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A distributor is priced on its profit, not its sales. A made-up one with $30,000,000 in sales at the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4% earns $1,920,000, which our calculator puts at $7,680,000 to $11,136,000. Below: how distributors sell at each size from $10,000,000 to $300,000,000.
Figures: IRS tax year 2023Census through June 2026TagniFi through March 2026Market Pulse through Q2 2026Read November 12, 2026
The short answer: wholesale S corporations kept 5.2%[1] of sales as business profit in tax year 2023, by our math on IRS figures for every size, against 7.5%[2] across all industries. With margins that thin, two distributors with the same sales can sell for prices far apart. Buyers look hardest at margin by customer and at working capital, the stock and receivables you hand over.
The first figure is what wholesale S corporations reported to the IRS as business profit, as a share of what they took in, before the owners' own income tax. It's all of them taken together, losses included, so it isn't the middle company. Durable goods wholesalers ran higher than nondurable ones.
The second adds back interest, depreciation and amortization, by our math on the same lines. That's close to EBITDA: yearly profit before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, the figure a buyer prices.
Larger wholesalers run thin too. The Census Bureau's quarterly survey covers wholesalers with $50,000,000 or more of assets. Their operating profit was 3.1% of sales, or 3.9%[3] with depreciation added back. That's public and private companies together, over the four quarters to June 2026.
| Industry or size | Business profit on tax returns | Before interest, depreciation and amortization |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale trade all sizes | 5.2% | 6.4% |
| Wholesale trade, durable goods all sizes | 6.1% | 8.0%* |
| Wholesale trade, nondurable goods all sizes | 4.0% | 5.0%* |
| All S corporations | 7.5% | 9.7% |
* Includes gains on selling equipment, which the IRS doesn't publish for this industry.
Sorted by business receipts, which this page calls sales. Before interest, depreciation and amortization = (business profit + interest + depreciation + amortization − net gains on selling equipment) ÷ total receipts, by our math on IRS figures.[1][2]
Source: IRS Statistics of Income, Tax Year 2023[1]; IRS Statistics of Income, Tax Year 2023, released September 2026[2]. Industry rows cover every size of company. Exhibit 3 has the rows by size.
Because a distributor's stock and receivables are large next to its profit. Before closing, you and the buyer agree how much of them the business hands over. Here's how that works, and why a gap can cost months of profit.
A made-up example for a distributor: the durable goods company in the $30,000,000 section below agrees to $11,760,000. On closing day the inventory count comes in $600,000 under the target. The price falls to $11,160,000, before any debt, escrow or fees come out.
Inventory and receivables swing with the seasons and with large orders. So the month a deal closes, and how the target is averaged, matter. How the working capital peg is set.
TagniFi, a deal database, publishes multiples for distribution by deal size. A multiple is the price divided by a year of EBITDA. Here they are as TagniFi reports them, with its row for durable goods wholesalers from an older release.
Other publishers' figures, not ours
| Company value | Multiple of EBITDA | Statistic | Buyers | Period | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000,000 to $50,000,000, distribution | 5.0x | Median | All buyers | Twelve months to March 31, 2026 | TagniFi[5] |
| $50,000,000 to $200,000,000, distribution | 7.6x | Median | All buyers | Twelve months to March 31, 2026 | TagniFi[5] |
| $10,000,000 to $100,000,000, durable goods wholesalers | 6.5x | As printed | All buyers | Twelve months to the third quarter of 2025 | TagniFi[6] |
These figures come from outside reports, not from BridgeBook's own data: each one counts different deals in its own way, so read them as a guide to the market, not as a price for your company.
Source: TagniFi, Twelve months to March 31, 2026[5]; TagniFi (PR Newswire), Twelve months to the third quarter of 2025[6].
Those groups are what companies sold for, not their sales. They're context for a conversation, not a price for yours. Why bigger deals carry bigger multiples.
The Census Bureau counted 44,106[4] wholesale employer firms with $10,000,000 to $99,999,999 in sales in 2022, more than in any other sector. That's out of 249,587 employer firms that size in every sector. Retail came next, at 37,825. A firm with locations in more than one industry is counted in each, so read these as the size of the field, not an exact list.
