# Cost per Square inch/foot Calculator



## easystreet (Apr 27, 2007)

Does anyone have or know of a simple calculator to calculate the cost of a roll ov vinyl per square inch and foot?


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

I use this method a lot. Very simply, take width inches and muliply the length inches as 20" x 10" =200 sq. inches.. Then take your cost per roll and devide by the number of sq. inches. If you use this to figure out a cost per design then always add to it the margin around the design.. a 10" x 10" design would be 11" x 11". For a profit you should figure how much you want to make 3 x , 4 times or 5 times the cost per inch. does that help. Lou


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## easystreet (Apr 27, 2007)

Yeah. I was looking for something I could add to an html page for visitors to figure out cost of there own custom designs. Let them add the dimensions pick the image then i give them the cost per sq in. But thanks for the your help I would of probably spaced margins lol


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## 2STRONG (Oct 17, 2007)

badalou said:


> I use this method a lot. Very simply, take width inches and muliply the length inches as 20" x 10" =200 sq. inches.. Then take your cost per roll and devide by the number of sq. inches. If you use this to figure out a cost per design then always add to it the margin around the design.. a 10" x 10" design would be 11" x 11". For a profit you should figure how much you want to make 3 x , 4 times or 5 times the cost per inch. does that help. Lou


Im new to this so let me try to figure what you said so i can use that same method i have been trying to figure a way. lets say i am using 5x5 whick =25 sq inches then my roll cost $40 divide that by 25 sq inch which would be around 16 cents right or wrong


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## garyb (Apr 3, 2007)

I think your cost would be $1.60, but I'm not the greatest in math!


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## easystreet (Apr 27, 2007)

easystreet said:


> Yeah. I was looking for something I could add to an html page for visitors to figure out cost of there own custom designs. Let them add the dimensions pick the image then i give them the cost per sq in. But thanks for the your help I would of probably spaced margins lol


did you men for the 15x15 or for the roll? 

for the 15x15 piece, yes it should be aprox .18 cent rounded up per sq inch


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

Grrrrr....if I had Excel (my mom has it) I have a plugin that allows you to create Javascript HTML pages from your spreadsheets (spendy little plugin, too!).

I'll check to see if I can create something like that in OpenOffice. Supposedly you can export HTML from your spreadsheets in that program.


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## gothicaleigh (Jun 16, 2007)

This is what I use:
EstiMate Sign Estimating Software:



*EDIT* Whoops. Just saw your following post. 
Suppose you will want a simpler formulae to use than all the adjustable calculations in EstiMate...


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## 2STRONG (Oct 17, 2007)

garyb said:


> I think your cost would be $1.60, but I'm not the greatest in math!


one of use is wrong you got $1.60 I got 0.16 cents and easy got 18 cents for 15x15 . huh!


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## garyb (Apr 3, 2007)

Yep, you're right! I reread the post and I calculated 25 sq" X 25 sq" , my bad!


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## 2STRONG (Oct 17, 2007)

i wounder were easy got 15x 15 to be 18 cents if i got 6x6 to be 16 cents roll price maybe


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## brentonchad (Aug 24, 2007)

Ok - For a 15X10yd roll of vinyl it goes like this

10 yards = 30 feet = 360 inches 

15in X 360in = 5400 square inches

Divide 5400 by the price you pay for the roll of vinyl - in my case it was $24.

5400/24 = .0044444444 

So it costs me less than 1 cent per square inch of vinyl( this is sign vinyl, not shirt)

But the formula is the same - figure your total square inches and divide by the total cost for the roll.


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## 2STRONG (Oct 17, 2007)

Thank You For That Cleared It Up For Me


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

Chad got it right,


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## stix (Feb 3, 2008)

I know this is late.. its affordable and it works Brinkman's Heatpress Transfer estimator 
I use the heat transfer portion alot.

