Most patch pricing pages give you a range and leave you to guess where you land in it. These are the real per-patch numbers from our own price table, for a 3-inch patch, at every quantity we sell. Your size changes them - a 2-inch patch costs less to stitch than a 5-inch one - but the shape of the curve is the same for every size.
Short answer: a 3-inch custom patch costs between $0.87 and $33.64 each, depending on the type and how many you order, with free shipping included. A 3-inch embroidered patch is $14.04 each at 10 pieces, $3.89 at 50 and $1.25 at 500.
| 3-inch patch, price each | 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 | 500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embroidered | $14.04 | $6.61 | $3.89 | $2.29 | $1.25 |
| Woven | - | $8.68 | $4.67 | $2.93 | $1.59 |
| Chenille | $18.69 | $8.72 | $5.01 | $3.48 | $2.14 |
| Printed | - | $5.16 | $4.21 | $2.77 | $0.87 |
| Leather | $10.30 | $7.92 | $5.28 | $4.20 | $1.57 |
| PVC 2D | $21.85 | $9.10 | $4.55 | $3.33 | $1.02 |
| PVC 3D | $33.64 | $13.98 | $6.99 | Design your own patch with AI - free Free artwork · Pre-production sample included · Shipped in ~10 business days $4.33 | $1.27 |
Per-patch prices from our price table, free shipping included. No minimum - a dash means that quantity is below the first price break for that type; just ask and our team emails a quick quote.
What a 3-inch patch actually costs
Embroidered - the default, and tied with PVC for the lowest first price break we offer:
- 10 pieces - $14.04 each
- 25 - $6.61
- 50 - $3.89
- 100 - $2.29
- 500 - $1.25
- 2,000 - $0.78
PVC - waterproof, sharp-edged, and pricier at small quantities because a mould has to be cut first:
- 10 pieces - $21.85 each
- 25 - $9.58
- 50 - $5.23
- 100 - $3.83
- 500 - $1.17
- 5,000 - $0.54
Woven - finer detail than embroidery: $8.68 at 25, $2.93 at 100, $1.59 at 500, $1.03 at 2,000.
Printed / sublimated - unlimited colors and photographic detail: $5.16 at 25, $2.77 at 100, $1.71 at 200, $0.87 at 500.
Chenille - the varsity-letter texture: $31.16 at 5, $18.69 at 10, $8.72 at 25, $5.01 at 50, $3.48 at 100, $2.47 at 250, $1.71 at 1,000.
Why the first patch costs twenty times the five-hundredth
Everything that happens before the machine starts happens once. The artwork is digitised into a stitch file, thread colors are matched, the machine is threaded and set up, and someone checks the first stitch-out for pulls and gaps. That work is identical whether you order six patches or six hundred - so on a run of six it is divided by six.
This is also why "no minimum" is often a bait claim in this industry. A vendor advertising $0.46 a piece and inviting you to order one will quote you upward of $200 for that one patch, because the setup has to land somewhere. There is no minimum here either: one patch is a sample, runs start at our first price break, and if you need a quantity in between, just ask. We sell a single patch as a real product instead: an embroidered one is $60 made and mailed with postage included, or $30 made and photographed, and $30 comes back as credit when you order the run of that design. Other types carry their own single-patch price.
The five things that move the number
- Quantity. The single biggest lever, by a wide margin. Look at the curves above before you decide anything else.
- Size. Priced on the average of width and height, so a 4x2 costs the same as a 3x3. Every extra inch is more stitches and more machine time.
- Type. Embroidery is the cheapest way into small runs. PVC costs more up front for its mould and then drops faster than anything else at volume.
- Backing. Sew-on is standard and free. Iron-on, velcro, adhesive and magnetic are add-ons - real cost, quoted before checkout, never a surprise.
- Thread and color count. Up to twenty colors are included on embroidered (many suppliers include ten and charge for each extra) and seven on woven (the loom maximum), and printed is unlimited. Most designs never reach the ceiling.
What is already in the price
The number you see is the number you pay. Included at no extra charge: the AI design tool with unlimited free iterations, the artwork and digitising, a free expert human review for stitchability, a real stitched pre-production sample photographed for your approval before the full run, two rounds of revisions on the production artwork, a custom die-cut shape in whatever outline your design needs, embroidery coverage up to 100%, and free worldwide shipping.
There is no setup fee, no artwork fee, no mould fee billed on top, and nothing added at checkout. If you are comparing quotes, those are the lines to hunt for in the other one - the five questions that make two patch quotes comparable are worth five minutes before you commit.
What a realistic order looks like
A scout troop of fifteen ordering 3-inch embroidered patches pays about $6.61 each at 25 pieces - and ordering 25 rather than 15 costs less per patch than the 10-piece rate, which is why we usually suggest rounding up. A fire station wanting 50 pays $3.89. A business ordering 200 for a conference pays $1.76. A brand running 2,000 pays $0.78.
If you want to check your own numbers rather than read ours, the price calculator takes a size and a quantity and gives you the figure directly, with no email required.