Woodworkers must account for quality lumber, tool maintenance, finishing supplies, and skilled labor. Price custom pieces to ensure sustainable craftsmanship.
Optimize your pricing strategy with AI-powered insights
Enter your shop name for a personalized PDF report with your business name.
How many items do you expect to sell each month?
💡 Why needed? Fixed costs (Rent/Labor) must be split by each item. Lower sales = Higher cost per item. We need this to calculate your min break-even price.
Percentage of items that are wasted or unsold.
✅ Price is above break-even $18.35. You are making profit!
How much will you charge for one item?
Net Profit
$3325
per month
Margin
26.6%
profit margin
Break-Even
312
units/month
✓ Margin Detected: Your 26.6% profit margin is healthy for the cafe industry. You need to sell 312 units to break even, currently projecting 500 units.
Required Volume Growth ≥17% to break even
Current Expectation: 30% ✅
Custom woodworking is priced from board feet of lumber plus finishing supplies plus skilled hours, then marked up for tool wear and design. Hardwood lumber and quality finish are real costs, but labor dominates — a custom cutting board might be $40–80 while a dining table runs $800–3,000+. Price the wood, the finish, and an honest shop rate per hour, and add margin for blade and tool maintenance.
Wood is the visible cost, but milling, joinery, sanding and finishing are many hours. An honest shop rate per hour is what makes a project profitable.
Sandpaper, glue, finish, screws and blades wear out and add up. Roll consumables and tool maintenance into overhead.
Custom commissions involve drawings and changes. That design time is billable, not a free favor before the build.
Premium hardwoods cost far more than pine, and offcuts and defects mean you buy more board feet than the finished piece shows.
Once your pricing works, these are the tools small operators use to take payments, keep books, and market.
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Add lumber (by board foot), finishing supplies and consumables, then your shop hours at $40–75/hr, and mark up for tool wear. A custom cutting board runs $40–80; a dining table $800–3,000+. The calculator above builds it up.
Many small woodworkers charge $40–75/hr depending on skill and region. Back into it from your target income and overhead, and remember much of the work — sanding, finishing, glue-ups — is slow, billable time.
Price by board feet at your actual cost, and buy extra for offcuts and defects since the finished piece uses less than the rough stock. Hardwoods cost several times more than softwoods, so the species matters.
Yes. Sketches, planning and client revisions are real hours before any cutting begins. Bill design time or fold it into the project price rather than absorbing it.
Blades, bits, sandpaper and machine maintenance are ongoing costs. Add a small overhead percentage to each project so your tooling fund stays topped up.
Many small business owners use the "3x material cost" rule or simply match competitor prices. The problem? This ignores your unique cost structure. Your rent might be higher, your waste rate different, or your labor costs vary by location. This calculator reveals your true break-even point and ensures sustainable pricing.
Download a clean, shareable PDF of your pricing breakdown — cost structure, break-even point, and profit scenarios — completely free, with no sign-up. Useful for partners, lenders, or your own records.