Free calculator
Handmade Product Pricing Calculator
Type what one piece costs you in materials, how long it takes to make and what your time is worth. The calculator gives the unit cost, the classic (materials + labor) x 2 price, the lowest price that still covers your fees, and what your own price keeps per sale. Free, no sign-up.
- Materials and packaging$0
- Labor (your making time)$0
- Unit cost$0
- Profit at the formula price, after fees$0
- Fees at your price$0
- Profit per piece at your price$0
How it works
Labor is your making time priced at your hourly rate: minutes to make one piece, divided by 60, times the rate. 15 minutes at $20 an hour is $5.00 a piece.
Unit cost is materials plus packaging plus labor. The formula price is (materials + labor) x 2, the craft pricing formula published by CraftProfessional.com. Treat it as a check, not a rule: a price under it means your time is paying for part of the buyer's purchase.
Fees are your price times your fee rate, with card, payment or marketplace fees typed as one share of the price. Profit per piece is your price less the unit cost and the fees. The lowest price is the unit cost divided by one minus the fee rate: below it, a sale does not even cover your costs and your time. This is the arithmetic of the Products tab in the Craft Fair Profit Calculator.
A worked example
The Craft Fair Profit Calculator's example is a made-up candle and soap maker who values making time at $20 an hour. An 8 oz soy candle takes $6.50 of materials, 15 minutes ($5.00 of labor) and $0.60 of packaging: a $12.10 unit cost. The formula price is ($6.50 + $5.00) x 2 = $23.00. The maker charges $22.00, just under it; after card fees of 2.17% of sales ($0.48) each candle keeps $9.42, 42.8% of the price, on top of the $5.00 for the maker's time. At $23.00 it would keep $10.40, and below $12.37 a candle would not cover its cost and fees. The $8.00 soap bar ($3.85 unit cost) sits above its $7.20 formula price and keeps $3.98. The 2.17% is the example's card cost per dollar of sales: 70% of sales by card at Square's in-person 2.6% + 15 cents on a $30 average sale.
Price every product, then plan the show
The Craft Fair Profit Calculator for Excel and Google Sheets runs this same check for up to 15 products at once, flags any price under the formula, and blends them by your sales mix. It also adds up every cost of the day, shows how many pieces cover the booth, compares six booth fees and logs every show. $2.99, instant download.
Questions
How do I price a handmade product?
Add up materials and packaging, then add your making time at an hourly rate you choose. That is the unit cost. A common starting price is (materials + labor) x 2; check what that price keeps after your fees before you settle on it.
Should I pay myself in the price?
Yes, if you want the business to pay you for your time. Leave labor out and the price only covers materials and fees, so every hour you spend making is unpaid. Set the hourly rate to 0 above to see the difference.
What hourly rate should I use for making time?
Use what an hour of your making time has to be worth to you, then see whether buyers will pay the price it gives. Changing the rate above moves the labor, the unit cost and the formula price together.
Is the (materials + labor) x 2 formula always right?
No. It is a quick check that leaves room for fees, overhead and profit. Some products sell well under it and some well over it. The calculator shows the profit at both the formula price and your own price so you can compare.
What fees should I type?
The share of each sale that goes to card, payment or marketplace fees. For cash only, type 0. A flat fee per sale can be turned into a percent by dividing it by your average sale. Check your own provider's current rates.
Do these prices include sales tax?
No. Prices here are before sales tax. Tax you collect from buyers belongs to your state, not to you, so leave it out of your price and your profit.