# How to Price Clothing for Profit: Real Margins on 12 Pieces

> How to price clothing for profit: start near twice the cost to make. Live costs and margins for 12 pieces, every size, shipping and discounts.

- URL: https://clothify.io/blog/how-to-price-clothing
- Published: 2026-11-07
- Updated: 2026-11-13
- Author: The Clothify team, Makers of Clothify
- Topic: Costs and pricing

## Key takeaways

- Start near twice what a piece costs to make, round up to a clean price, then check it against what your customer already pays for similar pieces.
- At Printful's prices on November 7, 2026, a $32 T-shirt keeps $18.71 and a $55 hoodie keeps $30.22 after the card fee.
- Sizes above XL cost about $2 more each to make, so a 5XL T-shirt sold at $32 keeps only $10.71 unless you price big sizes up.
- Discounts cut deeper than they look: 20% off a $55 hoodie removes 35% of what you keep.
- Free shipping is a price cut you pay for: on a $32 T-shirt it drops what you keep from $18.71 to $13.90 unless you raise the price.

Check a promotion with the [discount and margin calculator](https://clothify.io/tools/clothing-discount-calculator) before offering a sale price.

Use the free [print-on-demand profit calculator](https://clothify.io/tools/print-on-demand-profit-calculator) to enter your own production, shipping and fee amounts and calculate contribution per order.

To price clothing for profit, start from what each piece costs to make, multiply by about two, round up to a clean number and check it against what your customers already pay. With print on demand that puts a T-shirt near $32 and a hoodie near $55, which keep $18.71 and $30.22 per sale after the card fee.

- **$32** T-shirt price that keeps $18.71
- **$55** hoodie price that keeps $30.22
- **2×** the cost to make, rounded up to the next $5

Every cost below is Printful's price on November 7, 2026, read through its API the same way the Clothify studio reads it.

See the [Clothify cost snapshot](https://clothify.io/research/print-on-demand-costs) for all 12 category records, a downloadable dataset and the limits of these historical prices.

## The pricing formula in one line

**Price = cost to make × 2, rounded up to the next $5, then checked against your market.**

Doubling the cost is the retail rule called keystone pricing, which [Shopify's guide](https://www.shopify.com/blog/what-is-keystone-pricing) describes as a gross margin of about 50%. Two words get mixed up:

- **100% markup** a $16 cost sold at $32
- **50% margin** the share of $32 you keep before fees

Clothify suggests prices with the same rule, never below a starting price: $32 for a T-shirt, $40 for a long sleeve or polo, $50 for sweatpants, $55 for a hoodie or sweatshirt and $28 for a hat, beanie or tote. Every suggestion is yours to change.

## What 12 common pieces cost and what to charge

Size M, one print, the price Clothify would suggest, and what is left after the card fee:

| Piece | Cost to make | Price | You keep | Margin |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| T-shirt (Bella+Canvas 3001) | $11.92 | $32 | $18.71 | 58% |
| Heavyweight tee (Comfort Colors 1717) | $15.60 | $35 | $17.94 | 51% |
| Long sleeve (Bella+Canvas 3501) | $18.66 | $40 | $19.74 | 49% |
| Crewneck sweatshirt (Gildan 18000) | $19.17 | $55 | $33.68 | 61% |
| Hoodie (Gildan 18500) | $22.63 | $55 | $30.22 | 55% |
| Zip hoodie (Gildan 18600) | $24.92 | $55 | $27.93 | 51% |
| Premium hoodie (Cotton Heritage M2580) | $27.84 | $60 | $29.87 | 50% |
| Sweatpants (Cotton Heritage M7580) | $29.98 | $60 | $27.73 | 46% |
| Snapback hat (Yupoong 6089M), embroidered | $17.23 | $35 | $16.32 | 47% |
| Dad hat (Yupoong 6245CM), embroidered | $14.94 | $30 | $13.75 | 46% |
| Beanie (Otto Cap 82-480), embroidered | $14.34 | $30 | $14.35 | 48% |
| Tote bag (Econscious EC8000) | $15.87 | $35 | $17.68 | 51% |

The card fee is [Stripe's US rate](https://stripe.com/pricing) of 2.9% plus 30 cents on the price plus the standard shipping the customer pays. What you keep is before taxes, ads and your plan. Fleece earns the most per sale, a premium blank needs a higher price, and hats and totes work best as a second item in an order.

## Price every size, not only medium

Printful charges the same up to XL, then $2 more for each size above it:

| Size | Tee keeps at $32 | Hoodie keeps at $55 |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Up to XL | $18.71 | $30.22 |
| 2XL | $16.71 | $28.22 |
| 3XL | $14.71 | $26.22 |
| 5XL | $10.71 | $22.22 |

Keep one price for every size, or add $2 per size above XL like the supplier does. Either way, show each size's price before checkout. Clothify refuses a store price below the cost of your largest size plus the card fee.

