Embroidery pricing calculator: how to price an embroidery job
An embroidery pricing calculator estimates job price from stitch count × your rate per 1,000 stitches, plus quantity breaks, setup fees, and a charge for every location. Use the formula below, then run your own numbers in EMBquote's free embroidery calculator.
Run your own numbers
Enter your design size and rates in the free embroidery calculator.
Open the free embroidery calculatorThe formula in one line
Price per piece = (stitches ÷ 1,000) × your rate per 1,000 stitches, less any quantity break, never below your per-piece minimum. Multiply by locations and pieces, then add the one-time setup or digitizing fee.
Step 1: Estimate the stitch count
Multiply design width by height to get square inches, then multiply by a stitches-per-square-inch density. The densities below are editable examples, not rules. Change them to match your digitizer.
| Fill density (example) | Stitches per sq in | 3.5 x 2 in design |
|---|---|---|
| Light (text, outlines) | 800 | 5,600 |
| Medium (typical logo) | 1,200 | 8,400 |
| Heavy (solid fills) | 1,800 | 12,600 |
A 3.5 x 2 inch medium-density left chest logo is 7 square inches, and 7 × 1,200 gives about 8,400 stitches. Only the digitized file gives the true count.
Step 2: Set your rate per 1,000 stitches
Start from your real cost: machine run-time at your hourly shop rate, plus thread, backing and labor. Then add your target margin. The EMBquote FAQ gives a common range of $0.50 to $1.25 per 1,000 stitches before minimums. Your number should come from your own costs.
Step 3: Add quantity breaks, minimums and setup fees
A flat rate underprices high-stitch jobs and overprices tiny ones, so tier the rate by stitch band and order quantity. Add a per-piece minimum, a one-time setup or digitizing fee for each design, and an order minimum if you use one.
Step 4: Charge for every location
Each added location means re-hooping every garment. Quote it as its own line with its own stitch count and a per-position hooping or handling fee. A sleeve or a jacket back is not the chest price plus a few dollars. For more on pricing the whole job, including blank markup, read How to Price Embroidery Jobs.
What an embroidery quote should include
A clear embroidery quote usually lists more than a single per-piece number. Separate lines keep the math honest for the customer and for your shop:
- Decoration price per location (stitch count × rate, with quantity breaks and a per-piece minimum).
- Per-position hooping or handling when you sew more than one location.
- A one-time digitizing or setup fee for the design (shown separately from the run).
- Blank garment cost and markup when you supply the goods.
- Extras such as 3D puff, applique, or specialty thread when they apply — each as its own line, not buried in the stitch rate.
For typical price bands by stitch count and quantity, see the embroidery price chart.
Estimate first, then reprice after digitizing
Most jobs start before the digitized file exists. Give a planning price from a stitch estimate, then update the quote when the real stitch count comes back from digitizing. EMBquote does not read DST, PES, EXP, or JEF files today — enter the count (or estimate) in the quote wizard, and revise when the file is ready. That keeps the first number honest without locking you into a guess.
Worked example (illustrative numbers)
These are the starting example numbers in the free calculator. They are not EMBquote's or any shop's real prices.
| Step | Example |
|---|---|
| Design and density | 3.5 x 2 in at 1,200 stitches per sq in = 8,400 stitches |
| Rate | $1.00 per 1,000 stitches (example) |
| Quantity break | 24 pieces: 5% off at 12 or more pieces, so $0.95 per 1,000 stitches |
| Price per piece | 8.4 × $0.95 = $7.98 |
| 24 pieces | 24 × $7.98 = $191.52 |
| Setup fee | $40.00 (example) |
| Order total | $231.52 (about $9.65 per piece including setup) |
Put the same design at a second location and the decoration doubles to $15.96 per piece, so 24 pieces come to $383.04 plus the $40.00 setup, or $423.04. Run your own rates in the free embroidery calculator to see your numbers.
From estimate to quote
A calculator gives a planning number. EMBquote turns it into a real quote: a guided wizard, live SanMar and S&S Activewear catalogs, and two-way QuickBooks Online sync. See embroidery quote software and pricing.
After the quote is approved, production still has to leave the spreadsheet. Read embroidery production workflow after the quote for how shops move work from estimate to the floor.
Turn estimates into real quotes
EMBquote is quoting software for embroidery shops, with QuickBooks sync. Built by a real embroidery shop using it every day. Start with your own rates.
Start free trial14-day free trial (credit card required up front), then $149/month early-bird ($299/month regular).
See pricingEmbroidery pricing FAQ
How do you calculate embroidery pricing?
Price per piece = (stitches ÷ 1,000) × your rate per 1,000 stitches, less any quantity break, never below your per-piece minimum. Multiply by locations and pieces, then add the one-time setup or digitizing fee.
How much does embroidery cost per 1,000 stitches?
It depends on your own costs. Build the rate from your machine run-time at your hourly shop rate, plus thread, backing and labor, then your target margin. The EMBquote FAQ gives a common range of $0.50 to $1.25 per 1,000 stitches before minimums. Treat that as a starting point, not a rule.
How many stitches is a left chest logo?
With the example medium density of 1,200 stitches per square inch, a 3.5 x 2 inch left chest logo comes to about 8,400 stitches. Your own file may be higher or lower. Only a digitized file gives the true stitch count.
How do I estimate stitches before the logo is digitized?
Multiply the logo width by its height to get square inches, then multiply by a stitches-per-square-inch density for the art style: lower for text-only art, higher for dense fills. You do not need the digitizer to give a planning price.
Should I charge per location?
Yes. Each added location means re-hooping every garment by hand, which a per-piece stitch price alone does not recover. Quote each location as its own line with its own stitch count and a per-position hooping or handling fee. The EMBquote FAQ gives $1 to $4 per piece per added position as a common figure.
Should I charge a digitizing or setup fee?
Show digitizing as its own one-time line item, separate from the per-piece price, since the file is created once and reused on reorders. Hiding it in the per-piece price either overcharges big runs or undercharges small ones.
Can I get an exact stitch count from a DST or PES file in EMBquote?
No. EMBquote does not read DST, PES, EXP, or JEF files today. Enter a stitch-count estimate for the planning price, then update the quote when the digitized file returns the true count. The free embroidery calculator helps with the estimate.
Is this calculator a quote?
No. The free embroidery calculator gives a planning estimate from example numbers that you can change. It is not an offer or a quote.