1Introduction

PriceCalc is a professional production cost calculator for Windows. It helps you calculate the cost of raw materials, labour and additional expenses for any manufactured product, and automatically computes the final selling price including markup and VAT. All data is stored in a local database — only on your computer.

1.1 What PriceCalc does

• Accurately calculate the raw material cost of any product
• Track ingredient stock levels — automatically deducts quantities after each calculation using the FIFO method
• Save and reuse recipes for regularly manufactured products
• Calculate labour costs from an average hourly wage and production time
• Apply a markup percentage and VAT to arrive at the final selling price
• Export calculation results to PDF or Excel
• Store a complete calculation history

1.2 System requirements

2Installation & first launch

2.1 Extracting the archive

You received a file whose name ends in .exe.7z (for example, PriceCalc_v1.2.0.exe.7z). This is a compressed archive — you need to extract it using 7-Zip before running the program.

Option A — 7-Zip already installed

How to check: right-click the .7z file — if you see a "7-Zip" entry in the menu, it is installed.

1. Right-click PriceCalc_v1.2.0.exe.7z.
2. Choose 7-Zip → Extract Here.
3. Wait a few seconds — PriceCalc_v1.2.0.exe will appear in the same folder.

Option B — 7-Zip not installed

If you do not see the "7-Zip" entry when right-clicking the .7z file, install 7-Zip first. It is free and safe and takes about 2–3 minutes.

1. Open your browser and go to https://www.7-zip.org.
2. Find the download table at the top of the page. Click the .exe link in the Windows x64 row.
3. Double-click the downloaded installer (e.g. 2407-x64.exe), click Install, wait a few seconds, click Close.
4. Right-click PriceCalc_v1.2.0.exe.7z and choose 7-Zip → Extract Here.
5. PriceCalc_v1.2.0.exe will appear in the same folder — the program is ready.

2.2 Launching the program

Locate the extracted file PriceCalc_v1.2.0.exe and double-click it.

Windows security warning

The first time you run PriceCalc_v1.2.0.exe, you may see one of two different warnings. Both are normal for new, independently published software and do not mean the file is unsafe.

"The publisher could not be verified"

This is a routine Windows notice shown for any file downloaded from the internet. Click Run to continue.

"Windows protected your PC" (Microsoft Defender SmartScreen)

This message appears because PriceCalc is not yet recognised by Microsoft — it does not mean there is a problem with the file.

1. Click "More info" — this text appears just above the button row; the buttons below only appear after you click it.
2. A "Run anyway" button appears. Click it.

2.3 Licence activation (first launch only)

On first launch, a licence activation dialog appears instead of the main window:

1. A message is shown: "Licence not found. Please enter your licence key."
2. Enter the licence key you received by email (format: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX).
3. Click "Activate".
4. PriceCalc connects to the licence server and verifies the key.
5. If the key is valid, the main program window opens.

2.4 Working offline

PriceCalc briefly connects to the internet every 3 days to verify that the licence is still valid. The program can work without an internet connection for up to 14 days from the last successful online check. A warning is shown as the offline limit approaches. After 14 days the program will stop working until internet access is restored.

3Main window overview

The PriceCalc window is divided into eight tabs along the top. Each tab handles a specific area of work.

4Ingredient management (Ingredients tab)

Before calculating product prices you need to add ingredient names and record their purchase prices (receipting into the virtual stock). All ingredient management is done in the Ingredients tab.

4.1 Adding a new ingredient

1. Click the "+ New ingredient" button in the top-right corner.
2. Fill in the fields: name (required); unit of measure (e.g. kg, g, ml, pcs); notes (optional — useful for recording purchase invoice numbers).
3. Click "Save".

The new ingredient appears in the list. The Cost/unit column shows "—" until the first purchase with a price is entered.

4.2 Recording a purchase

Each time you buy raw materials, record the purchase in PriceCalc so the system can track your real stock levels and calculate the correct weighted (FIFO) cost.

1. Select an ingredient from the list by clicking it once.
2. Click "New purchase".
3. Enter the purchase details: quantity, unit price (excl. VAT), supplier, date and notes (e.g. invoice number).
4. Click "Save".

4.3 The Cost/unit column

The "Cost/unit" column shows the weighted average cost, calculated from the current stock balance price and the unit price of any additional purchase. This is the value PriceCalc uses when calculating product costs. It is recalculated automatically after every new purchase is recorded.

