Calculators · Business, energy & compliance
Cycle COGS Calculator.
Cycle Cost-of-Goods-Sold Calculator
Per-cycle COGS and per-pound costs across inputs, energy, labor, water, and overhead. Reality-check your operation's economics.
Industry benchmarks
| Operation | Typical $/lb dried | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cannabis indoor (commercial, efficient) | $200-400 | Tight ops with high-PPE LEDs, scaled labor |
| Cannabis indoor (commercial, average) | $400-700 | Most US legal-market growers |
| Cannabis indoor (small / hobby) | $500-1500 | Low yield + full input cost |
| Cannabis greenhouse (commercial) | $100-300 | Solar reduces energy substantially |
| Cannabis outdoor (commercial) | $50-200 | Lowest energy; highest pest pressure |
| Lettuce indoor commercial (per head) | $0.40-1.20 | Fast cycles; low per-unit cost |
| Tomato greenhouse commercial (per lb) | $0.50-1.50 | Continuous harvest spreads cost |
| Microgreens (per 10×20 tray) | $2-6 | Including substrate, seed, labor |
| Mushrooms commercial (per lb fresh) | $2-5 | Substrate + spawn + labor |
Cost line items, in usual order
- Energy: typically 30-50% of indoor COGS; dominates everything else
- Labor: 15-30% in commercial; less in fully-automated; higher in hand-trim cannabis
- Genetics: clones $5-25 each; high if buying every cycle
- Nutrients: 5-10% of COGS
- Substrate: 5-15%; lower with reused / living soil
- Equipment depreciation: 5-15%; LED lifetime amortized over many cycles
- Facility / rent: varies 0-50%; biggest variance across operations
- Water: usually under 2%; can be more in dry-climate / RO setups
- IPM: under 5%; spikes during outbreak
- Misc consumables: under 5%; the "stuff" category
Strategies to reduce per-pound cost
- Higher PPE lighting: same DLI, less wattage, less heat → lower energy + HVAC
- Higher EER HVAC: modern mini-split EER 16 vs old central AC EER 10 saves substantially
- Increase yield per cycle: fixed costs spread over more pounds
- Cycle staggering: continuous harvest = constant labor utilization
- Living soil multi-cycle: substrate + nutrients amortize across many cycles
- Off-peak electricity: TOU shifting saves 15-30% in TOU markets
- Solar / battery: for greenhouse and indoor where rate makes ROI work
- Vertical / SCROG: more canopy per ft² in same room
- Higher CO₂ (sealed indoor): unlocks higher DLI usefulness; higher yield per kWh
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