How Much Does Custom Embroidery Cost in the UK? Price Guide

As a rough guide, custom embroidery in the UK often costs £5 to £12 for a simple name on an item you supply, and £5 to £15 per garment for a small left-chest logo, plus a one-off digitising fee of roughly £15 to £50 the first time a logo is stitched. Larger designs, extra colours and the garment itself push the price up, while bigger orders bring the cost per item down. Makers set their own prices, so quotes for the same job can differ.

What drives the cost of custom embroidery

Embroidery prices follow a fairly consistent logic. Once you know the ingredients, quotes become much easier to read.

Stitch count

Stitch count is the biggest single factor. Every design is turned into thousands of individual stitches, and the machine needs time to sew each one. A short name might be a couple of thousand stitches, while a detailed, solid-filled logo can be ten times that. Many makers price by stitch count, so dense designs with large filled areas cost more than open outline designs.

Size

Bigger designs mean more stitches and more machine time. A small chest logo (often around 8 to 10 cm wide) is one of the most affordable placements. A large back design can cost several times as much, simply because of the extra thread and hours.

Number of colours

Each thread colour usually means a thread change, either by hand or on a multi-needle machine. A one or two colour design runs quickly. A design with eight colours takes longer to set up and sew, and may involve more checking along the way.

The digitising fee

Embroidery machines cannot read a normal image file. Your logo or artwork has to be converted into a stitch file, a skilled job called digitising, where someone plans every stitch, angle and colour change. This is the digitising fee (sometimes called a set-up fee). As a rough guide it often sits around £15 to £50 for a typical small logo, and more for large or very detailed artwork.

The good news: digitising is usually a one-off cost. Once your design is digitised, the maker can reuse the file for repeat orders, so later batches cost less. Simple text in a standard font often needs no separate digitising fee at all.

Garment supplied or not

Some makers will stitch onto items you send them, while others prefer to supply the garments so they know the fabric will sew well. If the maker supplies the item, the price of that polo, hoodie, towel or blanket is added to the quote. Supplying your own can save money, though some makers charge a little extra for customer-supplied items because a mistake means replacing something they cannot easily source.

Quantity

Every job needs set-up time: loading the design, hooping the fabric, and test stitching. On a one-off item that time sits on a single piece. Across 20 or 50 polos it is shared out, so logo embroidery cost per item drops noticeably as quantity goes up. Ask for prices at a few different quantities if you are unsure how many you need.

Placement and item type

Flat, easy-to-hoop areas such as a left chest or a towel border are quickest. Caps, sleeves, bags, thick coats and stretchy fabrics take more care to hoop and stitch well, which can add to the price. Very thin or very stretchy fabric may need extra backing to keep the design neat.

Rough UK embroidery prices

These embroidery prices for the UK are typical guides only, based on small orders.

Type of job	What is included	Rough price
Name or initials on an item you supply	Simple text, one colour	Often £5 to £12 per item
Small logo on a polo or workwear	Left chest, a few colours	Often £5 to £15 per garment, plus the garment
Digitising a logo	One-off set-up	Roughly £15 to £50, more for complex artwork
Personalised baby blanket or towel	Item supplied by the maker, name stitched	Often £15 to £35
Embroidered patches	Small, simple design	Roughly £3 to £10 each in small batches, more for a one-off
Large back design	Hoodie or jacket back	Often £15 to £40+ per item

Bigger orders usually sit below these per-item ranges. Highly detailed designs, specialist threads (such as metallic) and rush jobs sit above them. For more on patches specifically, see our guide to custom embroidered patches.

How to keep embroidery costs down

• Keep the design simple. Fewer colours and less solid fill mean fewer stitches and a lower price.
• Go small where it suits. A neat chest logo looks professional and costs far less than a full back design.
• Send clean artwork. A clear, high-quality logo file makes digitising quicker. A blurry photo of a sign takes longer to recreate.
• Reuse your digitised file. Ask the maker to keep it on record, or ask whether you can have a copy for future orders.
• Order in one batch. Grouping your polos, fleeces and caps into one order shares out the set-up time.
• Allow time. A relaxed deadline helps the maker fit your job in. Rush orders often cost more.

If your design uses a brand, sports team logo or cartoon character, makers need permission to reproduce it, so use your own artwork or ask the maker for an original design.

How to get an accurate embroidery quote

The clearer your request, the closer the quotes will be to what you actually pay. When you post a free request on Hire a Maker, describe the job in your own words and include:

1. What the item is and whether you are supplying it or want the maker to.
2. How many you need, and whether sizes or names vary.
3. Where the design goes (left chest, sleeve, back, corner of a towel).
4. Rough size and colours of the design, plus your thread colour preferences.
5. Photos or sketches. You can add up to 4, such as your logo or an example you like.
6. Your budget and "needed by" date, both optional but helpful.

You choose the craft that fits best, add your town and postcode (makers only see the town and the first half of the postcode), and say whether you are happy for items to be posted or want local makers only. Makers who do custom embroidery and cover your area get an email alert and reply through on-site messages with ideas, prices and timings. Price, payment and delivery are agreed directly between you and the maker. Our guide on how to brief a maker has more tips.

When comparing replies, check each one covers the same things: digitising, the garment, the number of colours, postage and timings.

Questions people ask

What is a digitising fee?

It is the charge for turning your logo or artwork into a stitch file the embroidery machine can follow. It is usually paid once per design, and the file can then be reused for repeat orders.

Is embroidery more expensive than printing?

For small numbers of items, embroidery is often similar or slightly more per piece, and the digitising fee adds to the first order. Many people choose it for workwear because it looks smart and tends to last well through regular washing. Our guide comparing t-shirt printing methods covers the alternatives.

Can I get just one item embroidered?

Yes, many makers take one-off orders such as a name on a school jumper or a personalised baby gift. The price per item is higher than for a batch because the set-up time sits on a single piece.

How long does custom embroidery take?

Simple one-off jobs can often be done within a few days, while larger orders or new logos needing digitising take longer. Timings depend on the maker's workload, so ask when you request a quote.

Ready to see real prices for your job? Post a free request and embroidery makers can reply with ideas and quotes, or browse makers by craft and location and message them directly.