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Artwork Pricing Calculator

Price an original painting by area, medium and reputation, with the gallery commission shown honestly.

Painting & Art
Most artists price by the square inch or the square centimetre, then adjust for the medium, the complexity and how established they are. The rate itself is a personal decision and this tool will not make it for you: what it does is apply your rate consistently, scale it by factors you choose, and show what a gallery commission leaves you. Consistent pricing across a body of work is what makes a studio look professional.

At a glance

What you enter
Artwork length (the long side), Artwork width (the short side), Rate basis, Your rate per unit of area, Medium and materials factor, Complexity factor, Reputation and demand factor, Hours you put into the piece, Materials and framing cost, Gallery commission, Sales tax or VAT on the sale
What you get
Area, Area, Area, Price before the factors, Studio price, Recommended retail price, Gallery commission, What you receive, Left after materials and framing, Your hourly rate on this piece, Materials as a share of the retail price, Commission as a share of the retail price, Your share of the retail price, Effective price per square inch, Retail price needed to take 2,000 after commission
Formula shown
Yes, every step, right below your results.
Cost and privacy
Free, no account needed, and nothing you type is stored.

See worked examples ↓ Read the FAQ ↓ Share this calculator ↓

Rate basis

Pick the unit your rate is quoted in. Artists commonly use the square inch in the United States and the square centimetre elsewhere.

This is your own figure to set. Emerging painters often start between 0.50 and 2.00 per square inch.

Medium and materials factor
Complexity factor
Reputation and demand factor

This is the factor artists most often set too low. A spread of 1.0 to 2.0 across a career is normal.

Used for the hourly figure, not to set the price.

Canvas, paint, frame, glazing, packaging. Everything the piece consumed.

Fifty percent is common for a gallery. Zero for a direct studio sale.

Leave at zero if you are not registered or if the sale is not taxable.

Reset

Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.

How to use the Artwork Pricing Calculator

  1. 1 Enter Artwork length (the long side) (cm)
  2. 2 Enter Artwork width (the short side) (cm)
  3. 3 Enter Rate basis, Pick the unit your rate is quoted in. Artists commonly use the square inch in the United States and the square centimetre elsewhere.
  4. 4 Enter Your rate per unit of area, This is your own figure to set. Emerging painters often start between 0.50 and 2.00 per square inch.
  5. 5 Enter Medium and materials factor
  6. 6 Enter Complexity factor
  7. 7 Enter Reputation and demand factor, This is the factor artists most often set too low. A spread of 1.0 to 2.0 across a career is normal.
  8. 8 Enter Hours you put into the piece (h), Used for the hourly figure, not to set the price.
  9. 9 Enter Materials and framing cost, Canvas, paint, frame, glazing, packaging. Everything the piece consumed.
  10. 10 Enter Gallery commission (%), Fifty percent is common for a gallery. Zero for a direct studio sale.
  11. 11 Enter Sales tax or VAT on the sale (%), Leave at zero if you are not registered or if the sale is not taxable.
  12. 12 Press Calculate. You get Area, Area, Area, Price before the factors, Studio price, Recommended retail price, Gallery commission, What you receive, Left after materials and framing, Your hourly rate on this piece, Materials as a share of the retail price, Commission as a share of the retail price, Your share of the retail price, Effective price per square inch, Retail price needed to take 2,000 after commission, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
  13. 13 Change one number at a time to see what moves the result, that is usually the most useful thing a calculator can tell you.

Worked examples

Real numbers run through this calculator. Open any example to load it into the form above and change it.

A 40 by 50 cm acrylic on canvas

A normal level of finish and an established local following.

You enter

Artwork length (the long side)
50 cm
Artwork width (the short side)
40 cm
Rate basis
1
Your rate per unit of area
$0.50
Medium and materials factor
1.15
Complexity factor
1
Reputation and demand factor
1
Hours you put into the piece
12 h
Materials and framing cost
$60.00
Gallery commission
40%
Sales tax or VAT on the sale
0%

You get

Area
2,000.00 sq cm
Area
310.00 sq in
Area
2.15 sq ft
Price before the factors
$1,000.00
Studio price
$1,150.00
Recommended retail price
$1,150.00
Gallery commission
$460.00
What you receive
$690.00
Left after materials and framing
$630.00
Your hourly rate on this piece
$52.50
Materials as a share of the retail price
5.2%
Commission as a share of the retail price
40.0%
Your share of the retail price
60.0%
Effective price per square inch
$3.71
Retail price needed to take 2,000 after commission
$3,333.33

2000 square centimetres at 0.50 is 1,000, then 1.15 for the medium, so 1,150. With 40 percent commission you receive 690, and 630 after materials, which is about 52 an hour for 12 hours.