Run the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4% across seven made-up distributors and profit goes from $640,000 at $10,000,000 of sales to $19,200,000 at $300,000,000. Our calculator's sold-deal data stops at companies that sold for $50,000,000, so the last two get no figure from us.
| Sales | IRS size row | EBITDA at 6.4% | Our sold-deal range |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000,000 | 9.1% | $640,000 | $1,944,032 to $3,207,653 |
| $20,000,000 | 9.1% | $1,280,000 | $4,196,600 to $6,209,558 |
| $30,000,000 | 9.1% | $1,920,000 | $7,680,000 to $11,136,000 |
| $50,000,000 | 8.0% | $3,200,000 | $12,800,000 to $18,560,000 |
| $100,000,000 | 8.0% | $6,400,000 | $25,600,000 to $37,120,000 |
| $200,000,000 | 8.0% | $12,800,000 | Past our data |
| $300,000,000 | 8.2% | $19,200,000 | Past our data |
Source: IRS Statistics of Income, Tax Year 2023[1]; IRS Statistics of Income, Tax Year 2023, released September 2026[2]; IBBA and M&A Source, Second quarter of 2026[7]. Made-up examples. The rate is wholesale S corporations of every size. Ranges are the sold-deal data behind our calculator, all industries together, checked November 2, 2026.
The size row is every S corporation that size, before interest, depreciation and amortization. A distributor at the wholesale rate runs under it at every size.
Often to a distributor already in your lines or your region, or to one buyer with a bank loan. How much of your year one or two accounts carry matters most. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $640,000 a year. Our calculator puts that at $1,944,032 to $3,207,653, on owner's earnings.[1][7]
IRS size row: $10,000,000 to $50,000,000 in sales, 9.1% before interest, depreciation and amortization, all industries[2]. Wholesale, all sizes: 6.4%. Our sold-deal data: reaches this example.
Our distribution calculator asks how much revenue comes from your biggest customer: less than 15%, 15% to 30%, or more than 30%. In a distributor this size, one or two accounts often carry the year, and a buyer prices that.
Here the calculator prices on owner's earnings, called SDE, which adds the owner's own pay back to profit. One SBA 7(a) loan, a bank loan the U.S. Small Business Administration backs, can go to $5,000,000[8], more than the top of this range.
This example's profit sits under $700,000, where booked calls start. With $5,000,000 or more in sales, the free valuation's report lets you ask a dedicated advisor to call you.
Across every industry: what a company with $10,000,000 in sales is worth.
Often to a larger distributor, or to a private equity fund adding to one it owns. A buyer may want only your lines, customers or warehouses. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $1,280,000 a year. Our calculator puts that at $4,196,600 to $6,209,558, on a blend of owner's earnings and EBITDA.[1][7]
IRS size row: $10,000,000 to $50,000,000 in sales, 9.1% before interest, depreciation and amortization, all industries[2]. Wholesale, all sizes: 6.4%. Our sold-deal data: reaches this example.
Here our calculator blends owner's earnings and EBITDA. This range crosses one SBA loan's cap. A buyer near its low end could use one loan. One near its top needs more money beside it.
A private equity fund buys companies with its investors' money. An add-on is a company bought to join one a fund already owns. In PitchBook's count, about three of every four U.S. buyouts in the second quarter of 2026 were add-ons, an estimated 885[9].
A buyer already in the field often wants your lines, your customers or your warehouses, and judges each on its own margin. Who buys a company your size.
Across every industry: what a company with $20,000,000 in sales is worth.
To regional distributors and funds, who price on EBITDA from this size up and look hardest at margin by product line. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $1,920,000 a year. Our calculator puts that at $7,680,000 to $11,136,000, priced on EBITDA.[1][7]
IRS size row: $10,000,000 to $50,000,000 in sales, 9.1% before interest, depreciation and amortization, all industries[2]. Wholesale, all sizes: 6.4%. Our sold-deal data: reaches this example.
Here our calculator prices on EBITDA alone, and margin by product line starts to decide the price. Two made-up distributors each sell $30,000,000 a year. One earns the nondurable rate, the other the durable rate.
| Line | Nondurable rate | Durable rate |
|---|---|---|
| Margin before interest, depreciation and amortization | 5.0% | 8.0% |
| EBITDA | $1,500,000 | $2,400,000 |
| Our sold-deal range | $5,253,975 to $7,590,465 | $9,600,000 to $13,920,000 |
| Typical | $6,429,486 | $11,760,000 |
Source: IBBA and M&A Source, Second quarter of 2026[7]. Made-up example. Margins from the IRS rows in Exhibit 1. Ranges from the sold-deal data behind our calculator, all industries together, checked November 2, 2026.
