How to Price Resin Art
Resin is expensive, molds wear out, and every pour wastes a little. Here is how to price resin coasters, trays and art so each piece carries its real cost.
What goes into the cost of one piece
- Resin and hardener by volume or weight, plus a waste allowance for what stays in the cup.
- Molds per pour: a $14 mold you can pour 40 times costs $0.35 a pour.
- Pigments, inclusions, gold leaf and backing (cork or felt).
- Packaging.
- Your time: mixing, pouring, demolding, sanding and finishing.
- Overheads: gloves, masks, cups, sanding pads and fees.
Worked example: a set of four coasters
Resin, the mold share, pigment, cork backs and a gift box come to $16.45 a set. Forty-five minutes of work adds $15.00 and overheads $0.60, so the set costs $32.05. At $38, after fees you keep only $1.89 (5%). The lowest price for a 35% margin is $58.56, and the 2 × 2 rule says $128.20 retail if you also want to sell to shops.
Resin pricing mistakes
- Costing resin by the bottle instead of by the millilitre or gram you pour.
- Never charging for molds, sanding and safety supplies.
- Matching mass-produced coaster prices with a handmade product.
- Pricing per piece when your work happens per pour.
The spreadsheet for resin artists
The Resin Art Cost & Pricing Calculator costs molds per pour, has a resin mixing helper (mold volume and A:B ratio to amounts, by volume or weight) and builds a full price list (Excel and Google Sheets).
Work out your own price
Try your numbers in the free handmade pricing calculator, one product at a time. The general method is on How to Price Handmade Products.
Example figures use $20 an hour for your time, $120 a month of overheads spread over 200 items, the 2 × 2 wholesale/retail rule, and Etsy-style fees of about 9.5% + $0.45. Your supplier prices will differ.