Laundromat Machine Revenue per Turn, Utility Cost & Profit Sizer
Laundromat profitability lives and dies by turns per day (TPD) — how many times each machine cycles daily. This calculator converts your machine count, vend price, and utility costs into gross revenue, expenses, and true net cash flow, then benchmarks your TPD against industry standards.
Your laundromat nets $8,459/month (68.5% margin), placing it in the "Healthy (4-5 TPD)" tier.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Monthly turns | 2,745 |
| Gross revenue | $12,353 |
| Utility expense | $3,294 |
| Maintenance reserve | $600 |
| Net monthly profit | $8,459 |
| Net margin | 68.5% |
| Annualized net profit | $101,502 |
Formula & step-by-step maths
- TurnsPerDay
- Average cycles per machine per day
- VendPrice
- Price charged per wash cycle
- Maintenance
- Monthly reserve for repairs/replacement
What turns per day really measures
TPD is the average number of complete wash cycles a machine runs per day. It captures both foot traffic and pricing — a machine can be busy but underpriced, or expensive but under-utilized, and TPD combined with vend price tells the real revenue story.
Why utility cost per cycle varies so much
Water and energy cost per cycle depends heavily on machine size, local utility rates, and whether the location uses gas or electric water heating. Large 60lb front-loaders use significantly more water per cycle than 20lb machines, even though they charge a higher vend price.
The role of the maintenance reserve
Coin-op and card-op machines require regular bearing, belt, and electronic repairs. Experienced operators reserve 5-10% of gross revenue monthly for maintenance and eventual machine replacement rather than treating repairs as a surprise expense.
Reading the TPD benchmark tiers
Under 3 TPD signals a location or pricing problem; 4-5 TPD is considered a healthy, sustainable laundromat; above 6 TPD indicates a high-traffic location that may be able to support a vend price increase without losing volume.
TPD benchmark reference by location type
| Location type | Typical TPD | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rural / low-density | 2-3 | Often struggling without added services |
| Suburban standard | 3.5-5 | Healthy, stable cash flow |
| Urban apartment-dense | 5-7 | High cash-flow potential |
| College town | 4-6 | Seasonal swings around semesters |
| 24-hr unattended | 3-4.5 | Lower labor cost offsets lower TPD |
| Full-service wash-dry-fold | 5-8 | Boosted by drop-off service volume |
People also ask
What is a good vend price for a 40lb washer?
Most markets price 40lb washers between $4.00-$6.00 per cycle depending on local utility costs, competition, and whether the location offers card/app payment convenience.
How is TPD measured accurately?
Divide total monthly cycles run (from the machine's meter or payment system report) by the number of days in the month and by the machine count to get an accurate average TPD.
Does machine size affect TPD?
Yes — larger capacity machines (60lb+) often run fewer daily cycles than 20lb machines because customers use them for bulkier, less frequent loads like comforters.
What's included in the maintenance reserve?
Bearing replacement, belt repair, coin mechanism servicing, card reader upkeep, and a sinking fund toward eventual machine replacement every 8-12 years.
How much water does a typical commercial washer use per cycle?
A 20lb washer uses roughly 15-25 gallons per cycle, while 60lb machines can use 40-60 gallons, directly driving the water cost per cycle input.
Is 30.5 days per month accurate for this calculation?
Yes, 30.5 is the average days per month across a year (365.25/12), giving a more accurate monthly projection than assuming exactly 30 days.
Can I use this for a dryer-only revenue estimate?
Yes, simply enter your dryer count, dryer vend price, and dryer energy cost per cycle in place of washer figures.
What net margin is considered strong for a laundromat?
Established, well-run laundromats often net 20-35% margin after utilities and maintenance, though newer or highly leveraged locations may run lower.
How do I raise TPD without lowering vend price?
Adding card/app payment, extending hours, improving cleanliness, and adding wash-dry-fold drop-off service are common ways to raise TPD without a price cut.