Enjoy


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## easystreet (Apr 27, 2007)

2STRONG said:


> i wounder were easy got 15x 15 to be 18 cents if i got 6x6 to be 16 cents roll price maybe


man was goin back over posts, lol I think i just had a typo. My typing is even worse than my math


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## smthgrl4 (Feb 5, 2009)

I'm looking to calulate cost per sq in on my vinyl and my math sucks. My roll is 24 in by 50 yds. I know that 50 yds= 1800 in and my sq in = 43200 but there's as far as I've gotten. I'm trying to figure out cutting size for three different sizes; 5x5, 7x7 and 11x11. Some please save me from a math melt down


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## easystreet (Apr 27, 2007)

smthgrl4 said:


> I'm looking to calulate cost per sq in on my vinyl and my math sucks. My roll is 24 in by 50 yds. I know that 50 yds= 1800 in and my sq in = 43200 but there's as far as I've gotten. I'm trying to figure out cutting size for three different sizes; 5x5, 7x7 and 11x11. Some please save me from a math melt down


YOu need to divide the total sq inch by the price you paid for a roll. So if you paid 50.00 you would get 0.0011574074074074074074074074074074
which is less than 1 cent per square inch. Now I hope my math is right lol


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## Fbomb (Jul 29, 2007)

I was doing per sq. inch until I found this...

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-articles/t58056.html


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## easystreet (Apr 27, 2007)

Yeah thats a good video but he's asking about the cost going by the price of a roll. I personally don't buy it by the yard and I cut as I go and I have many different design sizes so the video does not really help me at all.

I like to add up the cost of a roll per sq inch and put it on a label on the inside of a roll so when i grab a roll to use and I know that if I'm going to be using this roll and and estimated size of the piece I can do a quick estimate in my head. I have found that \trying to plan out the profit on a whole roll is futile when you factor in waste, mistakes and test runs.

But if your buying just enough material for a job than this video show a good way to figure how much you going to need to get the job done.


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## jiarby (Feb 8, 2007)

$paidforroll/(Length x Width) = $/sqwhatever (inch/ft) 
(ex: $24.50 for 24"wide 10yd roll)
24.50/(24x360) =$.00283 per sq in

7x7= 49sqin
49sqin x $.00283 = $.1387

This is seriously I think 4th grade math. No need to meltdown about division and multiplication. 


The problem with these kind of formulas is that they do not account for your scrap

Charge by the linear foot, not the sqin.


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## easystreet (Apr 27, 2007)

What I was saying is if I'm going to do a design thats 1 color 12x10 and using hotmark 70 I'm going to use(waste) a piece thats at the most 15"x13". I don't bother figuring out cuttable area. If I have to do a smaller design I will do as many as I can om the sheet to waste as little as possible and save the others for another day. Spend too much time figuring how many i can fit on a sheet and all that just takes up time and my time cost me more that the waste of material.

I agree and I was not arguing th point. I don't even keep that close of track my self. I price materials for the best deals and I keep the cost of my products competitive, then try to keep my waist down and then the rest is just cost of doing business. Maybe someday when I am doing well enough I'll pay someone to come in and tweak the system for maximum profit.


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## jiarby (Feb 8, 2007)

yep, 

material is cheap. time and labor are expensive. Don't spend 20 minutes to layout a job so you save 75¢ in material.


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## Kisskrazed (Jan 12, 2007)

This is more sign based, but it can be customized a bit. It's Excel based & is a great little program. GraphixCALC sign pricing software


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## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

On top of the cost per inch of vinyl you need to add in the cost of transfer tape. Now the real cost comes into play as the materials are cheap but everything is weed time and complexity. The square inch calculation is a fine starting point but falls down when considering complexity.

A couple examples.

A ten yard run of 2" x 8" squares isnt the same as a 2" x 8" word.

A run of 5" circles involves only weeding excess vinyl.
A run of 5" O's doubles my weeding time.
A run of 5" B's triples my weeding time...well in theory but I am fairly quick.

I think you get get the picture that pricing shouldnt be based on square inch material costs as the main factor.

Another example for ya.

A twelve foot Mustang stripe is just simple to weed but uses quite a bit of vinyl.
A twelve foot run of 2"x8" logos uses the same amount of vinyl more economically but generates a ton more income. It doesnt make more money because of the per inch cost of the vinyl but because of the weed time involved and the perceived value of the individual logo. Basically you arent going to sell that logo for 16 cents each.


