CPM and RPM

CPM calculator: cost, impressions and rate

Enter advertiser cost and ad impressions, or solve for one missing campaign figure.

Your calculation

Hypothetical example: 7 USD / 2,000 ad impressions × 1,000 = 3.50 USD CPM.

Starting values are editable teaching examples, not typical rates or forecasts. Replace them with your own matching figures.

Use Save scenario to keep only these numbers and selected units in this browser. No channel details are requested or sent.

Starting examples

YouTube Help: ad revenue metrics supplies a hypothetical 7 USD ad cost and 2,000 impressions. Their quotient gives 3.50 USD CPM. This is the source's teaching example, not an observed market rate.

The worked examples and chosen stress tests demonstrate arithmetic. They are not representative market benchmarks. Use the matching metric basis, reporting period and units for your own figures.

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A CPM calculator solves for cost, ad impressions or the price per thousand ad impressions. Use two known values from the same campaign and select the value you need. The prefilled figures show math only.

Use the CPM calculator

Choose the mode, enter the two known inputs and select Calculate. Cost is in US dollars. Impressions are a count of ads shown, not people reached or video views. To clear the example, use Clear and reset. Unknown cost is not zero cost.

CPM formulas and a worked example

Solve for Formula Hypothetical result
CPM Cost / ad impressions × 1,000 100 USD / 20,000 × 1,000 = 5 USD
Cost CPM × ad impressions / 1,000 5 USD × 20,000 / 1,000 = 100 USD
Impressions Cost / CPM × 1,000 100 USD / 5 × 1,000 = 20,000

A zero cost can produce a zero CPM when impressions are positive. Dividing by zero impressions has no useful result. A zero CPM cannot solve for impressions from a positive budget. The tool keeps those states separate.

Why CPM differs from creator RPM

CPM describes advertiser spending. It does not tell a creator how much money reached their account. A video playback can show more than one ad, and many views have no ad at all. YouTube's metric guide explains the different denominators.

Questions about CPM

Is playback-based CPM the same number?

No. It divides spending by playbacks with an ad rather than individual ad impressions. Use a denominator that matches the metric you want. Do not label one as the other.

Can this calculate creator income?

Use the separate RPM or earnings tool for that task. A paid software plan cannot change the math here.

Decision

Use the CPM calculator for a consistent advertiser-side rate. Keep campaign scope and units together before comparing two results.

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