For the maker
Embroidery pricing calculator
Is $1 per 1,000 stitches enough? Put in the stitch count, your machine's real speed, and the time you spend hooping, and see the price per piece that pays for your time — and what that works out to per thousand stitches.
What embroidery goes for, and where that number comes from
Your price should start from your costs. These published rates are the sanity check — if you land far outside them, look at your hours and your drive before you look at your rate.
| What | Published figure | Source | Data from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per 1,000 stitches | $0.50 – $1.50 | MakersMath | 2026 |
| Single-head machine, rated speed | 600 – 1,000 spm | MakersMath | 2026 |
| Small left-chest logo | 5,000 – 8,000 stitches | MakersMath | 2026 |
| Basic cotton tee, wholesale | $2 – $5 | MakersMath | 2026 |
| Structured cap or branded polo, wholesale | $8 – $15 | MakersMath | 2026 |
| Thread cost per 10,000-stitch design | Under $0.10 | MakersMath | 2026 |
The per-1,000-stitch rate is how shops talk about price, but it hides the part that eats small orders: hooping, trimming, and setup don't scale with stitches. That's why the calculator prices from time and shows the per-1,000 figure as a result, not an input.
The awkward questions
Is $1 per 1,000 stitches enough?
It depends on your machine speed and how many pieces you run. At a real-world 650 stitches a minute plus a few minutes of hooping, $1 per thousand often doesn't cover a fair hourly wage on small orders. Put your own numbers in and check the per-1,000 figure the calculator gives back.
Why is the price per piece so much higher on small orders?
Setup time and digitizing get split across fewer pieces. Change the quantity from 12 to 1 and watch the per-piece price jump — that's the case for a minimum order or a setup fee on one-offs.
Should I charge a separate digitizing fee?
Many shops do, especially for new designs, and waive it on reorders or large quantities. If you'd rather fold it into the price, put the digitizing cost in the field and it's spread across the order.
What about multi-head machines?
This version assumes one single-head machine. With more heads, sewing time per piece drops but hooping time doesn't. For a rough answer, multiply the stitches-per-minute figure by the number of heads and leave hooping time as it is.
Is the hourly figure what I take home?
It's before income and self-employment tax. This tool prices the order; it doesn't give tax advice.