Break-even ROAS

Break-even ROAS is the revenue-to-ad-spend ratio at which contribution profit exactly covers advertising costs.

By Berend Vrakking, founder of Product Metrics. Updated 15 October 2026.

Formula

Break-even ROAS = 1 ÷ contribution margin rate before ads

Use a decimal margin: 25% becomes 0.25. Include variable order costs such as payment fees, shipping subsidies and expected returns, and use revenue excluding VAT consistently.

Example

A product with a 25% contribution margin
Item	Value
Net revenue	€100.00
Product and variable costs	€75.00
Available for advertising	€25.00
Break-even ROAS (€100.00 ÷ €25.00)	4

At ROAS 4, the €25.00 contribution covers €25.00 of advertising. No contribution remains for overheads or profit. Illustrative data.

Put it into practice

Calculate it: Break-even ROAS calculatorApply the definition to your products.
Read the guide: Break-even ROAS per productWork through the concept in more detail.

For one product, and for an account

Each product has its own threshold because costs and returns differ. An account ROAS above the blended threshold can still contain products below their own break-even. Recalculate when prices or variable costs change.

Common mistake

Using gross margin while leaving out order costs understates the required ROAS. A zero or negative contribution margin has no finite positive break-even ROAS.

Questions

Does break-even ROAS include profit?

Break-even ROAS leaves no contribution after advertising: it only covers the costs in your margin calculation plus advertising, so a campaign at break-even makes no profit. To leave room for overheads or profit, set your target above it, using the share of revenue you want to keep after advertising.

Is break-even ROAS the same for every product?

Break-even ROAS differs per product because it is 1 divided by its contribution margin rate, so it changes with each product’s costs. A product with a 50% margin breaks even at 2, and one with a 25% margin breaks even at 4, even when both sit in the same campaign and share one account target.

Sources

OpenStax: Contribution margin and contribution margin ratio

Keep reading

POASAt break-even ROAS, POAS equals 1.
Contribution marginThe margin that determines the advertising allowance.