Stitch count is the number of stitches in a design, and it's the main thing that decides how long a job runs. To estimate sewing time, divide the stitch count by your machine's real speed: 7,000 stitches at 700 stitches per minute is 10 minutes. To price a job, add up machine time, handling, thread changes and materials, add your markup, then add setup and the garment. The exact count comes from the stitch file, so get the file before you quote if you can.
What drives embroidery stitch count
- Size. Stitch count rises with the area covered. Double the width and height of a filled logo and you roughly quadruple its fill stitches.
- Stitch type. Fills cover area with many short stitches. Each satin stitch crosses its whole column, so a satin's count follows its length more than its width. Running stitch is the lightest of all. See satin vs fill stitch.
- Density. Rows closer together mean more stitches. Dense settings can add a lot to a big fill.
- Underlay. The stitches under the visible ones add to the count, and stretchy or fluffy fabrics need more of them.
- Coverage. A logo that's mostly outline sews far fewer stitches than a solid badge of the same width.
Rules of thumb for estimating stitches
These are rough planning numbers, worked out from common settings. Real files vary with density, underlay and the digitizer's choices, so use them as a sanity check, not as a quote.
- Fill: a solid 1×1 in (25 × 25 mm) square of fill at SatinSmith's default settings comes to roughly 700 to 800 stitches, underlay included. That makes 700 to 800 per filled square inch a reasonable planning figure. Denser settings push it higher.
- Satin: with stitches about 0.4 mm apart, roughly 60 to 70 stitches for every inch (25 mm) of column length, plus underlay. Lettering is mostly satin, so a line of small text can add up faster than its size suggests.
- Running stitch: at about 2.5 mm per stitch, roughly 10 stitches per inch of line.
- Whole designs: many 3 to 4 in left chest logos land somewhere between about 3,000 and 10,000 stitches, depending on how much of the area is filled. A full back can run to tens of thousands.
The reliable number comes from the file itself. In SatinSmith, the Details tab shows the stitch count, thread changes, trims and estimated machine time for any design, and previews are free, so you can get a real count before you quote without using a download. If a customer sends you a DST, open it in the free DST viewer to watch it sew stitch by stitch and check its density and hoop fit.
From stitch count to embroidery run time
Sewing time is the stitch count divided by your speed: minutes = stitches ÷ stitches per minute. Use your real average speed, not the top speed on the brochure.
| Stitch count | At 500 per minute | At 700 per minute | At 1,000 per minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 | 10 min | 7.1 min | 5 min |
| 10,000 | 20 min | 14.3 min | 10 min |
| 20,000 | 40 min | 28.6 min | 20 min |
| 40,000 | 80 min | 57.1 min | 40 min |
SatinSmith estimates machine time at 700 stitches per minute, for the sewing only: color changes, trims and hooping aren't included. Commercial multi-needle machines are often rated faster than that, though many operators slow down for caps, small lettering and dense designs. Home machines vary, and many run at around that speed or slower. To convert, multiply SatinSmith's minutes by 700 and divide by your own speed: 12 minutes at 700 is 8,400 stitches, which is about 9.3 minutes at 900.
Then add the time the machine isn't sewing:
- Thread changes. A multi-needle machine changes color in seconds. On a single-needle machine you rethread by hand every time. A design with 3 colors has at least 2 thread changes.
- Trims. Each trim takes a few seconds, and a busy design can have dozens.
- Hooping and unloading. Hooping, loading the frame, unhooping and tearing away backing can take as long as the sewing on small designs, and caps take longer than shirts.
- Breaks and checks. Leave some slack for thread breaks and for checking the first piece.
