How to Use the FOC Pack Calculator
Free-of-Cost deals should be simple — but calculating exact whole-pack quantities without decimal packs is surprisingly tricky. Here is how the FOC Pack Calculator solves it.
What is an FOC Deal?
FOC stands for Free of Charge. In trade distribution, suppliers often offer a deal like "buy 10 cases, get 1 free" — expressed as a percentage of the main order quantity. The complication is that products are sold in whole packs. You cannot order 0.7 of a case.
The Rounding Problem
If you target a 10% FOC rate on 73 units and your pack size is 12, the naive calculation gives 7.3 units free. That is not a real quantity. You need to find the nearest main order and FOC combination that both uses whole packs and lands at or near the target percentage.
What the Calculator Does
The FOC Pack Calculator takes three inputs:
- Main order quantity (units)
- Pack size (units per pack)
- Target FOC percentage
It then calculates the exact whole-pack Main Order and FOC Pack quantities that hit your target rate as closely as possible — along with a breakdown of paid units, free units, and any excess.
Who It Is For
Useful for sales reps negotiating deals, procurement teams checking supplier offers, and anyone who has spent ten minutes in a spreadsheet trying to reconcile a FOC calculation.