T-Shirt Pricing &
Profit Calculator
Calculate your profit per shirt, margins, and break-even point. Enter your costs, set your selling price, and see exactly how much you'll make per sale across different platforms.
Cost Per Shirt
Selling Price
Sales Channel
Monthly Sales Volume
100 unitsProfit Per Shirt
View profit at different volumes
| Qty | Revenue | Total Cost | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $24.99 | $11.50 | +$13.49 |
| 25 | $624.75 | $287.50 | +$337.25 |
| 50 | $1249.50 | $575.00 | +$674.50 |
| 100 | $2499.00 | $1150.00 | +$1349.00 |
| 250 | $6247.50 | $2875.00 | +$3372.50 |
| 500 | $12495.00 | $5750.00 | +$6745.00 |
How to Price Custom T-Shirts for Profit
Pricing your t-shirts correctly is the difference between a profitable clothing brand and a hobby that loses money. The key is understanding your total cost per shirt — not just the blank and printing, but packaging, shipping, platform fees, and any other overhead. Once you know your true cost, you can set a retail price that gives you a healthy profit margin.
Understanding Profit Margin vs. Markup
Profit Margin is the percentage of the selling price that's profit. If you sell a shirt for $25 and make $10 profit, your margin is 40%. This is the industry-standard way to measure profitability.
Markup is the percentage added on top of your cost. If your cost is $15 and you sell for $25, your markup is 66%. Markup is always higher than margin for the same shirt.
Most successful apparel brands target a 40–60% profit margin for direct-to-consumer sales. If you sell through platforms like Etsy or Amazon, aim higher (50–65%) to account for platform fees.
T-Shirt Pricing by Print Method
Screen Printing — Lowest per-unit cost at volume ($2–4/shirt for 50+ units), but has setup fees ($25–50 per color). Best for large runs of the same design. Typical cost: $5–7 per shirt all-in.
DTF (Direct-to-Film) — No minimum order, full-color prints without setup fees. Cost is $3–6 per transfer plus the blank. Great for small batches and complex designs. Typical cost: $7–10 per shirt.
Print on Demand (POD) — Zero upfront cost, no inventory risk. The POD provider handles printing and shipping. Cost is higher ($10–15 per shirt) but you never buy inventory. Best for testing designs.
Embroidery — Premium decoration method. Setup costs are higher ($30–60 for digitizing) but per-unit is reasonable at volume. Typical cost: $8–15 per piece. Commands higher retail prices ($30–45+).
Platform Fee Breakdown
Direct Sales (your website) — Only payment processing fees (~2.9% + $0.30). Maximum profit per sale. Requires driving your own traffic.
Etsy — 6.5% transaction fee + $0.20 listing fee + payment processing (3% + $0.25). Total: ~10% of sale price. Built-in audience of buyers.
Shopify — Monthly subscription ($39+) plus 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Better margins than marketplaces at volume.
Amazon Merch — Takes ~15% referral fee plus fulfillment costs if using FBA. Massive audience but lowest margins.
Quick Pricing Formula
A simple starting point: take your total cost per shirt and multiply by 2.5 to 3x. This gives you a 60–67% markup (roughly 40–50% margin). For example, if your total cost is $10 per shirt, price it at $24.99–$29.99. Adjust based on your brand positioning, competition, and platform fees.
Now that you know your margins, see how your design looks on a real 3D garment.
Create a Free 3D Mockup