Same sales, and the typical figures sit $5,330,514 apart. The first is priced on a blend of owner's earnings and EBITDA, the second priced on EBITDA. That's why a buyer asks for gross margin by customer and by product line before anything else.
This section's range runs across $10,000,000[10] of company value. Lockton says reps and warranties insurance is often available from that size. The policy pays the buyer if a contract promise turns out false, which means less of your price is held back.
Across every industry: what a company with $30,000,000 in sales is worth.
Through a sale run for several buyers, search funds among them, with the buyer's accountants testing your profit. Part of the price is sometimes paid later. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $3,200,000 a year. Our calculator puts that at $12,800,000 to $18,560,000.[1][7]
IRS size row: $50,000,000 to $250,000,000 in sales, 8.0% before interest, depreciation and amortization, all industries[2]. Wholesale, all sizes: 6.4%. Our sold-deal data: reaches this example.
A $50,000,000 distributor files in the IRS's next band, $50,000,000 to $250,000,000, at 8.0% before interest, depreciation and amortization. Buyers here usually order a quality of earnings report, an outside accountant's test of whether your profit holds up. PKF O'Connor Davies places them in deals of $10,000,000 to $1,000,000,000[11] in company value, going back decades.
Some of the price may be an earnout, paid later only if the business hits targets. Among SRS Acquiom's deals closed through 2025, 35% of those paying $25,000,000 or less at closing had one[12]. This whole range is under that line.
Search funds bid here too. A search fund is one or two people backed by investors to buy and run one company. Stanford says they paid a median $16,000,000[13] in 2024 and 2025, inside this range.
Across every industry: what a company with $50,000,000 in sales is worth.
To a fund buying its first distributor, or to a large distributor. Each branch needs a manager who can run it without you. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $6,400,000 a year. Our calculator puts that at $25,600,000 to $37,120,000.[1][7]
IRS size row: $50,000,000 to $250,000,000 in sales, 8.0% before interest, depreciation and amortization, all industries[2]. Wholesale, all sizes: 6.4%. Our sold-deal data: reaches this example.
Our data reaches $8,620,690 of EBITDA. On $100,000,000 of sales that's a margin of about 8.6%. A distributor at the wholesale rate stays inside it. So does one at the durable goods rate of 8.0%, whose example earns $8,000,000.
A fund's first company in a field is its platform, and the add-ons come later. As a platform you'd often be asked to keep a stake, called rollover equity: part of the price kept as shares. Rollover was in 63.6%[14] of GF Data's 2024 private equity deals of $10,000,000 to $500,000,000. How rollover equity works.
Our view: a buyer this size wants each branch run by a manager, with its own margin and its own stock count. A branch that leans on you lowers what the whole network is worth to it.
Across every industry: what a company with $100,000,000 in sales is worth.
In rounds, with time to get consent from the makers whose lines you carry. Some line agreements let the maker end them when the company changes hands. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $12,800,000 a year. That's past the sold-deal data behind our calculator, so we don't put a figure on it. Book a call with a dedicated advisor first.[1]
IRS size row: $50,000,000 to $250,000,000 in sales, 8.0% before interest, depreciation and amortization, all industries[2]. Wholesale, all sizes: 6.4%. Our sold-deal data: stops short of it.
Past our sold-deal data. The group behind our calculator stops at companies that sold for $50,000,000, so we don't put a figure on this one. Other publishers' figures are beside it.
