Embroidery Pricing Cheat Sheet — Triple Thread Labs

Free Resource

Embroidery Pricing
Cheat Sheet

Formula · Platform fees · Margin health · Common job reference

Triple

thread labs.

The Pricing Formula

Cost components — add them all up

Thread cost Stitch count ÷ 1,000 × $0.25

Labor Run time (min) ÷ 60 × hourly rate

Blank / garment Your actual cost

Stabilizer ~$0.40–$0.75 per item

Digitizing (spread) Fee ÷ expected reorder qty

Overhead (10%) × 1.10 on subtotal

Sell for at least True cost × markup

Platform Fee Cheat Sheet

Platform	Total fees	You keep
Etsy	6.5% trans + $0.20 + 3% pay	~90%
Shopify	2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe)	~97%
Square	2.6% + $0.10 in-person	~97%
Amazon	15% + 2.9% + $0.30	~82%
Direct / cash	No platform fees	100%

Gross-up rule: To actually keep your target price after fees, divide by (1 − fee%). At 10% fees: charge $X ÷ 0.90 so you net $X after the cut.

Margin Health Guide

Healthy

Strong. Room to discount, absorb returns, or run promos.

40%+

Decent

Workable but watch your volume and overhead.

25–40%

Tight

One mistake or return wipes your profit. Raise price or cut cost.

15–25%

Low / Danger

You're working for free or losing money. Fix this job before it ships.

<15%

Common Job Reference

Job type	Typical stitches
Left chest logo Standard 4" design	4,000–8,000
Cap / hat Structured front, 2.5" height	5,000–10,000
Full back jacket Dense fill, 12" design	15,000–30,000
Name / text only Script or block, 3" wide	1,500–4,000
Team jersey (per name) Name + number back	2,000–5,000

Markup rule of thumb: 20% markup ≠ 20% margin. A 20% markup gives you 16.7% margin. To hit 40% margin, you need a 67% markup. Use the pricing system — let the math do the math.