Choose a pricing model
Per-stitch (commercial standard), flat-rate per item (simple consumer), or per-hour (hard to communicate). Most home businesses use flat-rate; most commercial shops use per-stitch.
StitchPilot.aiBusiness guide · Pricing
How to Price Embroidery Work
Pricing is the single biggest source of unprofitable embroidery businesses. Charge too low, you can't keep up with demand. Charge too high, you sit empty. This guide explains the three common pricing models, when to use each, and how to think about value vs cost.
Building your pricing structure
Calculate your true cost per design
Stitches + thread + stabilizer + electricity + machine wear + your time. Most underpricing comes from forgetting the time. $25/hour is a reasonable starting point for skilled embroidery.
Decide on digitizing fees
Charge digitizing as a separate one-time fee ($25-75 per design) or bundle into the first stitched item. Don't do it for free — it's 30-60 min of your time per design.
Set a minimum order
Tiny one-off orders ($5-10 monograms on a single item) eat hooping time. Set a $25-50 minimum to filter out unprofitable jobs.
Common pricing tiers (2026 US market)
Reference pricing
These are common ranges seen across US embroidery businesses in 2026. Adjust for your local market and quality positioning.
- Left chest logo (5000 stitches): $8-15 per item
- Large back design (15000 stitches): $20-40 per item
- Monogram (1000-2000 stitches): $6-12 per item
- Cap embroidery: +$3-5 over flat goods (extra hooping)
- Digitizing fee: $25-75 one-time per design
- Per-stitch (commercial): $0.0015 - $0.003 per stitch
When to charge more
Premium pricing situations
Don't race to the bottom — these factors justify premium pricing:
- Rush jobs (less than 5 business days)
- Customer-supplied designs that need cleanup
- Difficult fabrics (leather, silk, performance fabric)
- Small minimums (less than 12 items requires more setup time per piece)
- Custom color matching to brand requirements
How to price embroidery work — common questions
What's the average price for embroidery work in 2026?
Left chest logos run $8-15, large back designs $20-40, monograms $6-12. These are home-business / small-shop prices; commercial shops typically charge by stitch count (~$0.002 per stitch). Adjust for your local market.
Should I charge a separate digitizing fee?
Yes — digitizing is 30-60 minutes per design. $25-75 one-time fee is standard. Either as a separate line item or bundled into the first stitched item with a minimum order.
How do I price embroidery for Etsy?
Etsy pricing must factor in Etsy fees (~10% total), shipping costs, and your time per item. Common Etsy embroidery items (monogrammed towels, custom patches) typically retail $15-50. Be competitive but profitable.
What's per-stitch pricing for embroidery?
Commercial embroidery shops charge by stitch count: ~$0.0015-$0.003 per stitch. A 10,000-stitch design at $0.002/stitch = $20. Most home businesses use flat-rate pricing instead.
How much should I charge to digitize a logo?
$25-75 one-time per logo. AI tools like StitchPilot.ai bring the back-end cost of digitizing close to zero, but customers don't see that — they're paying for the result. $50 is a common middle-ground.
Lower your digitizing cost
AI digitizing changes the pricing math
When digitizing costs $0.50 instead of $30, you can charge less or earn more — pick.
Digitize for $12/month →