Indie pattern break-even spreadsheet
For sewing pattern designers pricing a PDF. Graders, tech editors and sample sewers send invoices, and your own hours belong in the total too. The sheet adds those production costs up and shows how many sales you need at each list price to break even, so choosing between $22 and $28 starts from a number.
Break-even tab (after you fill Costs)
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| List price | Your candidate PDF prices (type several) |
| Net after fees | List price minus your platform fee % |
| Units to break even | Rounded up from total costs ÷ net |
| After 50 / 200 sales | Profit once those units actually sell |
This is what the arithmetic needs. Whether that many people buy is a separate question.
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What's in the file
Two jobs · costs in, break-even out
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Tab · Costs
What this pattern cost to make Contractors, your hours × a rate you assign your time, sampling, and ongoing overhead you want this pattern to carry.You type · real invoices
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Tab · Break-even
Units at each list price Candidate PDF prices with platform fee %. Net after fees, units to break even (rounded up), profit after 50 and 200 sales.Calculates · arithmetic, not hope
Set it up
- Import the file. Replace every cream cell on Costs with your invoices and time log.
- On Break-even, type the list prices you are considering and your real platform fee %.
- Read units to break even and the 50 / 200 sales columns, then decide whether the price still makes sense.
If you need an hourly floor for client work instead, use the freelance pricing calculator. This sheet is for pattern designers pricing PDFs.
Questions
Is this a freelance hourly rate calculator?
No. Kitvert already has a free freelance pricing calculator for your time rate. This sheet asks how many pattern sales you need at $22, $28, $45 (or your prices) before production costs are covered.
Where do the sample numbers come from?
They are shaped like public indie-pattern cost essays (contractor invoices, own hours × a chosen rate, sampling, ongoing costs) so the Break-even tab is populated out of the box. Replace every cream cell with your invoices and time log.
Does it include Etsy or Gumroad fees?
There is a platform fee % column on each candidate price. Set it to what your shop actually takes; the sample is only a starter.
Can I buy it now?
Not yet. The spreadsheet is built and planned at $19, but checkout hasn't opened. Leave your email for one message when it does.
Google Sheets or Excel?
Both.
Also useful
- Quilt cutting-plan worksheetFree: cutting order and shop list for the fabric side.
- Freelance pricing calculatorHourly floor for client time, a different job from PDF break-even.
- Cost-to-make + markupFree sheet when you sell physical goods, not patterns.
Updated