Screen-printing waste allowance calculator.
Choose an extra-stock allowance or plan for an expected reject rate. These two approaches produce different order quantities.
Your inputs
Planning estimate · based on your inputs
Order blanks with room for mistakes.
Extra-stock mode adds a fixed percentage to the order. Reject-rate mode estimates how many blanks you need if that percentage of all attempted prints fails. Actual rejects may vary; neither approach guarantees an exact finished quantity.
See the calculation
Extra-stock mode: blanks = ceiling(finished quantity × (1 + allowance ÷ 100)). Reject-rate mode: blanks = ceiling(finished quantity ÷ (1 − reject rate ÷ 100)).
Why do the two modes differ?
For 100 finished shirts at 10%, extra-stock mode orders 110. A 10% reject rate needs 112 blanks after rounding up, because the rejects are a percentage of the larger starting quantity.
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
Calculate how many extra shirts to order
Choose whether your percentage means extra stock added to the finished order or an expected reject rate across all attempted prints. The denominator is different, so the same percentage can give a different blank quantity.
- Enter the finished quantity the customer needs.
- Select extra-stock allowance or expected reject rate.
- Enter a percentage from your own planning policy or comparable production records.
- Enter the blank cost to see the purchase budget and the cost of the extras.
Worked example: 100 shirts with a 10% allowance
Extra-stock mode: 100 × 1.10 = 110 blanks. This adds ten blanks to the finished order.
Reject-rate mode: 100 ÷ 0.90 = 111.111… blanks, rounded up to 112. Here, rejects are modeled as 10% of the attempted quantity. Starting with 110 at that rate would yield an expected 99 usable prints.
| Percentage | Extra-stock blanks | Reject-rate blanks |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 100 | 100 |
| 5 | 105 | 106 |
| 10 | 110 | 112 |
| 20 | 120 | 125 |
Use the result in a real blank order
This estimate treats all shirts as one group. A mixed size or color order may need its allowance distributed by SKU. Five extra small shirts will not replace five damaged extra-large shirts. Plan each important size or color group separately when replacements cannot be substituted.
The blank purchase cost includes the extras, whether or not they are eventually used. Extra stock can remain as inventory. The tool does not assume every extra blank will be rejected or become a consumed job cost.
Waste and spoilage questions
Is 5% a recommended spoilage rate?
No. It is an editable example. Use your records for comparable jobs and distinguish normal rejects from setup samples, customer-supplied garments, and unexpected supply constraints.
Does the reject-rate estimate guarantee the finished quantity?
No. It models an expected yield at a constant rate. Actual rejects can vary, especially on a small batch. It is not a statistical confidence bound or a delivery guarantee.
How does this connect to job pricing?
The job pricing calculator uses extra-stock mode. If you planned with reject-rate mode, reconcile the blank quantity deliberately rather than assuming the same percentage gives the same total. See the quote checklist for handling size mixes and replacement costs.