Art commission price calculator (square inch)
Enter the size of the piece, a rate per square inch and your material costs to see a price built the way many painters price commissions. Add your hours to check what the price pays you per hour.
How to use this calculator
The square-inch method prices a flat piece by its area. Multiply the width by the height in inches to get square inches, then multiply by a set rate per square inch. Skillshare's guide to pricing art gives the worked example of a 12 × 12 inch oil painting: 144 square inches at $3 per square inch is $432, which the artist rounds to $430.
Materials are added on top. The same guide suggests doubling your material cost and adding that to the size price, so $50 of canvas and paint adds $100. The multiplier field lets you use 1 (cost only) or another factor. Framing is added at cost here; many artists add a margin to that too.
The rate is the number you choose. A low rate suits small studies and newer artists, a higher rate suits detailed work or an artist with a waiting list, and some artists use a lower rate for very large canvases so big pieces don't price themselves out. Keep one rate across your work so collectors see consistent prices. If you enter the hours you expect to spend, the calculator shows what the price pays you per hour after materials and framing, which is a useful check that the size price covers your time. In centimeter mode the sizes are converted to inches first, because the rate is per square inch.
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Questions about this calculator
What is a good price per square inch for paintings?
There is no standard rate. Skillshare's worked example uses $3 per square inch; artists set their own from experience, demand and past sales. Use the hourly check in this calculator to see whether a rate covers your time.
Should I charge more for commissions than for finished work?
Many artists do, because a commission includes a brief, a sketch stage and revisions. Agree what is included before you start.