About the Discount Calculator
This calculator instantly works out the sale price and the amount you save from an original price and a discount percentage — the everyday maths behind every sale, coupon and clearance tag. It also helps you avoid the common traps that make a discount look better than it really is.
How the calculation works
The sale price is the original multiplied by the fraction you still pay: Sale price = Original × (1 − discount ÷ 100), and your saving is the difference. A ₹2,000 jacket at 25% off costs 2000 × 0.75 = ₹1,500, saving you ₹500. That is all there is to a single discount — but two situations trip people up constantly.
Stacked discounts do not add up
“20% off, plus an extra 10% at checkout” sounds like 30% off, but it is not. The second discount is taken from the already-reduced price, so the discounts multiply rather than add:
| Step | Price (from ₹1,000) |
|---|---|
| Start | ₹1,000 |
| After 20% off | ₹800 |
| After a further 10% off | ₹720 |
The real discount is 28%, not 30% — the difference between 1 and (0.80 × 0.90). The more discounts stack, the wider this gap, so always compute the final price rather than trusting the sum of the percentages.
Finding the original price
To reverse a discount — to learn what something cost before the sale — divide by the remaining fraction, never add the percentage back. A ₹1,500 item marked “25% off” originally cost 1500 ÷ 0.75 = ₹2,000. Adding 25% to ₹1,500 gives the wrong answer, because the 25% was a slice of the larger original, not of the sale price.
Percentage off versus a flat amount
Stores mix the two, and the better deal depends on the price. A flat ₹500 off is worth more than 20% off on any item under ₹2,500; above that, the percentage wins. And a big headline percentage off an inflated “list price” can still be dearer than a small discount on a keenly priced item — so compare final prices, not percentages. These are all percentage problems at heart; the Percentage Calculator handles the general cases. The maths runs privately in your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a sale price calculated?
Sale price = Original × (1 − discount ÷ 100). A ₹2,000 item at 25% off becomes 2000 × 0.75 = ₹1,500, and you save ₹500.
How do I work out how much I saved?
Savings = Original × discount ÷ 100, or simply Original − Sale price. On that ₹2,000 item at 25% off, you save ₹500.
How do I find the original price from a sale price?
Divide by the remaining fraction, do not add the percentage back. A ₹1,500 item that was 25% off originally cost 1500 ÷ 0.75 = ₹2,000. Adding 25% to ₹1,500 would wrongly give ₹1,875.
Do stacked discounts add together?
No, and this is the key trick to understand. A “20% off, then an extra 10% off” deal is not 30% off — the second discount applies to the already-reduced price. The combined effect is 1 − (0.80 × 0.90) = 28% off, not 30%.
Which is the better deal: a percentage off or a flat amount off?
It depends on the price. A flat ₹500 off beats 20% off on anything under ₹2,500, but 20% off wins above that. Convert both to the same form — final price — to compare fairly.
Is a bigger discount percentage always a better deal?
Not necessarily. A 50% discount on an inflated “original” price can cost more than a 20% discount on a fairly priced item. Always compare the final prices, not the headline percentages.
Are my numbers private?
Yes — the calculation runs entirely in your browser and nothing is sent to a server.