Art Pricing Calculator
Find a consistent starting price for your paintings. Include your costs, account for gallery commission, and see what you actually take home.
Rates are always per inch. Centimetre dimensions are converted automatically.
Estimated retail price
USD 700.00
- Size-based amount
- USD 640.00
- Materials
- USD 60.00
- Gallery commission
- USD 0.00
- Your net payout
- USD 700.00
A starting point, not an appraisal. Tax, shipping and framing are excluded unless included in your costs.
Free PDF with DigitalEyezz & ArtFroFest branding. Paid plans remove it. Sign in to export.
How to price a painting: choose your formula
An art pricing calculator turns your dimensions, time and costs into a repeatable estimate. No formula can determine what a collector will pay. Use the calculation as a baseline, then check comparable work, your sales history and the context in which you sell.
| Method | Calculation | Useful for |
|---|---|---|
| Square inch | Height × width × rate + materials | Consistent pricing across a series of similar paintings |
| Linear inch | (Height + width) × rate + materials | A gentler price increase for larger work |
| Hourly + costs | (Hours × hourly rate + materials + overhead) × (1 + profit markup) | Time-intensive commissions and a cost-based baseline |
Worked example: a 20 × 16 inch painting
At an illustrative $2 per square inch, the size-based amount is 20 × 16 × $2 = $640. Add $60 in materials for a $700 artist net. With a 50% gallery commission, divide $700 by 0.5 to reach a $1,400 retail price. With 40% commission, divide by 0.6 for $1,166.67. These rates are examples, not industry standards.
Setting your rate without guessing
Track the costs and time of several typical works. Compare asking prices for artists using a similar medium, size and career stage; asking prices are not proof of sales. Choose a baseline you can sustain, use it consistently within a series, and review it when your costs or documented demand change. Square inch and linear inch rates already embody your pricing decision, so this calculator adds a separate profit markup only in the hourly method.
Common art pricing mistakes
- Adding commission rather than grossing up. A 50% markup does not preserve your net when a gallery keeps 50% of the retail price.
- Mixing units. A square inch rate must not be multiplied by a square centimetre area. Convert dimensions first.
- Ignoring hidden costs. Include relevant studio overhead, framing, packing or other costs in the appropriate cost field. Tax obligations depend on your location and arrangement.
- Undercutting your gallery. Agree a consistent public retail price for the same work across channels. Direct-sale mode calculates a cost-based baseline; it is not advice to discount gallery-listed work.
- Treating the estimate as a valuation. Provenance, edition, exhibition history, demand and medium all affect market context beyond this arithmetic.
Put your prices to work
Arrange your calculated works in an art price list, prepare a collector-facing art catalog PDF, or create matching artwork wall labels. Our art price list template guide covers the details that belong on a gallery sales sheet.
Art pricing calculator — frequently asked questions
- How do I price a painting?
- Start with a repeatable method: square inch, linear inch, or hours plus costs. Include materials, then compare your result with similar work by artists at a comparable career stage. Account for gallery commission before setting your retail price. A formula is a starting point, not a market appraisal.
- What is the square inch art pricing formula?
- Multiply height in inches by width in inches by your rate per square inch, then add materials. For example, a 20 × 16 inch painting at $2 per square inch with $60 in materials gives $700 before gallery commission. The $2 rate is an example, not a recommended market rate.
- How does linear inch pricing differ?
- Linear inch pricing adds height and width instead of multiplying them. A 20 × 16 inch painting at $10 per linear inch with $60 in materials gives $420. Linear pricing increases more gradually with size; its rates are not interchangeable with square inch rates.
- How do I include a 50% gallery commission?
- Divide the amount you want to receive by 0.5. To retain $700 after a 50% commission, the retail price must be $1,400. Adding 50% to $700 would yield $1,050, leaving you only $525 after commission.
- Can I calculate artwork prices in centimetres?
- Yes. Choose centimetres for dimensions. The calculator converts them to inches before applying the square inch or linear inch rate. For example, 50.8 × 40.64 cm is equivalent to 20 × 16 inches.
- Is this art pricing calculator free?
- Yes. Calculate and compare prices without signing in. A free account is required to download the PDF worksheet. Free PDFs include DigitalEyezz and ArtFroFest branding; paid plans remove the watermarks.
- Does this calculator use AI or value my artwork?
- No. It applies arithmetic to the numbers you enter locally in your browser. It does not use AI, evaluate artistic quality, search sale records, or predict demand. Choose rates based on your costs, career stage, and comparable work.