Irish Calculators
Business

Art Pricing Calculator with Labour and Commission

Build a cost-based asking price that covers the production costs and percentage commission you enter. The result is a pricing scenario rather than an appraisal of market or collector value.

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Your numbers

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Your figures stay on this device.

How the calculation works

Build a cost-based selling price for an artwork using materials, working time, framing and overhead. A percentage selling commission is included alongside the target margin so the intended profit remains after that commission.

Cost = materials + hours × labour rate + framing + overhead. Asking price = cost / (1 − selling commission − target profit margin).

  1. Total the production cost

    Add materials, hours multiplied by hourly labour cost, framing and overhead. This treats paid creative time as part of cost, before any additional profit margin.

  2. Reserve fee and profit shares

    Subtract the commission proportion and target-margin proportion from one. The remainder is the share of each unit of selling price available to cover the production cost.

  3. Solve the selling price

    Divide production cost by that remaining share. The tool then calculates the monetary selling fee and profit implied by the price, rather than adding both percentages to cost.

Worked example: Gallery commission

Sample inputs demonstrate the method. They are not a forecast or product offer.

Materials of €80, labour of €200, framing of €40 and overhead of €30 total €350. Commission of 30% and a 20% margin leave 50% for cost. Dividing €350 by 0.50 gives a price of €700.

Materials and consumables
80
Labour hours
10
Labour rate
20
Framing or finishing
40
Allocated overhead
30
Gallery or selling commission (%)
30
Target profit after commission (%)
20

Expected result

Total artwork cost
€350.00
Cost-based asking price
€700.00
Profit after commission
€140.00
Worked example: Direct sale

Sample inputs demonstrate the method. They are not a forecast or product offer.

Materials and consumables
50
Labour hours
2
Labour rate
25
Framing or finishing
0
Allocated overhead
0
Gallery or selling commission (%)
0
Target profit after commission (%)
20

Expected result

Cost-based asking price
€125.00

Understanding your result

The output is a cost-based pricing scenario, not an appraisal of artistic reputation, rarity, originality or collector demand. A market price may differ from the amount required to meet these targets.

A higher commission increases the price needed to preserve the same margin. Check the actual selling arrangement and whether separate fixed charges need inclusion within your costs.

Questions you might have

Does the suggested price tell me what collectors will pay?

No. It shows the price required to cover the supplied costs and targets. Demand and artistic market value need separate evidence.

Choosing the right inputs

Labour hours
Enter the working time assigned to the artwork, including preparation or finishing if you want those activities costed. Unentered time is not added automatically.
Gallery or selling commission
Use the selling commission as a percentage of final price. This is separate from fixed costs included in materials, framing or overhead.
Target profit after commission
Choose profit as a percentage of selling price. Together with commission, the percentage must remain below 100 so some of the price can fund production cost.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Do not treat the artist's labour payment and the residual profit margin as the same component.
  • Do not add a 30% commission to cost and assume it funds a 30% charge on final selling price.

Assumptions to check

  • Use amounts in one currency and one reporting period. Results are labelled EUR; the arithmetic also works for another consistent currency.
  • Commission is a percentage of the final price. Enter additional fixed charges within overhead and avoid counting them twice.

Sources and method

Read our calculation and testing approach.