Embroidery production calculator

Plan an order before you quote it: how long each run sews, how many pieces you finish an hour and a day, and how many working days the job takes on one head or many.

The design

StitchesNot sure? Estimate itColor changesColors minus oneTrimsPieces in the order

The machine and shop

Speedst/minHome 400–850, commercial 750–1,200HeadsPieces sewn at onceHooping time per pieceminHours a day

Hoop the next pieces while the machine sewsNeeds a spare set of hoops; common in production shops

Estimate

pieces a day · 4.5 an hour

Sew time per run: 13 min
Cycle per run: 13 min
Runs for the order: 48
Machine time: 10.7 h
Working days: 1.3
Time spent sewing: 96%

Estimates: sewing at the set speed plus about 20 seconds per color change and 5 per trim. Thread breaks and test sew-outs add time.

Get the real stitch count, colors and trims

Digitize the logo and the summary shows exactly what to enter here.

Digitize a design

What it counts

Where the time goes

Sewing
Stitch count divided by the machine's speed in stitches per minute.
Color changes
About 20 seconds each for the machine to switch needles or for you to rethread.
Trims
About 5 seconds each for the trimmer to cut and the machine to move on.
Hooping
Loading and unloading each piece; on multi-head machines, one piece per head.
Spare hoops
Hooping the next run while the machine sews hides most of the hooping time.
The order
Runs needed, machine hours and working days at your hours per day.

Tips

Getting more pieces out of the day

Cut color changes: merge similar colors and sew the same color across a run.
Use a hooping station and spare hoops so the machine never waits for you.
Run caps slower than flats, and plan for it: cap frames often sew 100–200 stitches a minute slower.
Quote rush jobs from machine hours, not just stitch count.

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Realistic stitch preview and sew-out
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FAQ

Questions

The quickest way to see what it does with your artwork is to try it. With a free account, digitizing and previewing cost nothing and take about a minute.

How long does it take to embroider a design?

Divide the stitch count by the machine speed, then add about 20 seconds per color change and 5 per trim. An 8,000-stitch logo with 4 color changes at 750 stitches a minute sews in roughly 12 minutes, plus hooping.

How many shirts can I embroider in a day?

With an 8,000-stitch left chest logo on a single-head machine at 750 stitches a minute, expect around 30 to 40 pieces in an 8-hour day once hooping is included. A 4-head machine multiplies that by up to four.

Does hooping really matter that much?

Yes. On short designs hooping can take as long as sewing. Spare hoops let you hoop the next pieces while the machine runs, which is the biggest single gain in most shops.

How accurate is it?

It's a planning estimate. Thread breaks, test sew-outs, bobbin changes and slower speeds on caps or dense designs add time.

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