How this calculator works
Two things make resin costing different. Failures are common — bubbles, tacky patches, uneven cure — and they are usually total losses, because a flawed piece cannot be rescued. And moulds are consumables: silicone degrades after a few dozen pours and has to be replaced.
Both are per-piece costs. Treating the mould as a one-off purchase and the failure rate as zero is how resin work ends up looking more profitable than it is.
The formula
- Resin and pigment = per-piece cost ÷ (1 − that line’s waste %), times the batch
- Mould wear = mould price ÷ pours before replacement, charged per piece
- Failure allowance = (materials + pour labour) ÷ (1 − failure %) − those costs
- Price = (cost per piece + fixed fee ÷ batch) ÷ (1 − target margin − fee %)
What to watch for
- Moulds are consumables. Silicone degrades after a few dozen pours, so divide the mould price by the pours you realistically get and charge it per piece.
- Resin failure rates are genuinely high — 10% to 15% is normal on small work, and a flawed piece almost never becomes sellable.
- Sanding and polishing is usually the largest single labour line. Working through the grits on a coaster can take longer than the pour itself.
- Resin waste is rarely under 8%. What stays in the mixing cup is gone, and over-pouring is safer than under-pouring.
Common mistakes
- Treating moulds as a one-off equipment purchase rather than a per-piece consumable.
- Setting the failure rate to zero when bubbles and tack are routine.
- Under-counting sanding and polishing time, which dominates the labour.
- Costing resin by the piece volume with no allowance for what stays in the cup.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for resin products?
Resin is labour-heavy rather than material-heavy at small sizes. A coaster using $4.60 of resin and pigment can easily carry twenty minutes of pour, demould, sand and polish time, which at $25 an hour is more than double the materials. Price from the calculator rather than from a multiple of resin cost.
Should I include mould cost in every piece?
Yes. Silicone moulds wear out — they lose detail and eventually tear, typically after twenty to fifty pours depending on the resin and how they are treated. Divide the mould price by the pours you actually get and charge that per piece, the same way you would any other consumable.
What failure rate should I use for resin?
Ten to fifteen percent for small work is realistic once bubbles, tacky patches, uneven cure and demould damage are counted, and higher while you are learning a new resin or a deep pour. Unlike some crafts, a failed resin piece is rarely salvageable, so the whole cost is lost.
Why does my resin work feel unprofitable?
Usually because finishing time is under-counted and failures are ignored. Sanding through grits and polishing is slow, unglamorous work that rarely gets timed, and a 12% failure rate quietly adds an eighth to every cost line. Put honest numbers in both fields and the picture usually explains itself.