Many companies misjudge investment feasibility by relying on Gross Margin, which includes fixed costs and distorts returns. This article explains why Contribution Margin—based only on variable costs—is the correct metric for evaluating capacity expansion and efficiency‑improvement investments.

Many companies rely on Gross Margin and SG&A, but fixed costs hidden in COS distort the true economics of the business. Correct decision‑making requires separating variable and fixed costs and viewing profitability through Contribution Margin and total fixed costs, not Gross Margin.