## Add every print before you set the price

The costs above include one print. Every extra print adds to every order:

- **+$5.95** a back print on a tee or hoodie
- **+$2.49** a sleeve print on a tee
- **+$0.99** an inside label on a tee
- **+$2.95** back or side embroidery on a hat

A tee printed front and back costs $17.87, so the rule suggests $40, which keeps $20.53. A hoodie printed front and back costs $28.58, so $60, which keeps $29.13.

## Decide who pays for shipping

Printful's standard delivery quote for one piece, November 7, 2026:

| Ship to | T-shirt | Hoodie |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| United States | $4.95 | $8.79 |
| United Kingdom | $4.79 | $7.29 |
| Germany | $4.99 | $7.29 |
| Canada | $8.59 | $10.59 |
| Australia | $7.99 | $12.49 |

Free shipping is a price cut you pay for: on a $32 tee it drops what you keep from $18.71 to $13.90. Build it into the price instead (a $37 tee with free shipping keeps $18.76), or offer it only above an order size. [Printful's shipping page](https://www.printful.com/shipping) lists rates by country.

## Discounts cost more than they look

A discount comes out of what you keep, while the cost to make stays the same.

**What you keep from a $55 hoodie at each discount**: 20% off the price removes 35% of the profit on this hoodie.

| Item | Cost |
| --- | ---: |
| Full price, $55 | $30.22 |
| 10% off, $49.50 | $24.88 |
| 20% off, $44 | $19.54 |
| 30% off, $38.50 | $14.20 |
| 40% off, $33 | $8.86 |

Source: Printful (Gildan 18500, size M, one print), $8.79 US shipping paid by the customer, Stripe's 2.9% plus 30 cents. Checked 2026-11-07.

Decide the lowest price you would accept before a sale. A fixed amount off, or an offer with an end date, keeps more margin than a deep percentage cut. Clothify's checkout stops any order where a discount would not cover production, shipping, tax and the card fee.

## Check the price against your market

1. **Find three brands** Ones your customer already buys from, and their prices
2. **Choose your position** Below them needs a reason; above them needs to look worth it
3. **Price the collection** Clear steps: $32 tee, $40 long sleeve, $55 hoodie
4. **Use round prices** $55 reads cleaner than $54.37

If a price feels too high, change the piece before you cut your margin: one print side instead of two, or a standard blank. [How to start a clothing brand](https://clothify.io/blog/how-to-start-a-clothing-brand) covers choosing first pieces.

## How Clothify sets your first price

Clothify reads the live supplier cost of your piece and suggests a price you can use with one tap, with the cost to make, what you make per sale and a monthly estimate under it.

![Clothify's price step for a black hoodie: a large price field suggesting $55.00, a cost to make of $22.63, $32.37 made per sale and an estimated monthly profit of $1,524 at 50 orders](https://clothify.io/blog/how-to-price-clothing/price-step.webp)

*The price step for a hoodie with one print, using Printful's size M cost on November 7, 2026.*

You can change any price later in your store's products, where each piece shows its supplier cost. The [studio page](https://clothify.io/studio) shows how pieces are designed.

**Price your first collection this week.** Design your pieces, see what each costs to make and set prices that leave a profit, starting with 7 days for $1. [See plans and pricing](https://clothify.io/pricing)

## Questions about pricing clothing

### What is a good profit margin for clothing?

Keeping 45% to 60% of the price after production and card fees. Below about 40%, a discount or a big size can wipe out most of the profit.

### How much should I charge for a T-shirt?

Twice the cost, rounded up. For an $11.92 tee that gives $25; Clothify starts at $32, which keeps $18.71.

### Should bigger sizes cost more?

They cost you more: $2 per size above XL. One price is fine if your largest size still earns enough.

### Can I sell print on demand clothing wholesale?

Rarely. A shop doubles what it pays you, so a $32 tee would sell to them for about $16, leaving $4.08 over Printful's cost. Wholesale works with stock bought in bulk; see [what it costs to start a clothing brand](https://clothify.io/blog/cost-to-start-a-clothing-brand).

### How often should I check my prices?

Whenever your supplier changes its prices, and at least every few months.

**Find the right price for your first piece.** [Start your brand · Clothify](https://clothify.io/)

## Sources

- [Unisex Staple T-Shirt | Bella + Canvas 3001](https://www.printful.com/custom/products/all/unisex-staple-t-shirt-bella-canvas-3001), Printful. Checked 2026-11-07.
- [Unisex Heavy Blend Hoodie | Gildan 18500](https://www.printful.com/custom/products/all/unisex-heavy-blend-hoodie-gildan-18500), Printful. Checked 2026-11-07.
- [API Documentation (catalog prices and shipping rates)](https://developers.printful.com/docs/), Printful. Checked 2026-11-07.
- [Shipping and fulfillment times](https://www.printful.com/shipping), Printful. Checked 2026-11-07.
- [Pricing and fees](https://stripe.com/pricing), Stripe. Checked 2026-11-07.
- [What Is Keystone Pricing? How To Use Keystone Pricing](https://www.shopify.com/blog/what-is-keystone-pricing), Shopify. Checked 2026-11-07.