How to Calculate Printing Cost in Textile and Apparel Industry

How to Calculate Printing Cost in the Textile and Apparel Industry?

Textile printing is the method of applying color to the fabric in particular patterns or designs. In the case of printed fabrics, color is bonded with the fiber so as to resist friction and washing. Textile printing is related to dyeing, but in the case of textile dyeing, the total fabric is uniformly covered with one color, whereas in textile printing, one or more colors are applied to the fabric in certain parts only and in sharply defined patterns. We are presenting this article on how to Calculate Printing Cost in the apparel industry.

How to Calculate Printing Cost in Apparel Industry — **Fig: Calculate Printing Cost in the Apparel Industry**

Major Elements Printing Cost in Textile:

The major cost elements in the printing processes are listed in the following:

Direct material = Dyes, chemicals, transfer paper, glitter, or foil paper.
Direct labor = Operators and helpers in print production,
Direct expense = Curing, steaming, etc. (If necessary),
Overhead = Steam, power, salary, rent, etc.

Printing Cost Calculation Law or Formula in Textile:

The following formula is used to calculate printing cost in the textile industry.

Printing cost per kg,

D.M+ D.L+ D.E+ O.H

= ………………………………..

Total print production

Where,

D.M means direct material cost,
D.L means direct labor cost,
D.E means direct expense cost,
O.H means overhead cost.

Key Factors of Printing Cost in the Textile Industry:

There are some key factors that influence the printing cost excessively, which are pointed out below:

Types of printing- Discharge, pigment, reactive, resist, block, etc.
Method of printing- Machine printing: flat bed, rotary, and manual printing: table.
Size of print design- Big, small, etc.
Types of fabric- Open-width fabric or tubular fabric.
Number of colors used in print.
Chemicals and dyes used in printing.
After printing treatment- Steaming, curing, etc.
Machine cost, interest, depreciation, maintenance, etc.
Production capacity of the print factory.

Printing Cost Calculation in the Apparel and Textile Sector:

Print is a very popular portion for all types of apparel, especially knit items. You will definitely receive an apparel export order from the buyer, including a print option in apparel. So, to learn printing cost calculation is mandatory for all apparel merchandisers.

The Comprehensive Guide on How to Calculate Printing Cost in the Textile Industry

Printing Cost Calculation Method in Textile:

Calculate the printing cost and printing rate per kg from the charts given below.

Chart-01:

Parameters	Quantity
Fabric quantity	600kg
Number of colors	3
Print paste consumption per kg of fabric	300gm
Color 1 coverage	50%
Color 2 coverage	30%
Color 3 coverage	20%

Chart-02:

Printing paste recipe:

Material	Color-01	Color-02	Color-03
Dye	4%	6%	2%
Chemical	10%	10%	10%
Thickener	86%	84%	88%
Total	100%	100%	100%

Chart-03:

Parameters	Cost or Price
Dyes (For color-01)	Rs. 400 per kg
Dyes (For color-02)	Rs. 300 per kg
Dyes (For color-03)	Rs. 250 per kg
Chemical	Rs. 80 per kg
Thickener	Rs. 40 per kg
1 day	3 shift
Total process time	12hours
No. of labors	6
Labor wages	Rs. 200 per shift
Curing	Rs. 8 per kg
Steam	Rs. 70000 per month
Power	Rs. 60000 per month
Transport	Rs. 30000 per month
Salary	Rs. 120000 per month
Other expenses	Rs. 100000 per month
Profit	20%

Solution:

The following formula has to be followed during printing cost calculation in the textile and apparel industry.

Printing cost per kg,

Direct Material cost + Direct labor cost + Direct expense cost + Overhead cost

= …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..… (1)

Total print production

Now,

Total production,

= Fabric input

= 600kg

Again,

Total production time,

= Process time

= 12hours

= (12/8) shift

= 1.5 shift

Direct Material Cost Calculation:

Total printing paste required,

= Total fabric × print paste consumption per kg of fabric

= 600× 300gm

= 180000gm

= 18kg

Again,

Printing paste required per color = Total printing paste × color coverage

So,

Printing paste needed for color-01 = 180kg× 50% = 90kg,

Printing paste needed for color-02 = 180kg× 30% = 54kg,

Printing paste needed for color-03 = 180kg× 20% = 36kg.