Should rent and loan payments be included in net profit here?
This calculator focuses on machine-level operating profit; subtract your rent, loan payments, and labor separately for a full business-level net income figure.
Three worked examples
Same engine, three different starting points — useful if you want to see how sensitive the answer is before you type your own numbers in.
Example 1: machine count 15.6 machines
On the lower / more conservative end. Your laundromat nets $6,466/month (67.1% margin), placing it in the "Healthy (4-5 TPD)" tier.
Example 2: machine count 20 machines
A typical middle-of-the-road setup. Your laundromat nets $8,459/month (68.5% margin), placing it in the "Healthy (4-5 TPD)" tier.
Example 3: machine count 26 machines
On the higher / more demanding end. Your laundromat nets $11,176/month (69.6% margin), placing it in the "Healthy (4-5 TPD)" tier.
Quick answers about the Laundromat Revenue Per Turn
What exactly does the Laundromat Revenue Per Turn work out?
Laundromat profitability lives and dies by turns per day (TPD) — how many times each machine cycles daily. You enter machine count, vend price per cycle, average turns per day (TPD) and water cost per cycle (plus 2 more optional details) and the result panel updates straight away, so you can compare two or three versions of the same question in a few seconds.
What do I need before I start?
Only 6 fields: machine count, vend price per cycle, average turns per day (TPD), water cost per cycle, gas/electric cost per cycle and monthly maintenance reserve. Nothing else is needed and nothing is stored.
What turns per day really measures?
TPD is the average number of complete wash cycles a machine runs per day. The same maths runs inside this page, so hand-checking the result on paper gives you the identical figure.
Why do two calculators give me different answers for laundromat Revenue Per Turn?
Water and energy cost per cycle depends heavily on machine size, local utility rates, and whether the location uses gas or electric water heating. Different sites pick different assumptions, so always check which method a calculator states before you trust the gap between two numbers.
What does the "TPD benchmark reference by location type" table on this page tell me?
It is the reference range this tool works against — 6 rows from "Rural / low-density" (2-3) up to "Full-service wash-dry-fold" (5-8). Use it to sanity-check whether the number you just calculated sits where you expected it to.
Do I have to press a button or reload the page to see the result?
No. Laundromat Revenue Per Turn runs completely inside your browser, so the moment you change a value the cards recalculate — there is no submit step, no page reload and no waiting for a server round trip. That also means it keeps working on a weak or intermittent mobile connection.
Is it free, and do you keep what I type?
It is free with no sign-up, no app install and no usage limit. Nothing you enter into Laundromat Revenue Per Turn leaves your device — the calculation is JavaScript running locally, so there is no upload of your figures to DrHint or anyone else.
Can I use it on a phone?
Yes — the layout stacks to a single column on small screens and the number fields open the numeric keypad on both Android and iOS. Many people bookmark this page or add it to their home screen and re-open it whenever the question comes up.
Anything to be careful about with the result?
Most markets price 40lb washers between $4. Treat the output as a well-grounded estimate for planning, not as a professional, legal or medical decision on its own.
Next useful tool
Compare booth rent vs commission take-home pay and find your breakeven client count instantly. Free stylist income calculator with live formulas.
Find the right storage unit size for your home's belongings instantly. Free calculator with cubic feet, square feet and stacking utilization.
Calculate your IRS standard mileage tax deduction and cash savings instantly. Free calculator with live formulas and actual-expense comparison.
Calculate statutory executor compensation on an estate using a tiered percentage model instantly. Free calculator with waterfall fee breakdown.
Free TDEE calculator using Mifflin-St Jeor and Katch-McArdle. Get maintenance calories, a cutting target, protein/carb/fat grams and the exact date you hit your goal weight.
Estimate body fat percentage with the US Navy circumference formula. Enter neck, waist and hip measurements to get body fat %, lean mass, fat mass and Navy standard pass/fail.