4.4 Stock level colours

4.5 Ingredient Usage

To view every purchase and every use of an ingredient, select it from the list and click "Ingredient Usage". This opens a combined ledger for that ingredient showing:

• Purchase rows — date, quantity bought, unit price, total, the remaining balance and cost value of what is left from that lot, supplier and invoice number.
• Usage rows — date, quantity consumed, unit price at the time of use, cost, and which recipe or calculation it went into.

Use the Show: All / Purchases / Usage buttons at the top of the window to filter the ledger to just one record type. Each type has its own totals row at the bottom of the table.

4.6 Editing an ingredient

Double-click any row, or select it and click "✏ Edit". You can change the name, unit of measure and notes.

4.7 Removing an ingredient

Select an ingredient and click "Remove". The ingredient becomes hidden in the list, but its purchase history and calculation records are preserved.

5Calculating a product price (Calculator tab)

The Calculator tab is the main working area in PriceCalc. This is where you compose the ingredient list and receive the full price breakdown.

5.1 Step-by-step guide

Step 1 — Enter ingredients

In the "Ingredients (raw materials)" section:

1. Click the ingredient name field and start typing the raw material name. After one or two characters a dropdown list appears with the closest matches.
2. Click the required ingredient from the list and press Enter.
3. Enter the quantity in the "Quantity" field. The unit of measure (g, ml, etc.) is shown automatically.
4. To add more ingredients, click "+ Add ingredient".
5. To remove an ingredient, click the red "X" button at the end of its row.

Step 2 — Additional components (optional)

In the "Additional components" section: enter packaging, labels or other additional costs as a single total amount (EUR, excl. VAT).

Step 3 — Labour cost (optional)

In the "Labour cost" section:

• Enter the average hourly wage — the blended cost per hour of whoever is producing this item. This replaces the old fixed "Work type" list: instead of picking a preset rate, you enter whatever hourly figure fits the job, which lets you account for a mix of staff of different skill levels working on the same batch.
• Enter the production time, as a fraction or multiple of one hour:

...and so on — labour cost = average hourly wage × production time.

Step 4 — Markup and VAT

In the "Markup and VAT" section:

• Markup, % — enter the desired markup percentage (e.g. "30" means 30%)
• VAT, % — enter the VAT rate (e.g. "21" means 21%)

Step 5 — Calculate

Click the green "CALCULATE" button. All price calculation components are shown immediately in the right-hand panel.

5.2 Reading the result

The result panel on the right shows:

• INGREDIENTS — each ingredient with quantity, cost/unit and line total. Symbols: ✓ = OK, ⚠ = stock exists but insufficient, ✗ = no stock at all, ? = no unit price entered.
• Total raw material cost — sum of all ingredient lines plus additional components (if any).
• LABOUR COST — labour cost calculation, if an hourly wage and production time were entered.
• SELLING PRICE — final calculation: cost, markup amount, price excl. VAT, VAT amount, and final selling price incl. VAT.

After each calculation, stock levels in the Ingredients tab are automatically reduced — consumed quantities are deducted from the oldest purchase lots first (FIFO method).

5.3 Stock blocking

If the quantity of any ingredient exceeds the actual stock balance, the calculation is blocked and an error message is shown. You must either:

• Reduce the quantity in the calculator, or
• Replenish stock in the Ingredients tab (record a new purchase), then recalculate.

5.4 Export and clear

• "PDF" button — saves the full price calculation to a PDF file.
• "Excel" button — saves the calculation to an Excel (.xlsx) file.
• "Clear" button (red) — clears the calculation result panel and resets the calculator to its initial state.

6Recipes (Recipes tab)

If you regularly calculate products with the same composition, save the ingredient combinations as production recipes. All ingredients can then be loaded with a single click instead of being re-entered each time.

6.1 Saving a recipe

1. In the Calculator tab, enter the ingredients as required.
2. Click the "Save recipe" button at the top of the calculator.
3. Enter a name for the recipe and click "OK".

The recipe is saved with all ingredients, quantities, markup and VAT.

6.2 Loading a recipe

Method A — from the Calculator tab: select a recipe name from the dropdown at the top, then click "Load".

Method B — from the Recipes tab: select a recipe from the list, then click "Load into calculator".

