Free tool
Stitch count & price calculator
Every number is yours to change. The defaults are common US shop rates in 2026: about $1 per thousand stitches with a $6 minimum, and 650 stitches per minute on a single-needle machine.
Reads the stitch count and colour changes from the file · stays on your device
The design
Your rates
Your machine
| Stitching (12 × 8.00) | $96.00 |
| Garments (12 × 4.50) | $54.00 |
| Setup / digitising | $0.00 |
| Labour (2.9 h) | $72.79 |
Time and thread
Run time = stitches ÷ speed + 30 s per colour change + 45 s hooping. Thread assumes a 2.2 mm average stitch and 1.25× consumption on top; measure a real run and adjust.
About this tool
Where the numbers come from
Run time is stitches divided by speed, plus 30 seconds per colour change, 3 seconds per trim and 45 seconds of hooping per piece, then divided by the number of heads. Nobody runs at the rated speed of a machine: home machines average 550 to 700 stitches a minute over a real design, commercial single heads 800 to 1,000. Thread use is 1.25 times the sewn length on top (the zigzag of a satin uses more thread than the distance it advances) and half that in the bobbin, both for 40-weight thread.
Pricing follows the stitch-count method most shops use: a rate per 1,000 stitches with a per-piece minimum, plus a one-time setup or digitising fee spread over the quantity, plus the garment at cost with a markup. The calculator shows the arithmetic so you can defend a quote, and the guides below explain where the rates sit and how to time your own machine.
What it does not do
- It does not know your overheads. The labour rate and markup are where they go.
- Quantity breaks are yours to set; the calculator prices one quantity at a time so you can compare.
- It estimates thread by length, not by cone; a cone of 40-weight is about 1,000 or 5,000 metres.
How to use it
- 1
Enter the design
Drop a stitch file to read its count and colour changes, or type them.
- 2
Set your rates
Price per 1,000 stitches, minimum per piece, digitising or setup fee, garment cost, quantity and markup. The defaults are common US shop figures in 2026.
- 3
Set your machine
Stitches per minute, number of heads and your labour rate. Colour changes cost 30 seconds each and hooping 45 seconds by default.
- 4
Read the quote
Per-piece price, run time for the batch, thread and bobbin use, and the margin after garment and labour.
Questions
What is a normal rate per 1,000 stitches?
Contract embroiderers commonly quote $0.75 to $1.50 per thousand stitches for garments the customer supplies, with a minimum of $5 to $8 per piece and quantity breaks above 24 or 48 pieces. Caps and left-chest logos of 5,000 to 8,000 stitches land between $6 and $12 each at those rates.
How accurate is the run time?
Stitches ÷ speed is exact; the rest is overhead. Thirty seconds per colour change and 45 seconds to hoop are averages for a practised operator on a single-needle machine. Multi-needle machines lose the change time but not the hooping.
Why does the thread estimate say rule of thumb?
Thread use depends on stitch length, fabric thickness and tension. The estimate assumes a 2.2 mm average stitch and 1.25 times the sewn length on top. Weigh a cone before and after a run once, and you will have your own number.
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