Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Cost per piece
$8.48
Machine run time per piece
10.00
Machine cost per piece
$3.50
Digitizing cost per piece
$1.88
Total job cost
$203.40
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter stitch count.
- 2Enter effective stitches per minute.
- 3Enter machine + overhead cost per minute ($).
- 4Enter thread + bobbin cost per piece ($).
- 5Enter hooping/trimming labor per piece ($).
- 6Enter one-time digitizing fee ($).
- 7Enter quantity.
- 8Read your cost per piece on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Embroidery pricing should be driven by stitch count because that's what actually determines machine run time, thread consumption, and needle wear — not a flat 'per logo' guess. A typical left-chest logo runs 5,000–9,000 stitches; a large jacket back can run 15,000–25,000+. This calculator converts stitch count into machine run time using stitches-per-minute speed, adds thread and bobbin cost, spreads one-time digitizing cost across the run, and adds a per-piece labor charge for hooping and trimming. The result is a defensible per-piece price you can quote with confidence instead of a round number. Commercial multi-needle machines run 700–1,000 stitches per minute in practice once you account for color changes, trims, and thread breaks, even though the rated top speed is often 1,200+. Digitizing a new logo typically costs $25–$75 depending on complexity and is a one-time cost that should be billed either separately or amortized across the first order.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Stitch count: 8000
- Effective stitches per minute: 800
- Machine + overhead cost per minute: 0.35 $
- Thread + bobbin cost per piece: 0.6 $
- Hooping/trimming labor per piece: 2.5 $
- One-time digitizing fee: 45 $
- Quantity: 24
Results
- Cost per piece: $8.48
- Machine run time per piece: 10
- Machine cost per piece: $3.50
- Digitizing cost per piece: $1.88
- Total job cost: $203.40
What each field means
Inputs
- Stitch count
- The stitch count used in the calculation. Starts at 8000 so you have a working example on load.
- Effective stitches per minute
- The effective stitches per minute used in the calculation. Starts at 800 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 200–1200.
- Machine + overhead cost per minute ($)
- The machine + overhead cost per minute used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0.35 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Thread + bobbin cost per piece ($)
- The thread + bobbin cost per piece used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0.6 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Hooping/trimming labor per piece ($)
- The hooping/trimming labor per piece used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 2.5 $ so you have a working example on load.
- One-time digitizing fee ($)
- The one-time digitizing fee used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 45 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Quantity
- The quantity used in the calculation. Starts at 24 so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Cost per piece
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Machine run time per piece
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Machine cost per piece
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Digitizing cost per piece
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total job cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Why price by stitch count instead of a flat logo fee?
A flat fee undercharges for dense, large designs and overcharges for simple ones. A 15,000-stitch jacket back takes nearly twice the machine time of a 8,000-stitch left chest, and that time is your real cost driver — thread and labor scale with it too.
How many heads should I run at once?
Multi-head machines (6, 12, 15 heads) let one operator run many pieces per cycle, which is how shops hit low per-piece labor on bigger orders. For small orders, single or 4-head setups keep overhead proportional to the job.
Should digitizing be a separate line item?
Yes, ideally. Charging digitizing once and clearly (or waiving it for larger orders) avoids confusion, and it lets you reuse the digitized file for reorders at no added cost — a strong incentive for repeat business.
What causes thread breaks and slower effective speed?
Cheap or old thread, incorrect tension, dense fills, and metallic/specialty threads all cause breaks that stop the machine. Budgeting 700-850 effective SPM instead of the machine's rated 1,000-1,200 accounts for this real-world friction.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Embroidery Stitch Count Pricing Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/embroidery-stitch-count-price
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/embroidery-stitch-count-price" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Embroidery Stitch Count Pricing Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Embroidery Stitch Count Pricing Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/embroidery-stitch-count-price) (2026).