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
Margin per blank
$1.75
Margin %
31.8%
Landed blank cost
$3.75
Total blank margin for order
$175.00
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How to use this
- 1Enter wholesale blank cost (standard size) ($).
- 2Enter inbound shipping per unit ($).
- 3Enter average size upcharge (2xl+ blend) ($).
- 4Enter blank-only portion of your sell price ($).
- 5Enter units in order.
- 6Read your margin per blank on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Before a single ink drop or stitch goes on, the blank garment itself carries its own margin structure that many shop owners skip analyzing separately from the decorated price. This calculator isolates blank cost (wholesale from your supplier), shipping-in cost, and any size-upcharge averaging (2XL+ shirts typically cost $1-$3 more wholesale but shops often average that into one blended cost), against your blank-only component of the final price, so you can see if you're pricing blanks at cost, a small markup, or actually losing money on plus sizes while overcharging standard sizes. It matters because many shops set one flat decorated price across all sizes for simplicity, which quietly transfers margin from standard-size orders to cover underpriced plus-size blanks — fine as a policy, but you should know you're doing it rather than discover it in a margin audit.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Wholesale blank cost (standard size): 3.1 $
- Inbound shipping per unit: 0.25 $
- Average size upcharge (2XL+ blend): 0.4 $
- Blank-only portion of your sell price: 5.5 $
- Units in order: 100
Results
- Margin per blank: $1.75
- Margin %: 31.8%
- Landed blank cost: $3.75
- Total blank margin for order: $175.00
What each field means
Inputs
- Wholesale blank cost (standard size) ($)
- The wholesale blank cost (standard size) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 3.1 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Inbound shipping per unit ($)
- The inbound shipping per unit used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0.25 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Average size upcharge (2XL+ blend) ($)
- The average size upcharge (2xl+ blend) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0.4 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Blank-only portion of your sell price ($)
- The blank-only portion of your sell price used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 5.5 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Units in order
- The units in order used in the calculation. Starts at 100 so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Margin per blank
- 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.
- Margin %
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Landed blank cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total blank margin for order
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Should I charge extra for 2XL and up?
Most shops do, typically $2-$4 more per unit at retail, matching the $1-$3 wholesale upcharge suppliers already apply plus a bit of margin. Not charging it means smaller sizes are subsidizing plus sizes, which is a legitimate choice but should be intentional.
What's a healthy margin on the blank alone?
Many shops target 40-60% margin on the blank component specifically, since the decoration (screen print, embroidery) margin is usually thinner and carries more labor risk. A healthy blank margin cushions the whole job's profitability.
Does buying in bulk change blank cost meaningfully?
Yes — case pricing (typically 6-12 per case) versus dozen or less-than-case pricing can swing wholesale cost 10-20%. Distributors like SanMar or S&S Activewear post case-break pricing tiers worth checking before quoting large jobs.
How often should I re-check blank pricing?
Cotton commodity prices and freight surcharges shift blank cost a few times a year. Re-pull current wholesale pricing quarterly, or immediately after a supplier price increase notice, since a stale cost basis silently erodes margin.
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.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Garment Blank Margin Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/garment-blank-margin
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/garment-blank-margin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Garment Blank Margin Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Garment Blank Margin Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/garment-blank-margin) (2026).