Other publishers' figures, not ours
| Company value | Multiple of EBITDA | Statistic | Buyers | Period | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000,000 to $100,000,000 | 8.7x | Average | Private equity, platform buyouts | Through the third quarter of 2025 | GF Data[15] |
| $100,000,000 to $250,000,000Near yours | 10.0x | Average | Private equity, platform buyouts | Through the third quarter of 2025 | GF Data[15] |
| $100,000,000 to $500,000,000 | 9.8x against 7.0x under $100,000,000 | Average | Private equity, platform buyouts | Through the third quarter of 2025 | GF Data[15] |
| $50,000,000 to $200,000,000Near yours | 9.0x | Median | All buyers | Twelve months to March 31, 2026 | TagniFi[5] |
| $200,000,000 to $500,000,000 | 11.4x | Median | All buyers | Twelve months to March 31, 2026 | TagniFi[5] |
These figures come from outside reports, not from BridgeBook's own data: each one counts different deals in its own way, so read them as a guide to the market, not as a price for your company.
Source: GF Data, Through the third quarter of 2025[15]; TagniFi, Twelve months to March 31, 2026[5].
The marked rows are the ones nearest this distributor's made-up $12,800,000 of EBITDA. We leave them as the publishers printed them, not as your price.
Many distributors carry a maker's line under an agreement that names a territory. Some let the maker end it, or approve the new owner, when the company changes hands. List them with your lawyer before any letter of intent, the buyer's signed offer that comes ahead of its full checks.
Waiting on those consents is one reason a deal can sign first and close later, as 59%[16] of SRS Acquiom's 2024 deals did. Map it out with a dedicated advisor.
Across every industry: what a company with $200,000,000 in sales is worth.
To national distributors and big funds, often after a first round of written bids and a second round with a few of them. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $19,200,000 a year. That's in the IRS top size band and past our data. A dedicated advisor can walk you through it on a call.[1]
IRS size row: $250,000,000 or more in sales, 8.2% before interest, depreciation and amortization, all industries[2]. Wholesale, all sizes: 6.4%. Our sold-deal data: stops short of it.
At $300,000,000 you're in the IRS's top band, $250,000,000 or more, which starts at exactly $250,000,000. Those S corporations ran 8.2% before interest, depreciation and amortization, and averaged $715,078,611 in sales each.
Exhibit 6 shows only the rows nearest $19,200,000 of EBITDA, this example's profit. None of them is a value we'd put on your company.
Other publishers' figures, not ours
| Company value | Multiple of EBITDA | Statistic | Buyers | Period | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100,000,000 to $250,000,000Near yours | 10.0x | Average | Private equity, platform buyouts | Through the third quarter of 2025 | GF Data[15] |
| $50,000,000 to $200,000,000Near yours | 9.0x | Median | All buyers | Twelve months to March 31, 2026 | TagniFi[5] |
| $200,000,000 to $500,000,000Near yours | 11.4x | Median | All buyers | Twelve months to March 31, 2026 | TagniFi[5] |
These figures come from outside reports, not from BridgeBook's own data: each one counts different deals in its own way, so read them as a guide to the market, not as a price for your company.
Source: GF Data, Through the third quarter of 2025[15]; TagniFi, Twelve months to March 31, 2026[5].
For scale, NYU Stern puts public distributors at 11.4%[17] of sales as EBITDA, in data as of January 2026. They're much bigger companies, many of them in higher-margin lines.
PitchBook put the typical U.S. buyout under $1,000,000,000 at $206,000,000[9] of company value in 2025. That's every industry together, and it isn't a price for yours. Book a call with a dedicated advisor.
Across every industry: what a company with $300,000,000 in sales is worth.
Start from the wholesale rate below, then put in your own sales and margin. The tool shows your EBITDA, what the sold-deal data behind our calculator puts it at, and other publishers' figures beside it. More on a company with $30,000,000 in sales and one with $200,000,000.
Industry: Distribution
IRS, distribution S corporations of every size, tax year 2023, our math. Change it to yours.
A made-up example at the IRS rate
A made-up example: 6.4% of $30,000,000 in yearly sales. EBITDA is yearly profit before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
Our sold-deal data puts that EBITDA at
$7,680,000 to $11,136,000
Typical $9,408,000, priced on EBITDA.
IBBA and M&A Source Market Pulse, closed deals of $5,000,000 to $50,000,000. Typical is the middle of its recent readings. Our figures checked November 2, 2026.
