AI Skill
Finance & Purchasing
Cannabis Batch COGS Calculator
Find out what a batch really costs per finished unit, line by line.
This is a starting template. Change the questions, thresholds and output to fit how you work. AI can make mistakes, so check the output before you act on it. Report an issue
The problem it solves
You price a vape or edible SKU off a guess because nobody knows the true cost per unit.
Upload a batch's bill of materials, labor, overhead and lab fees, and the skill returns the cost per batch and per finished unit. It also shows what yield shortfalls cost you and which inputs move unit cost the most.
A bundled Python calculator does the math, so the numbers come out the same every run. If a rate is missing, it won't fill it in quietly. Every assumed value is listed for you to confirm.
What you'll need
Have these ready before you start.
- Bill of materials with quantities and input costs (flower, biomass, distillate, terpenes, hardware, packaging, labels)
- Expected and actual units produced
- Labor hours and hourly rate
- Overhead method or rate
- Lab testing cost per batch
- An AI assistant that can run Python, such as Claude
What the AI does
- Adds up every input, labor, overhead and testing cost
- Calculates cost per batch and cost per finished unit
- Prices the units you lost to yield variance
- Runs a sensitivity table on your top three cost drivers
- Lists every assumption it made so you can confirm it
What you get
A cost summary plus line-by-line and sensitivity tables. In a sample vape cartridge run (14 labor hours at $24, overhead at $35 per labor hour, a $425 lab fee, 500 units expected and 492 produced), it returned $9.51 per cart and $4,680.75 per batch. Distillate was 46% of cost, the 8 missing units added $0.15 per cart, and every 10% move in distillate price shifted unit cost by about $0.44.
This is operational COGS. 280E treatment and inventory capitalization still need your CPA.
In Distru, BOMs, assemblies and input costs already live in one place, so cost per unit updates as you produce instead of after someone rebuilds the spreadsheet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s answer the most commonly asked questions about Cannabis Software.
How do I calculate COGS for a cannabis batch?
Upload the bill of materials with quantities and input costs, expected and actual units, labor hours and rate, your overhead rate and testing cost. The skill adds up every input, labor, overhead and lab fee, then returns cost per batch and cost per finished unit.
Does the COGS calculator handle 280E?
No. It calculates operational COGS. 280E tax treatment and inventory capitalization need a CPA.
What if I'm missing a cost or rate?
It won't fill it in quietly. Every assumed value is listed for you to confirm before you use the number for pricing.
Why did my cost per unit go up?
The report shows what yield shortfalls cost you and a sensitivity table on your top three cost drivers. In a sample vape cart run, 8 missing units added $0.15 per cart, and each 10% move in distillate price shifted unit cost by about $0.44.