6.3 Deleting a recipe

In the Recipes tab, select a recipe and click "Remove recipe". The recipe is deleted, but the calculation history is preserved.

7Calculation history (History tab)

Every completed calculation is automatically saved to the history. The most recent 1000 calculations are shown with key indicators: date, recipe name, raw material cost, total cost, price excl./incl. VAT, markup percentage and VAT percentage. The history can also be filtered by date range and recipe name.

Click "Export to CSV" to save the currently filtered list — including the totals row — to a CSV file you can open in Excel or another spreadsheet program.

8Raw Material Accounting (Raw Material Accounting tab)

While Ingredient Usage (section 4.5) shows the purchase and usage ledger for one ingredient at a time, the Raw Material Accounting tab shows the same information across every ingredient at once — a full stock ledger for the whole business.

8.1 Filtering the ledger

• Date from / Date to — enter a date range, or use the quick buttons Today / 7 d. / 30 d. / 90 d.
• Ingredient — type a name (or part of a name) to show only that ingredient's records.
• Show: All / Purchased / Used — restrict the list to purchase records only, usage records only, or both.

Click "Filter" to apply, or "Clear filters" to reset. The record count is shown next to the buttons.

8.2 Reading the table

Each row shows the date, record type (Purchase/Usage), ingredient name, quantity (with its unit), unit price, total value, and — depending on the row type — the supplier and invoice number (for purchases) or the recipe it was used in (for usage). Purchase rows and usage rows are colour-tinted so the two are easy to tell apart at a glance. A TOTAL PURCHASED and/or TOTAL USED row is shown at the bottom, summing the value of whichever record types are currently visible.

8.3 Exporting to CSV

Click "Export to CSV" to save exactly what is currently shown — respecting your date range, ingredient search and Purchased/Used filter — to a CSV file you can open in Excel or another spreadsheet program.

9Settings (Settings tab)

9.1 Default values

Set the default markup percentage, VAT percentage, and average hourly wage that will be pre-filled in every new calculation. You can always change them in the calculator.

9.2 Automatic updates

If your supplier has provided an update URL, enable "Automatically check for updates". PriceCalc will notify you when a new version is available.

9.3 Licence

The licence section shows the current licence status and expiry date. You can also:

• Change / activate key — enter a new licence key if the current one has expired or you received a replacement.
• Deactivate — remove the licence from this computer before transferring to a new one. Requires the administrator PIN.

9.4 Administrator PIN

The "Deactivate" button requires a PIN code (default: 1234). This PIN can only be changed by an administrator — at the bottom of the Settings tab in the "Administrator PIN" section. As a regular user, you do not need to know the PIN — contact your supplier for licence transfers.

10About & Contact

About

The About tab shows the version of PriceCalc installed on your computer and a clickable link to the online user manual. Click "Open" next to the URL to open the manual in your browser.

Contact

The Contact tab shows your software supplier's contact information: company name, email, phone number, website, address and working hours. Click "Send email" to open a new message addressed to the supplier directly from your email application.

11Data backup

PriceCalc stores all your data — ingredients, purchase and usage history, recipes, settings and calculation history — in a single database file on your computer. If your computer fails, is lost, or Windows is reinstalled, all data will be lost unless you have a backup.

11.1 Where the database file is

The database file is named pricecalc.db and is located in the PriceCalc program folder, for example:

11.2 Backing up to a USB drive

1. Close PriceCalc before making a backup.
2. Insert a USB drive into the computer.
3. Open File Explorer (Windows key + E).
4. Navigate to the PriceCalc program folder.
5. Find pricecalc.db, right-click and choose Copy.
6. Open the USB drive in File Explorer.
7. Create a folder called PriceCalc_backup (right-click → New → Folder).
8. Paste the file into that folder (right-click → Paste).
9. Safely eject the USB drive.

11.3 Restoring from a backup

1. Close PriceCalc.
2. Insert the USB drive containing the backup.
3. Copy pricecalc.db from the USB drive.
4. Navigate to the PriceCalc program folder on your computer.
5. Paste the file, replacing the existing pricecalc.db.
6. Launch PriceCalc — all your data will be restored.

11.4 File naming tips

To keep multiple dated copies, rename the file before copying, for example:

This allows you to return to an earlier version if needed.

12Troubleshooting