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Email Bounce Rate Calculator

Find undelivered messages as a share of attempted sends.

Use a consistent reporting periodCheck the calculation below
Business dashboard
Business dashboard

Use figures from the same reporting period.

See the method

Enter your business figures

Runs on your device

Your key metric

Your result

Let’s calculate.

Use the Calculate button to see your result.

Review the method below for assumptions and conventions.

How to use this tool

  1. Choose a campaign or reporting period and count attempted messages.
  2. Count messages classified as bounced using your email provider’s rules for that same set of sends.
  3. Calculate the percentage. Keep the handling of retries and soft bounces consistent between comparisons.

Input reference and sample values

Use the units and choices shown for each field. Sample values are provided for practice, not as recommendations.

InputFormat and unitsSample
Bounced messagesNumeric value. Zero or positive.20
Attempted sendsNumeric value. Must be greater than zero.1000

Result for these sample inputs

2 %

Select Try the example in the form to load these values and calculate them again. This replaces the current form inputs. Compare the result with the method and worked explanation below.

The method, explained

Bounce rate = bounced messages/attempted sends × 100%.

A WORKED EXAMPLE

20 bounced messages out of 1,000 attempted sends gives 20 / 1,000 × 100 = 2%. Under a binary delivered-or-bounced classification, 980 messages did not bounce; that does not establish inbox placement or readership.

Understanding your result

This measures unsuccessful email delivery, not website bounce rate. A non-bounced message may still land in spam or remain unread. Distinguish hard bounces from temporary soft bounces when investigating delivery problems.

What to keep in mind

Attempted sends must be positive and bounced messages cannot exceed that total. Counts must use the same campaign, time window and retry policy. The tool does not diagnose deliverability or verify email addresses.

Common questions

Should I include soft bounces?

Use your provider’s reported definition and state it when comparing campaigns. A temporary failure may be retried, so avoid counting both an attempt and its retry inconsistently.

Is this the same as website bounce rate?

No. Email bounce rate concerns delivery failures. Website bounce metrics concern visitor behavior and use different definitions.

Methodology maintained by ClarityKit. How these tools are built and checked.