Other publishers' figures, not ours
| Company value | Multiple of EBITDA | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000,000 to $25,000,000 | 5.9x | GF Data, average, through the third quarter of 2025 |
| $25,000,000 to $50,000,000 | 6.6x | GF Data, average, through the third quarter of 2025 |
| $50,000,000 to $100,000,000 | 8.7x | GF Data, average, through the third quarter of 2025 |
| $100,000,000 to $250,000,000 | 10.0x | GF Data, average, through the third quarter of 2025 |
| $1,000,000 to $10,000,000Near yours | 5.5x | TagniFi, median, twelve months to March 31, 2026 |
| $10,000,000 to $50,000,000 | 7.3x | TagniFi, median, twelve months to March 31, 2026 |
| $50,000,000 to $200,000,000 | 9.0x | TagniFi, median, twelve months to March 31, 2026 |
| $200,000,000 to $500,000,000 | 11.4x | TagniFi, median, twelve months to March 31, 2026 |
These figures come from outside reports, not from BridgeBook's own data: each one counts different deals in its own way, so read them as a guide to the market, not as a price for your company.
At this profit you can book a call with a dedicated advisor.
The valuation asks your sales and profit again, then your name, email and cell phone, and shows a range.
On the first call, a dedicated advisor works through your numbers with you, your controller too if you'd like. For a distributor, these four come first.
Your advisor then shows what the sold-deal data says for a distributor with your profit, and where a buyer is likely to push. Owners often hope for more. A buyer's accountants will test that same figure.
It's priced on its profit, and distributors keep less of each sales dollar than most fields. The calculator prices yours on sold-deal data.
Wholesale S corporations reported 5.2% as business profit in tax year 2023, by our math on IRS figures for every size; durable goods wholesalers 6.1%, nondurable 4.0%.
Working capital is what customers owe you, plus inventory, minus the bills you owe. In a distributor it's large next to profit. The peg is the amount of working capital you and the buyer agree the business hands over at closing. Come in under it and the price goes down by the gap. Come in over it and the price goes up.
Mostly other distributors and funds adding to ones they own.
Often to a distributor already in your lines or your region, or to one buyer with a bank loan. How much of your year one or two accounts carry matters most. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $640,000 a year. Our calculator puts that at $1,944,032 to $3,207,653, on owner's earnings.
Often to a larger distributor, or to a private equity fund adding to one it owns. A buyer may want only your lines, customers or warehouses. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $1,280,000 a year. Our calculator puts that at $4,196,600 to $6,209,558, on a blend of owner's earnings and EBITDA.
To regional distributors and funds, who price on EBITDA from this size up and look hardest at margin by product line. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $1,920,000 a year. Our calculator puts that at $7,680,000 to $11,136,000, priced on EBITDA.
Through a sale run for several buyers, search funds among them, with the buyer's accountants testing your profit. Part of the price is sometimes paid later. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $3,200,000 a year. Our calculator puts that at $12,800,000 to $18,560,000.
To a fund buying its first distributor, or to a large distributor. Each branch needs a manager who can run it without you. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $6,400,000 a year. Our calculator puts that at $25,600,000 to $37,120,000.
In rounds, with time to get consent from the makers whose lines you carry. Some line agreements let the maker end them when the company changes hands. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $12,800,000 a year. That's past the sold-deal data behind our calculator, so we don't put a figure on it. Book a call with a dedicated advisor first.
To national distributors and big funds, often after a first round of written bids and a second round with a few of them. At the IRS wholesale rate of 6.4%, a made-up distributor this size earns about $19,200,000 a year. That's in the IRS top size band and past our data. A dedicated advisor can walk you through it on a call.
Margins by size band and by industry: average profit margin by company size. Food and beverage distributors: how a larger food distribution company sells.
The sold-deal data behind our calculator: IBBA and M&A Source Market Pulse, closed deals. Our figures checked November 2, 2026.
Percentages are BridgeBook's arithmetic on the IRS dollar figures.
Outside figures are other publishers', named and dated, and they don't feed our calculator. How we use outside figures
The valuation opens with distribution already picked. It takes a few short questions, your sales and profit among them, then asks your name, email and cell phone and shows a range, not one number.
Your exit credit comes off our success fee at closing and grows with your yearly sales: $5,000 under $5,000,000 in sales ($2,500 for your valuation report, plus $2,500 for your advisor call or for starting your listing), up to $50,000 at $100,000,000 or more.
Get an initial range and a clearer starting point for your plans.
Discuss your goals, timing and questions in a private conversation.