🏛️ Europa Universalis V Trade Income Estimator

Step 1: Find Your Source Market Price

1. In Game: Open your source market (e.g., Venice)
2. Press M or click the Market icon
3. Find the Good: Locate the commodity you want to export (e.g., Silk)
4. Note the Price: Write down the price (e.g., 3.2 ducats)

Step 2: Find Your Target Market Price

1. In Game: Open your target market (e.g., London)
2. Press M to view the market
3. Find the Same Good: Locate the same commodity (Silk)
4. Note the Price: Write down the price (e.g., 4.9 ducats)

Step 3: Enter Data in the Tool

1. Source Market Price: Enter 3.2
2. Target Market Price: Enter 4.9
3. Trade Volume: How many units you plan to trade (e.g., 50)
4. Crown Power: Check your Government panel (usually 50-70%)

Step 4: Review Results

The tool will show:

• Monthly Income: How much profit per month
• Annual Income: Yearly profit projection
• Route Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5-star system)
• Capacity Needed: How much market capacity required

Step 5: Make Your Decision

• ✅ High Profit (60+ ducats/month): Establish the route immediately
• ⚠️ Moderate Profit (30-60 ducats/month): Good route, consider it
• ❌ Low Profit (<30 ducats/month): Skip this route, find better options

Monthly Income Explained

Example: 52.7 ducats/month means:

• You earn an extra 52.7 ducats every game month
• Over 1 year (12 months): 632 ducats
• Over 5 years: 3,160 ducats

Is this good?

• Compare to building costs (marketplaces cost 200-400 ducats)
• If monthly income > 50 ducats, the route is excellent

Route Rating System

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent (80+ ducats/month) - Establish immediately, top priority
• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Good (60-80 ducats/month) - Strong route, highly recommended
• ⭐⭐⭐ Good (40-60 ducats/month) - Solid choice, build if capacity available
• ⭐⭐ Fair (20-40 ducats/month) - Low priority, consider alternatives
• ⭐ Poor (<20 ducats/month) - Not worth the capacity, skip this route

Distance Settings

Why It Matters: Longer routes are less efficient

Manual Mode (Recommended for beginners):

• Select: Adjacent / Medium / Far / Very Far
• Tool applies standard penalties

Auto Calculate Mode (For precision):

• Count provinces between source and destination
• Enter the number (e.g., 7 provinces)
• Tool calculates exact penalty

Quick Guide:

• 1-2 provinces = Adjacent (-5%)
• 3-6 provinces = Medium (-10%)
• 7-15 provinces = Far (-20%)
• 15+ provinces = Very Far (-30%)

Trade Efficiency Modifiers

Where to find these bonuses:

1. Open Government panel
2. Check active Reforms
3. Look for "Trade Efficiency" bonuses

Common Sources:

• Burgher Estate privileges: +15% to +25%
• Free Trade laws: +20% to +30%
• Trade ideas: +10% to +50%
• Advisors: +5% to +10%

Example: If you have +30% total, enter 30 in the slider

Market Access

What is this?: How well your source location connects to target market

How to check in-game:

1. Click on your source province
2. Open Trade tab
3. Look for "Market Access" to target market
4. Default is usually 100% in well-connected regions

When to adjust:

• Reduce to 70-90% if provinces lack roads
• Reduce to 50-70% if target is very distant
• Keep at 100% if markets are well-connected

Mistake 1: Forgetting to Check Capacity

Problem: You calculate profit but don't have enough market capacity

Solution:

• Check current capacity: Market panel → Capacity tab
• Needed capacity = your trade volume
• If insufficient, build more marketplaces

Mistake 2: Wrong Price Entry

Problem: Entering source price in target field (or vice versa)

Solution:

• Source = where goods come FROM (lower price)
• Target = where goods go TO (higher price)
• Target must be higher than source for profit

Mistake 3: Ignoring Season/Distance

Problem: Real income is lower than calculated

Solution:

• Use advanced options
• Set correct distance penalty
• Consider all modifiers

Mistake 4: Not Comparing Routes

Problem: Missing better opportunities

Solution:

• Calculate 2-3 potential routes
• Use "Save Route" feature to compare
• Choose the highest profit route

Tip 1: High-Value Goods First

Best Trade Goods (Highest profits):

• Silk (luxury textile)
• Spices (Asian specialty)
• Gems (precious stones)
• Porcelain (Chinese luxury)

Avoid Low-Value Goods:

• Grain (basic food)
• Timber (construction material)
• Fish (basic food)

Tip 2: Price Differences Matter Most

Rule of Thumb:

• Price difference >1.5 ducats = Good route
• Price difference >2.5 ducats = Excellent route
• Price difference <1.0 ducat = Skip it

Tip 3: Calculate Before Building Marketplaces

Smart Strategy:

1. Calculate route profitability FIRST
2. If monthly income >30 ducats → build marketplace
3. Marketplace costs ~200 ducats
4. Payback in 6-7 months with good route

Tip 4: Update Prices Regularly

Prices Change Because:

• Supply increases (price drops)
• Demand changes
• Wars disrupt trade
• Market capacity fills up

Best Practice: Recalculate every 5-10 game years

Scenario 1: Venice Silk Export to London

Data:

• Source (Venice): 3.2 ducats
• Target (London): 4.9 ducats
• Volume: 50 units
• Crown Power: 60%

Result: Monthly: 51 ducats ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Decision: Excellent! Establish immediately

Scenario 2: Regional Grain Trade

Data:

• Source (Paris): 1.2 ducats
• Target (Brussels): 1.5 ducats
• Volume: 100 units
• Crown Power: 55%

Result: Monthly: 16.5 ducats ⭐⭐

Decision: Poor return. Skip this route.

Scenario 3: Spice Islands to Europe

Data:

• Source (Malacca): 2.8 ducats
• Target (Amsterdam): 6.2 ducats
• Volume: 30 units
• Crown Power: 65%
• Distance: Very Far (-30%)

Result: Monthly: 46 ducats ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Decision: Good despite distance. Profitable trade.