Open this example in the calculator →

A small highly detailed oil study

A 20 by 25 oil with fine detail and an exhibition record.

You enter

Artwork length (the long side)
25 cm
Artwork width (the short side)
20 cm
Rate basis
1
Your rate per unit of area
$0.70
Medium and materials factor
1.35
Complexity factor
1.5
Reputation and demand factor
1.4
Hours you put into the piece
30 h
Materials and framing cost
$45.00
Gallery commission
50%
Sales tax or VAT on the sale
0%

You get

Area
500.00 sq cm
Area
77.50 sq in
Area
0.54 sq ft
Price before the factors
$350.00
Studio price
$992.25
Recommended retail price
$992.25
Gallery commission
$496.13
What you receive
$496.13
Left after materials and framing
$451.13
Your hourly rate on this piece
$15.04
Materials as a share of the retail price
4.5%
Commission as a share of the retail price
50.0%
Your share of the retail price
50.0%
Effective price per square inch
$12.80
Retail price needed to take 2,000 after commission
$4,000.00

500 square centimetres at 0.70 is 350, then the three factors take it to about 992. After half commission and materials, 30 hours works out at about 15 an hour, which is the signal to raise the small work rate.

Open this example in the calculator →

A large canvas priced at a tiered rate

A 100 by 120 oil at a lower rate per unit area, direct from the studio.

You enter

Artwork length (the long side)
120 cm
Artwork width (the short side)
100 cm
Rate basis
1
Your rate per unit of area
$0.22
Medium and materials factor
1.35
Complexity factor
1
Reputation and demand factor
1
Hours you put into the piece
90 h
Materials and framing cost
$320.00
Gallery commission
0%
Sales tax or VAT on the sale
0%

You get

Area
12,000.00 sq cm
Area
1,860.00 sq in
Area
12.92 sq ft
Price before the factors
$2,640.00
Studio price
$3,564.00
Recommended retail price
$3,564.00
Gallery commission
$0.00
What you receive
$3,564.00
Left after materials and framing
$3,244.00
Your hourly rate on this piece
$36.04
Materials as a share of the retail price
9.0%
Commission as a share of the retail price
0.0%
Your share of the retail price
100.0%
Effective price per square inch
$1.92
Retail price needed to take 2,000 after commission
$2,000.00

12,000 square centimetres at 0.22 is 2,640, and 1.35 for the oil takes it to about 3,564. A studio sale keeps all of it, and after materials that is about 36 an hour for 90 hours.

Open this example in the calculator →

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Frequently asked questions

How do I price an original painting?
Pick a rate per square inch or square centimetre, multiply by the area, then apply factors for the medium, the complexity and your reputation. A 40 by 50 centimetre acrylic at 0.50 per square inch is about 155 dollars before any adjustment, and an oil at 1.35 and a detailed finish at 1.25 takes that to about 260. The rate is your decision; the discipline of applying it consistently across every piece is what makes a body of work look coherent.
What rate per square inch should I charge?
There is no single answer, but the ranges are useful. Emerging painters often start between 0.50 and 2.00 per square inch, which is roughly 0.08 to 0.31 per square centimetre. Artists with regular gallery representation commonly work from 3 to 10 per square inch, and higher for an established market. The rate must cover your materials and a believable hourly figure, or it is too low whatever other artists charge.
Should large paintings cost more per square inch?
Almost always less per unit area, not more. A 100 by 120 centimetre canvas is twenty four times the area of a 20 by 25 study but it does not take twenty four times as long or cost twenty four times as much to make, and no buyer will pay twenty four times the price. Most artists tier the rate so large work is slightly cheaper per square inch, which keeps the hourly rate healthy and the price reachable.
How does gallery commission affect my price?
It halves your income at 50 percent. A painting at 1,000 with 50 percent commission returns 500, and out of that come the materials and the frame. If you need 1,000 net, the retail price has to be about 2,000. This is why a studio price and a gallery price cannot be the same number unless you accept a lower hourly rate on gallery sales, and why most galleries ask the artist to keep one consistent retail price.
Should I price by the hour instead?
Pricing by the hour alone tends to punish speed and reward slowness, and it gives a buyer a reason to compare your hours with someone else. Area plus factors, checked against an hourly figure, is more workable: the hourly figure this calculator reports tells you whether the area price is viable. If the effective hourly rate is far below what you would charge for any other skilled work, raise the rate per unit area rather than absorbing it.

More money questions answered →

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