Laser product price calculator: what to charge for your pieces
From keychains to signs: enter your machine minutes, blank cost, handling and fees, and get the retail price that actually protects your margin — plus the break-even line you must never cross.
- Price the value, floor the cost. This gives you the floor; a personalised gift often sells at 2-3× the formula price. Never sell below the break-even line.
- Fees compound. Etsy + payment + offsite ads can pass 15%; the calculator grosses fees up correctly instead of subtracting them from your margin.
- Bulk discounts come from time, not goodwill. A 10-pack engraved from a jig cuts handling minutes per piece — recalculate with the lower minutes rather than guessing a discount.
- Track one number: profit per machine-hour (profit ÷ machine minutes × 60). It tells you which products deserve your laser time.
The formula
Cost per piece = machine minutes × rate + handling minutes × labour + blank + packaging. Retail price = cost × (1 + margin) ÷ (1 − fees), so the platform’s cut doesn’t quietly eat your margin. Typical laser products (keychains, coasters, signs) run 70-85% gross margin at everyday prices — see what sells and for how much.
FAQ
How much should I charge for laser engraving a product?
Cost it first: machine minutes x hourly rate + handling + blank + packaging, then add margin and gross up for fees. A 1 EUR keychain blank with 2 minutes of laser and 2 minutes of handling typically retails at 6-12 EUR.
What profit margin is normal for laser engraved products?
Personalised items usually carry 50-80% margin on cost; commodity items less. The floor is your break-even price including platform fees - below that every sale loses money.
How do I account for Etsy or marketplace fees?
Divide by (1 - fee%) rather than subtracting fees afterwards: to keep your margin at a 10% total fee, the price must be grossed up by ~11%. This calculator does that automatically.