How this calculator works
Embroidery is one of the few crafts with a clean cost driver: stitch count. It determines thread consumption and machine run time almost linearly, which is why the trade prices in thousands of stitches rather than by design size.
The cost most often missed is digitising. Converting artwork to a stitch file is a real one-off expense, and absorbing it silently on a run of twelve is expensive.
The formula
- Thread = quantity × stitch thousands × thread cost per thousand
- Machine cycles = ⌈ quantity ÷ heads running ⌉
- Machine time = cycles × run minutes per thousand (scaled by stitch count)
- Digitising and setup charged once per job, spread across the order
What to watch for
- Stitch count drives both thread and run time, which is why the trade quotes per thousand stitches rather than by design size. A dense 3-inch logo can out-stitch a sparse 6-inch one.
- Hooping is usually the real throughput limit. On a single head the machine finishes and waits while you hoop the next piece, so hooping time — not run time — sets how many you get through in an hour.
- Digitising is a genuine one-off. Charging it separately, or amortising it explicitly over the run, is far better than absorbing it and wondering why small orders lose money.
- On customer-supplied garments, remove the blank cost but raise the spoilage allowance — ruining a customer’s jacket is a much more expensive mistake than ruining your own stock.
Common mistakes
- Pricing by design size instead of stitch count.
- Absorbing digitising on a run of twelve, where it can be a third of the job cost.
- Assuming a multi-head machine multiplies throughput when hooping is the constraint.
- Using the same spoilage rate for customer-supplied garments as for your own blanks.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for embroidery?
The trade convention is a base price for the first 8,000 to 10,000 stitches plus an increment per additional thousand, on top of the garment. Working it up from this calculator gives you the actual floor: for a left-chest logo on a $9.50 polo, a true cost around $16 to $20 at a run of twenty-four is typical once digitising, hooping and machine time are counted.
How do I charge for digitising?
Either as a separate one-off line on the quote — which is what most commercial shops do, commonly $25 to $75 depending on complexity — or amortised over the run inside the price. What does not work is absorbing it invisibly, because on a small order it can exceed the entire production cost.
What is a typical stitch count?
A left-chest logo is usually 5,000 to 10,000 stitches. A full back design can run 25,000 to 60,000. A cap front is often 6,000 to 12,000. Your digitising software reports the exact figure, and it is worth recording it against each design so quoting a repeat order takes seconds.
Should I charge more for customer-supplied garments?
Charge less for the garment and more for the risk. You save the blank cost, but if you ruin a customer’s jacket you are buying a replacement at retail, and they are often items you cannot easily source. Many shops raise the spoilage allowance and ask the customer to supply one spare.