Material Used Per Color:

In the case of color-01 (90kg),

Dye = 90kg× 4% = 3.6kg× Rs. 400 = Rs. 1440

Chemical = 90kg× 10% = 9kg× Rs. 80 = Rs. 720

Thickener = 90kg× 86% = 86.4kg× Rs. 40 = Rs. 3456

In the case of color-02 (54kg),

Dye = 54kg× 6% = 3.24kg× Rs. 300 = Rs. 972

Chemical = 54kg× 10% = 5.40kg× Rs. 80 = Rs. 432

Thickener = 54kg× 84% = 45.36kg× Rs. 40 = Rs. 1814

In case of color-03 (36kg),

Dye = 36kg× 2% = 0.72kg× Rs. 250 = Rs. 180

Chemical = 36kg× 10% = 3.6kg× Rs. 80 = Rs. 288

Thickener = 36kg× 88% = 31.68kg× Rs. 40 = Rs. 1267

So,

Direct material cost stands at,

= (Color-01+ color-02+ color-03)

= Rs. (1440+720+3456+972+432+1814+180+288+1267)

= Rs. 10569

Direct Labor Cost Calculation:

Operator wage,

= No. of labor × No. of shift × Labor wage per shift

= 6×1.5× Rs.200

= Rs. 1800

Direct Expense Cost Calculation:

Curing = (Total production × Curing cost per kg) = (600× Rs.8)= Rs. 4800

Overhead Cost Calculation:

In case of steam,

= (Cost × 2 shifts)/ (30days × 3 shifts in a day) = {(70000×1.5)/90} = Rs. 1167

In case of transport,

= (Cost × 2 shifts)/ (30days × 3 shifts in a day) = {(30000×1.5)/90} = Rs. 500

In case of power,

= (Cost × 2 shifts)/ (30days × 3 shifts in a day) = {(60000×1.5)/90} = Rs. 1000

In case of other expenses,

= (Cost × 2 shifts)/ (30days × 3 shifts in a day) = {(100000×1.5)/90} = Rs. 1667

In case of salary,

= (Cost × 2 shifts)/ (30days × 3 shifts in a day) = {(120000×1.5)/90} = Rs. 2000

So,

Total overheads cost,

= Rs. 1167 + Rs. 500 + Rs. 1000 + Rs. 1667 + Rs. 2000

= Rs. 6334

Now, from equation-01, we get,

Printing cost per kg,

(Rs. 10569 + Rs. 1800 + Rs. 4800 + Rs. 6334)

= ………………………………………………….……………..

600

= Rs. 39.20

After adding 20% profit, cost stands at

= {39.20/ (1-20%)}

= Rs. 49.00

Approximate Cost of Printing in Bangladesh:

SL No.	Types of Printing	Cost or Price for each print
01	Pigment printing	25-40 taka per kg
02	Plasticol printing	8.00 taka per pc
03	Glitter	10.00 taka per pc
04	Flock printing	25 taka per pc
05	Reactive in rotary	50-100 taka per kg
06	Fusing	1.00 taka per pc
07	Curing (Apparel)	0.30 taka per pc
08	Curing (Fabric)	9.00 taka per kg

Textile Printing Paste Manufacturing Plant Cost

A small to medium-scale textile printing paste manufacturing plant typically costs between $50,000 to $500,000+, depending on production capacity, automation level, and location. Major expenses include land, mixing tanks, reactors, storage systems, laboratory setup, utilities, raw materials, labor, and environmental compliance.

Estimated Cost Breakdown

Land & factory setup: 15–30%
Machinery & equipment: 35–45%
Raw materials & chemicals: 20–30%
Utilities and installation: 5–10%
Licensing, testing & safety compliance: 3–8%
Working capital: 10–20%

Main Machinery Required

Mixing tanks
High-speed dispersers
Storage tanks
Filtering systems
Filling and packaging machines
Laboratory testing equipment

Key Raw Materials

Thickeners
Pigments or dyes
Binders
Emulsifiers
Water-retaining agents
Defoamers and additives

Factors That Affect Plant Cost

Production capacity per day
Manual vs automated production
Local labor and land cost
Imported vs local machinery
Environmental treatment requirements
Product quality standard

Cost Component	Example A: Small-Scale Plant (500 kg/day)	Example B: Medium-Scale Plant (Information not specified)
Land & Building	$27,900 (approx. 600 sq. ft.)	$150, 000 -$ 150,000−500,000
Plant & Machinery	$24,000	$100, 000 -$ 100,000−400,000
Working Capital (1 month)	$48,700	$100, 000 -$ 100,000−300,000
Total Capital Investment	~$106,000	350,000−350,000−1,200,000

There are some other ways to Calculate Printing Cost in the Textile and Apparel Industry. This article will give you a comprehensive idea of printing costs.