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## Fbomb (Jul 29, 2007)

^^^Not to mention if you have to do 40shirts with an 8" x 10". design and you don't have anything to fit in the excess area (or its a rush job), then you have a 7" x 440" scrap you are not charging for...


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## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

I might have jumped the gun on this looking back at the OP's initial question. Yes the cost per inch calculation is correct as long as you add in the same formula for transfer tape, shipping charges etc.


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## absolute_customs (Nov 25, 2009)

i dont mean to bump a old thread but i think im kinda understanding this, just need to double check. 

say i have a 15" x 10' roll

that comes out to 5400 sq inchs, and i paid $13.90 for it, so the cost per sq inch is .002574. if i wanted to make a 2" x 8" decal, id take 16 sq inch x's the .002574 right? i get .041184. Now does that mean it costs me a little over 4 cents of vinyl to make the decal correct? 

sorry for noob questions, just wanna make sure i get this right!


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## deenastee (Mar 31, 2006)

Sometimes I charge for scraps.Some designs wont allow you to have useable scraps. Lets say I have a design that's 18"x10" I would charge as if the design is 24"x12" for vinyl and transfer tape.Then i would figure out the weeding charge.


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## mrvixx (Jan 13, 2009)

I calculate using linear inch instead of square inch. if I pay $45 for 15" x 15ft it costs me $3.00 per linear foot divided by 12 it is $0.25 per linear inch so if a design uses 10 inches of vinyl (doesnt matter the size of the design) it cost me $2.50 for that piece.


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## absolute_customs (Nov 25, 2009)

the linear inch would be 1" x 15" inch right?


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## mrvixx (Jan 13, 2009)

absolute_customs said:


> the linear inch would be 1" x 15" inch right?


yessssssss


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## LKent (Jun 25, 2007)

I know I'm late but I read someone was cutting pieces of the roll in custom sizes..now you must factor in your cost of labor for cutting. Don't rob yourself to be able to charge a low cost...it will catch up to you later


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## jleampark (Sep 6, 2007)

I am late to this party but I want to see if I have it right...

I am looking into vinyl to see if it would be a good complement to my plastisol transfers. The only problem I have with ordering plastisol is in the high price for low quantities. I understand it but I want an alternative.

Let's say I am doing an 11" x 11" single color design. If I bought a roll of Siser Easy Weed (15" x 10 yards) for $66.05, then:

10 yards x 3 feet per yard x 12 inches per foot = 360 inches of vinyl.

$66.05/360 inches = $0.18 per inch

Using the linear inch method (I would have 4" of waste that I might be able to use later but I would figure that into my current cost), I would use:

$0.18 per inch x 11" design = $2.02 cost.

I would then take this cost of material ($2.02), add the cost of the tee (~$2.57), add in my cost for labor and my markup.

Does that sound about right?

Now, comparing the cost ($2.02) to the cost of plastisol, it would be more cost effective to use plastisol on orders of 35 items or more. One company charges $2.34 per design at 24 designs and $1.75 at 36 items, while another company charges$2.51 at 25 items and $2.07 at 35.

Thanks for any input or corrections,

Joe


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## absolute_customs (Nov 25, 2009)

jleampark said:


> 10 yards x 3 feet per yard x 12 inches per foot = 360 inches of vinyl.
> 
> $66.05/360 inches = $0.18 per inch
> 
> ...


 



That is correct. Your cost per linear inch would be $.18. Take how many linear inches needed to find out your cost.

Thats how I do all most of my vinyl pricing. Other ones I do by the square inch. Just depends on complexity of the design and size.


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## SherriM68 (Apr 16, 2012)

I have a question on figuring pricing on vinyl. What is the difference between figuring square inch or linear inch? Is it just what you prefer or does linear inch allow you to calculate in the 'waste' vinyl from the design? I have a 24" cutting machine but have a customer request of 39x60 so it will be cut in 3 segements. Would calcuating linear inch would I use the 60 inches as part of the formula? Never done one this large so trying to understand the cost so I can give a reasonable price. 60 x $.04 = $2.40?

Vinyl
24" x 10yards $15.50 a roll
10 yards x 3 feet per yard x 12 inches per foot = 360 inches of vinyl.
$15.50/360 = $.04


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