calculator
Embroidery Pricing Calculator
Quote machine embroidery by stitch count — blanks, digitizing, bulk discounts and profit per machine hour.
The design and order
From your digitizing software or the design file.
0 for small orders.
Blanks and supplies
Per item. Set blank cost to 0 if the customer supplies it.
Digitizing and setup
What you pay to have the design digitized. 0 if you already have the file.
The least you'll take an order for. 0 for none.
Machine and labor
Real average including trims and color changes — lower than the rated maximum.
Price per item
$20.00
$123.00
Profit on this order
$53.81
Profit per machine hour
$8.00
Embroidery charge per item
2.3 h
Machine time for the order
What this order costs you
- Blanks$96.00 · 61%
- Stabilizer, thread & backing$9.00 · 6%
- Hooping & finishing labor$12.00 · 8%
- Digitizing$40.00 · 25%
How we calculated this
- Stitching: 8,000 stitches at $1.00 per 1,000 = $8.00 per item.
- Blank: $8.00 with a 50% markup = $12.00 per item.
- Each item sells for $20.00.
- 12 items + $40.00 digitizing = $280.00 order total.
- At 700 stitches per minute, each item runs about 11.4 min — 2.3 machine hours for the order.
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How this works
Prices by stitch count (rate per 1,000 stitches) plus the marked-up blank, with setup, digitizing and bulk discounts, then checks the order's profit and profit per machine hour.
Last reviewed
FAQ
Most machine embroiderers charge for stitching by stitch count — a rate per 1,000 stitches — then add the blank item with a markup, plus any digitizing or setup fee. Stitch count is the fairest measure because it tracks how long the design ties up your machine.
Rates vary a lot by region, market and order size, so there's no universal number — the $1.00 default is just a starting point. Use the "profit per machine hour" result to sanity-check: if a job earns less per machine hour than you need, raise the rate or add a minimum charge.
Many shops charge digitizing as a one-time fee on the first order and keep the file for re-orders. If you absorb it instead, switch the option to "I absorb it" — the calculator keeps it as a cost so you can see the hit to your profit, especially on small orders.
Your machine can only run so many hours a day. Dividing stitch count by your real average speed (including trims and color changes) shows how much machine time an order uses, and the profit it earns per machine hour. That's the number to watch when you're busy and have to choose between jobs.
Enter the discount for the order size. It comes off the embroidery charge only, so blanks are never sold below cost. Larger orders also run longer on the machine per setup, and if you absorb the digitizing fee it's spread over more pieces. Check the profit figure after applying a discount; the calculator warns if the order loses money.
Guides for this tool
How to Price Custom Embroidered Hats and Caps
Caps are one of the most popular embroidery products — and they run differently from flat items, so they deserve their own pricing.
Hamza Iqbal
4 min read
How Much to Charge for Embroidery: Pricing Per 1,000 Stitches
Stitch count is the fairest way to price machine embroidery — because it tracks how long your machine is tied up.
Hamza Iqbal
4 min read
Is Machine Embroidery Profitable? Measure Profit Per Machine Hour
Your embroidery machine's hours are limited. Profit per machine hour tells you which jobs are really paying.
Hamza Iqbal
4 min read
Embroidery Digitizing Fees: Should You Charge the Customer or Absorb It?
Absorbing a digitizing fee barely matters on a big order — and can wipe out most of the profit on a small one.
Hamza Iqbal
4 min read
Embroidery Bulk Pricing: How to Set Quantity Breaks Without Losing Money
Bigger orders earn more in total but less per item and per machine hour. Here's how to discount without giving away the profit.
Hamza Iqbal
4 min read
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