Run your numbers, not ours.
Two working calculators for anyone weighing up a home embroidery business: the true startup cost (machine + everything nobody mentions), and what to charge per garment. Defaults are editable — every figure is yours to change.
*at $15 average profit per embroidered item — change it in Calculator 02 below. Figures are estimates for planning, not quotes.
Cost = blank + thread/stabiliser consumables (est. from stitch count) + your time (run time ÷ speed, plus 8 min handling). Charge = cost ÷ (1 − margin). Estimates for planning — materials and local markets vary.
Common questions
How accurate are these calculators?
They’re planning tools, not quotes. Defaults come from our machine price database, retailer supply pricing and owner-reported consumable usage — but every field is editable, and your suppliers, machine and local market move every number. Treat outputs as a realistic starting range.
What stitch count should I assume per job?
Rough working figures: a left-chest logo runs about 5,000–8,000 stitches, a cap design 8,000–10,000, and a full jacket back 30,000+. Your digitised file will state its exact count — use that once you have it.
What margin should an embroidery business target?
Custom embroidery typically supports a 50–65% margin. Below 50% you’re usually underpaying your own time — the calculator surfaces that by pricing your labour at a real hourly rate instead of treating it as free.
Where the defaults come from
Default figures are drawn from our machine price database, retailer supply pricing and owner-reported consumable usage — the same research behind our verdicts. They're starting points: your machine choice, suppliers and local market move every number.