather than on request, so the answer to "can I make this?" is always current.
You can start on the free plan with three products and fifteen materials, see how the production engine works, or compare plans and limits.
Divide your unit capacity by the batch yield and round down. Unit capacity is the smallest of stock divided by per unit usage across every material in the recipe.
Convert the target into batches, multiply by the time per batch, and check that against available production hours. Materials and time both have to clear before the date is real.
Material cost per unit stays the same if yield is stable. Time and energy per unit usually fall as batch size grows, which is why larger batches feel cheaper even when ingredients do not change.
For information and estimates only. Makeable's formulas, batch limits and margin calculations are mathematical estimates based on your inputs. They are not certified accounting, financial, pricing or tax advice. You are solely responsible for setting your own wholesale and retail prices, ensuring profitability, and checking cost calculations before committing money.