Screen-printing break-even calculator.
Find the finished quantity needed to cover fixed job costs at your selling price.
Your inputs
Planning estimate · before tax & shipping
Know when the run pays for itself.
Keep setup and other one-time job expenses in fixed costs. Put costs that increase with each finished shirt in variable costs. This model assumes constant unit cost and price throughout the run.
See the calculation
Contribution per shirt = selling price − variable cost. Break-even quantity = ceiling(fixed costs ÷ contribution). Planned profit = quantity × contribution − fixed costs.
What if my selling price is below my variable cost?
Every additional shirt increases the loss. There is no positive-volume break-even point under those assumptions. Raise the selling price or reduce variable cost before scaling the run.
Better inputs.
Better estimates.
Keep a record of your actual job results. Replace these example values with measurements from your own shop.
Our calculation approach ↗Updated · Methods and example checks
Find the break-even quantity for a print job
Subtract variable cost per shirt from selling price per shirt to find the contribution. Divide fixed job costs by that contribution and round up to a whole finished shirt. The calculation assumes the same selling price and variable cost throughout the order.
- Enter fixed costs that belong to the order, such as one-time preparation costs.
- Enter costs that increase with each additional finished shirt as variable cost.
- Enter the selling price per finished shirt, using the same currency.
- Enter the proposed order quantity to see estimated profit at that volume.
Worked example: $150 fixed cost and a $10 shirt
At a selling price of $10 and variable cost of $4.50, contribution is $5.50 per shirt. The break-even quantity is $150 ÷ $5.50 = 27.2727…, rounded up to 28 shirts.
| Finished shirts | Revenue | Total cost | Job profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | $270.00 | $271.50 | −$1.50 |
| 28 | $280.00 | $276.00 | $4.00 |
| 100 | $1,000.00 | $600.00 | $400.00 |
Keep fixed and variable costs separate
A cost is fixed or variable relative to the decision you are modeling. One screen-preparation charge might be fixed for a particular order, while garment and packaging costs increase with each shirt. If adding another color changes the setup or production cost, calculate that revised job separately.
Do not enter the same expense in both categories. If overhead is already included in a variable hourly allocation, do not charge it again as fixed overhead. Likewise, a fixed job cost does not automatically represent your entire month’s rent or salaries.
Break-even questions
What happens when price equals variable cost?
There is no positive contribution available to recover a positive fixed cost. If fixed costs are also zero, profit remains zero at every quantity; there is no unique threshold. The calculator reports no break-even threshold when contribution is zero or negative.
Is break-even quantity my minimum order quantity?
Not necessarily. Break-even only covers the costs entered. A commercial minimum may also need to cover a target profit, scheduling constraints, and other risks. Use the job pricing calculator when you want a target margin.
What if I give quantity discounts?
Recalculate each tier with its own price and cost assumptions. A single fixed-price break-even result does not describe a changing price schedule. Read how margin changes when price changes before offering a discount.