Question 1

How do you price embroidered patches?

Accepted Answer

Start with the stitch count, not the size. Multiply the patch area by how much of it is stitched over, roughly 2,000 stitches per square inch at full coverage. That drives your thread cost and machine time. Add materials, backing, and labor, then the margin you want to keep. The calculator does all of it as you type.

Question 2

How much should I charge for a patch?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the size, the coverage, how many you run at once, and your quantity. There's no flat rate, and copying a competitor is how shops lose money. As a rough anchor, a 3x3 full-coverage patch run six per sheet lands near $9 each at a small quantity, and less per patch in bulk. Run your own numbers to get yours.

Question 3

Why is my per-patch price so high?

Accepted Answer

Almost always because the price assumes one patch on one head. Patches are meant to run many at a time. Priced solo, a small patch can read over $30. Tell the calculator how many you run per sheet and the same patch can drop to under $10. That single setting matters more than any other.

Question 4

How does coverage change the price?

Accepted Answer

Coverage is how much of the twill ends up buried under thread. Full coverage is about 2,000 stitches per square inch, half coverage about 1,000. Half the coverage is half the thread and half the machine time, which is a very different price for the same size patch. It's the biggest single choice in patch pricing.

Question 5

Should patches get a bulk discount?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Larger runs share setup and stitch out more efficiently, so the per-patch cost drops as quantity climbs. The calculator applies a bulk discount by quantity and shows the whole-order total, so you can quote a run of 100 differently from a run of 6 without doing the math by hand.

What should I charge for this patch?

The full builder does the parts this can't

What should I charge for this patch?

The full builder does the parts this can't

Free patch pricing cheat sheet