Investing in a laundromat can be a lucrative venture, but understanding the unit economics is essential for success. Unlike other retail businesses, laundromat profit is driven heavily by "Turns Per Day" (TPD) and "Utility Ratios."
Key Metrics for Laundromat Owners
Turns Per Day (TPD): This is the average number of times each machine is used daily. A healthy industry average is between 3 to 5 turns.
Utility Ratio: In a well-run facility, utilities (water, gas, electricity) should ideally consume 20% to 25% of your gross revenue.
Dryer Revenue: Typically, dryer revenue accounts for about 25% to 35% of total wash revenue. For this calculator, we estimate dryer revenue as 30% of your wash totals.
Formula Used
To find your profit, we use the following steps:
Wash Revenue: Number of Washers × Avg. Price × TPD × 30.42 days.
Dry Revenue: Estimated at 30% of the Wash Revenue.
If your profit margins are lower than 20%, consider the following optimizations:
Upgrade to High-Extract Washers: High-speed extract washers remove more water, reducing the gas consumption needed for dryers and increasing customer turnover.
Monitor Utility Leakage: A single leaking toilet or a faulty water valve on a commercial washer can cost hundreds of dollars per month in unnecessary utility expenses.
Add Ancillary Services: Wash-dry-fold services, vending machines, and soap sales are high-margin additions that maximize the revenue per square foot of your lease.
function calculateLaundromatProfit() {
// Inputs
var washers = parseFloat(document.getElementById('washersCount').value) || 0;
var price = parseFloat(document.getElementById('washPrice').value) || 0;
var tpd = parseFloat(document.getElementById('tpd').value) || 0;
var vending = parseFloat(document.getElementById('vendingRev').value) || 0;
var rent = parseFloat(document.getElementById('rent').value) || 0;
var util = parseFloat(document.getElementById('utilities').value) || 0;
var payroll = parseFloat(document.getElementById('payroll').value) || 0;
var maintenance = parseFloat(document.getElementById('maintenance').value) || 0;
// Monthly Logic (30.42 average days in a month)
var daysInMonth = 30.42;
var monthlyWashRevenue = washers * price * tpd * daysInMonth;
// Dryer revenue is typically ~30% of washer revenue in a standard mix
var monthlyDryRevenue = monthlyWashRevenue * 0.30;
var grossRevenue = monthlyWashRevenue + monthlyDryRevenue + vending;
var totalExpenses = rent + util + payroll + maintenance;
var netProfit = grossRevenue – totalExpenses;
var profitMargin = (grossRevenue > 0) ? (netProfit / grossRevenue) * 100 : 0;
// Display Results
document.getElementById('results-area').style.display = 'block';
document.getElementById('grossRev').innerText = '$' + grossRevenue.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('totalExp').innerText = '$' + totalExpenses.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('netProfit').innerText = '$' + netProfit.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('marginPercent').innerText = 'Profit Margin: ' + profitMargin.toFixed(2) + '%';
// Auto-scroll to results for mobile
if(window.innerWidth < 600) {
document.getElementById('results-area').scrollIntoView({behavior: 'smooth'});
}
}