The parts of an embroidery quote
| Part | What it covers | How shops often charge it |
|---|---|---|
| Setup or digitizing | Making the stitch file and setting up the machine | A one-time fee per design; repeat orders reuse the file |
| Stitching | Machine time, which follows stitch count | A price per 1,000 stitches, or a per-piece price by stitch-count band |
| Garment | The blank shirt, cap or bag | Cost plus a markup, or nothing if the customer supplies it |
| Thread changes | Extra colors, especially on single-needle machines | Included up to a set number of colors, extra beyond that |
| Hooping and handling | Hooping, unhooping, trimming, folding | Built into a minimum price per piece |
| Extras | Caps, extra locations, names, rush jobs | An add-on per piece or per order |
If you buy the file from a professional digitizer, include that cost: digitizers commonly charge somewhere around $10 to $75 a logo and take a day or two. Our digitizing cost guide covers what changes the price. If you make the file yourself in SatinSmith, it costs one download from your plan; see pricing.
Price per 1,000 stitches vs price per piece
Per 1,000 stitches. You set a rate and multiply: price = (stitch count ÷ 1,000) × rate. It's simple and scales with the work. Its weak spot is small designs, where hooping and handling take longer than the sewing, so shops that price this way usually set a minimum charge per piece too.
Per piece by stitch band. You publish a table with bands such as up to 5,000 stitches, 5,001 to 10,000 and so on, with quantity breaks across the top. It's easier for customers to read and quicker to quote. Either way, the price per piece usually drops as quantity rises, because setup and the first test piece are spread across more items.
How to price embroidery: a worked example
Here's a method you can adapt. The numbers are examples to show the arithmetic, not market prices. Use your own costs.
- Work out your cost per machine minute. Add up a month of machine payments, wages, rent share, power, needles and maintenance, then divide by the minutes you actually sew in a month.
- Get the stitch count and sewing time for the design from the file.
- Add handling time per piece: hooping, thread changes, trims and unloading.
- Multiply the total minutes by your cost per minute, then add materials such as backing and thread.
- Add your markup, then the setup fee and the garment.
Example: Harbor Coffee orders 24 polos with a 3.5 in left chest logo. The file says 8,400 stitches in 3 colors, sewn on a single-head multi-needle machine. Say your cost works out at $0.60 per machine minute ($36 an hour), handling takes 3 minutes a piece, and setup is $30.
| Line | Working | Example result |
|---|---|---|
| Sewing time | 8,400 stitches ÷ 700 per minute | 12 min |
| Handling | Hooping, trims, unloading (example) | 3 min |
| Time per piece | 12 + 3 | 15 min |
| Machine and labor | 15 min × $0.60 | $9.00 |
| Backing and thread | Example figure | $0.50 |
| Cost per piece | $9.00 + $0.50 | $9.50 |
| Price before setup | $9.50 × 1.4 (a 40% markup) | $13.30 |
| Setup share | $30 ÷ 24 polos | $1.25 |
| Embroidery price per polo | $13.30 + $1.25 | $14.55, plus the garment |
Two quick checks. As a rate, $13.30 ÷ 8.4 thousand stitches is about $1.58 per 1,000, which you can compare with the rate you normally use. And the order needs 24 × 15 = 360 minutes, or 6 hours of machine time, which tells you whether you can meet the deadline. On a single-needle machine at an example 500 stitches per minute, sewing alone would be 8,400 ÷ 500 = 16.8 minutes a piece, before the 2 hand thread changes.
Questions
How many stitches is a left chest logo?
It depends on size and how much of the logo is filled, but many 3 to 4 in left chest logos land somewhere around 3,000 to 10,000 stitches. A simple text logo sits at the low end and a solid badge at the high end. Check the actual file before you quote.
How do you calculate embroidery run time?
Divide the stitch count by your machine's real average speed in stitches per minute, then add time for hooping, thread changes and trims. For example, 7,000 stitches at 700 stitches per minute is 10 minutes of sewing.
How much should I charge per 1,000 stitches?
There's no single right rate, because it depends on your costs, machine, location and customers. Work out your cost per machine minute, add handling, materials and margin, then divide the price by the stitch count in thousands to see the rate it implies. Most shops also set a minimum charge per piece.
Does stitch count affect the cost of digitizing?
Often, yes. Larger and more detailed designs take longer to digitize, and some digitizers price by stitch count or complexity. Our digitizing cost guide explains what else affects the price.