Contract embroidery pricing looks opaque from the outside because three separate numbers get blended into one quote: a per-piece rate that steps down with quantity, a stitch count that pushes that rate up, and a one-time digitizing fee. Once you can see the three parts, you can price your own customers with confidence, spot a quote that is padded, and know exactly where your margin lives. This is how we price contract embroidery at our shop in Deerfield Beach, Florida, written for print shops, promotional product distributors and brands who resell our work.
Want your logo priced at your quantities?
Send the logo and a rough piece count. We will estimate the stitch count, show you the per-piece rate at your number and the next break up, and quote digitizing, all the same business day.
The three numbers in every embroidery quote
1. Per-piece rate by quantity. The base price for a standard left-chest logo up to about 7,000 stitches. It steps down as the run gets longer, because hooping, thread changes and machine setup get spread over more pieces.
2. Stitch count. The number of stitches in the digitized file. Above the base allowance, each additional thousand stitches adds a small per-piece charge, because run time on the machine is almost perfectly proportional to stitch count.
3. Digitizing. A one-time fee to convert the logo into a stitch file (DST) and sew it out for approval. Paid once per logo, then kept on file for every reorder.
Everything else, from side-of-cap hits to puff foam to beanies, is an add-on to those three. If a quote does not separate them, ask for it to be separated.
Our contract rate card: per piece, up to 7,000 stitches
| Quantity | Per piece (up to 7K stitches) | Each additional 1K stitches |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | $4.50 | $0.35 |
| 36 | $4.00 | $0.35 |
| 50 to 100 | $3.75 | $0.35 |
| 150 | $3.50 | $0.35 |
| 200 to 250 | $3.25 | $0.35 |
| 500 | $3.00 | $0.35 |
| 1,000+ | Quote |
Those are decoration-only prices on your garments or ours; blanks are separate. Notice where the curve flattens. The jump from 24 to 50 pieces saves 75 cents a piece, nearly 17 percent. From 250 to 500 it saves a quarter. The best value for most resellers starts at 50 pieces, which is why we tell contract buyers to consolidate two 30-piece orders of the same logo into one 60-piece run whenever they can.
How stitch count changes the price
A clean left-chest logo, about 3.5 inches wide, usually lands between 4,000 and 7,000 stitches and fits inside the base rate. Stitch count climbs when the logo gets bigger, when it has large solid fills, and when it has a lot of small text. A 4-inch logo with a solid filled shield and a tagline can hit 10,000 stitches; a full-back jacket design can run 25,000 to 40,000.
The math is simple. At 100 pieces, a 7,000-stitch logo is $3.75 each. The same design at 10,000 stitches is $3.75 plus three additional thousands at $0.35, or $4.80 each. On 100 pieces that is $105 more for the run. A good digitizer reduces stitch count without changing the look, by using satin stitches instead of fills where possible and by removing detail that will not read at size. That is one reason digitizing in house matters: we are motivated to make the file efficient because our machines run it.
If you are quoting your own customer before we have digitized, use these rough bands: small left-chest text-and-icon logos 4K to 6K; standard left-chest logos with a filled element 6K to 9K; cap fronts 5K to 8K; 10 to 12 inch jacket backs 20K and up.
Digitizing: the one-time fee and why it is not optional
Digitizing is $30 to $50 per logo depending on complexity, and it includes a sew-out on a sample for approval. We do not accept customer-supplied DST files blind, because a file digitized for a different machine, fabric or size will not sew the same way. Once approved, the file is stored with your account. Reorders have no digitizing fee, the stitch count is already known, and the run matches the first one. For resellers, this is the asset: your customer’s logo is on file at one shop, and reordering is an email with a quantity.
Add-ons that change the per-piece number
Side embroidery on hats adds $0.50 per piece per location. Beanies and bucket hats add $1.00 per piece because they hoop slower. Puff embroidery (3D foam) runs $3 to $4 per piece on top of the base rate, depending on stitch density. Excessive thread color changes, generally past six or seven colors, can affect pricing because every change is machine time. Rush tiers add a percentage to the embroidery cost per location only: 15% for 4 to 5 days, 25% for 72 hours, 40% for 24 to 48 hours, and 75% for same day, all subject to capacity. Blind shipping and relabeling are available on every contract order; details are on our blind shipping page.
Worked example: a 150-piece polo program
A distributor sells a landscaping company 150 polos with a 6,500-stitch left-chest logo. Contract embroidery is $3.50 per piece, so $525 for the run, plus $40 digitizing on the first order, $565 total decoration. The distributor supplies Port Authority K110 polos from SanMar shipped directly to us. The reorder six months later for another 150 is $525 flat, no digitizing, and the logo sews identically because the DST never changed. If the same program had been quoted as two 75-piece orders, the per-piece rate would have been $3.75 and the total $37.50 higher, before counting the second round of freight.
How to quote embroidery to your own customers
Resellers typically mark decoration up 40 to 100 percent and the blank 30 to 60 percent, depending on the market. The pieces that protect that margin: quote your customer at a tier, not a single price, so a bigger order is in their interest; keep digitizing as a separate line on the first order so it does not look like a hidden fee; and ask us for the next break up on every quote. Our contract embroidery page has the full service details, the wholesale embroidered hats page covers cap-specific pricing, and how contract screen printing works covers the same reseller math for print.
Frequently asked questions
How much does contract embroidery cost per piece?
On our rate card, $4.50 per piece at 24 pieces down to $3.00 at 500 pieces for a logo up to 7,000 stitches, plus $0.35 per piece for each additional 1,000 stitches. Orders of 1,000 or more are quoted individually.
What is a typical stitch count for a left-chest logo?
Most left-chest logos around 3.5 inches wide land between 4,000 and 7,000 stitches. Large solid fills and fine text push the count higher.
How much is a digitizing fee?
$30 to $50 per logo, one time, including a sew-out for approval. The DST file is kept on record so reorders carry no digitizing fee.
Can I supply my own DST file?
We will review it, but files digitized for other machines or fabrics often need adjustment. If it sews cleanly on our equipment we use it; if not, we re-digitize and tell you before charging.
Is there a minimum for contract embroidery?
24 pieces per design. Pricing improves at 50 pieces and again at 150, 250 and 500.
Do you embroider customer-supplied garments?
Yes. Ship blanks from SanMar, S&S or your supplier directly to our shop in Deerfield Beach, or we can source them for you.
Price your logo at your quantities
Send the logo and a piece count. We will estimate stitches, quote digitizing, and show your per-piece rate at your number and the next tier up, the same business day.