Custom t-shirt pricing
How Much Does It Cost to Make Custom T-Shirts?
How much does it cost to make custom t-shirts?
Quick answer
As of June 2026, it costs about $8–$12 to make a custom t-shirt at a 50-shirt minimum, dropping to $7–$10 at 100 and $5–$8 at 250+: delivered. That per-shirt price to make and customize a tee includes the shirt, printing, standard US shipping, and import duties; a one-time setup fee per design is quoted separately, and every order is itemized in a free quote.
Need a figure for a specific quantity? Estimate your run in seconds, check every product and quantity in the bulk merch price index, or step up to what a custom quarter-zip costs if you want something staff will wear outside work hours.
At a glance
- Minimum order
- 50 shirts
- 50 units
- $8–12/ea delivered
- 100 units
- $7–10/ea delivered
- 250+ units
- $5–8/ea delivered
- Free mockup
- Before you order
Approve a free mockup before anything's printed, covered by our guarantee. Want to feel the quality first? Order a sample.
Example: 50 custom t-shirts
At the 50-shirt minimum, a run of custom tees works out to roughly 50 shirts × $8–12 = $400–600 all-in: decorated and delivered, with standard US shipping and duties included, plus a one-time setup fee per design. Order 100 and the same shirts fall to about $7–10 each ($700–1,000); at 250+ they land near $5–8 each. Every run is itemized in a free quote.
There's no single sticker price for a custom t-shirt, it's quoted per run, because the same tee can cost very different amounts depending on how many you order, the blank you choose, and how it's decorated. The ranges below are realistic, decorated per-shirt ballparks to help you budget. For the exact figure, our free quote itemizes everything before you commit.
Last updated
How much do custom t-shirts cost at each quantity?
Custom t-shirts run about $8–$12 per shirt at 50 units, $7–$10 at 100, and $5–$8 at 250+: decorated, in USD, and delivered with standard shipping to one address included. Prices fall as quantity rises; the table below is the per-shirt range at each tier. These are estimates for budgeting, not live offers.
| Product | 50 units | 100 units | 250+ units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decorated t-shirt, delivered | $8–12 | $7–10 | $5–8 |
Ranges are per shirt, decorated and delivered (standard shipping to one address included). The single biggest reason the price moves is quantity: a custom t-shirt carries fixed, one-time costs, a screen burned per print color, and on a small run those setup and shipping costs can rival the cost of the blanks themselves, so per-shirt pricing is highest at the 50-shirt minimum and lowest at 250+. See product details and options on our custom t-shirts page. Adding warmer layers to the run? Our custom crew necks and custom hoodies price the same way: by quantity, delivered. Pricing other products too? See the full custom merch cost guide, or get a free itemized quote.
Costing a specific run? See what 200 custom t-shirts cost as a worked example, or the all-in breakdown for 50 custom t-shirts, 100 custom t-shirts, or 250 custom t-shirts. Ordering a large run? The bulk custom t-shirts page walks through volume pricing and lead times. Weighing providers? See how bulk custom t-shirt companies compare on minimums and turnaround. For per-unit ranges across every product and quantity, see the bulk merch price index.
Want your exact configuration? Open the design studio's cost calculator to pick your quantity, blank, and print and see the delivered range instantly.
Screen printing vs. DTG, which is cheaper for t-shirts?
Screen printing is cheaper per shirt for bulk orders of the same design, because its one-time screen setup is spread across the whole run. DTG (direct-to-garment) digital printing skips screen setup, so it suits small runs and detailed, full-color or photographic art, but the per-shirt cost stays flat instead of dropping at volume. For most bulk tee runs, screen printing wins on price.
| Method | Best for | One-time setup | Cost per shirt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen printing | Bold, few-color logos on bulk runs of one design | One screen per print color | Lowest at volume, drops as quantity rises |
| DTG / digital print | Detailed, full-color or photographic art; small runs | None, no screens to burn | Flat per shirt regardless of colors; little volume break |
The method follows the artwork, not the other way around, see screen printing vs. embroidery for the decoration trade-offs in full.
What affects how much custom t-shirts cost?
Quantity
The biggest lever by far. The one-time screen setup is spread across the run, so the per-shirt cost drops steadily as you order more, from $8–$12 at 50 to $5–$8 at 250+.
The blank
Fabric weight and quality set the floor. A heavyweight, premium tee costs more than a lightweight basic, and is worth it for shirts meant to be kept and worn. The undecorated blank is the base your printed price builds on.
Decoration method
Screen printing is the cheapest method at volume; full-color and DTG suit detailed, photographic art but cost more per shirt. The method follows the artwork, see screen printing vs. embroidery for a closer look.
Print colors & locations
Each ink color needs its own screen, and each print location (a left chest plus a full back, say) adds setup and cost. A single-location, few-color design is the most economical to print.
Delivery
Standard shipping to one address is already included in every range above. If you need shirts packed and shipped per recipient (kitting), that handling is quoted separately.
How can you lower the cost per shirt?
- Consolidate runs. Order all your shirts in one batch rather than several small ones, so a single screen setup covers more pieces and you land in a lower per-shirt tier.
- Keep it to fewer colors and locations. A clean one- or two-color design on a single location prints cheapest: every extra color and print spot adds setup.
- Plan ahead. Building in lead time avoids rush handling and lets us source the most cost-effective blank for your quantity.
- Stick to one artwork for reorders. The same design reuses screens, so repeat runs skip most of the one-time setup.
Want to dig deeper? Pricing a whole kit rather than just tees? See the full custom merch cost guide and our guide to merch budgets and minimums, or call us at (737) 253-8727.
Ordering custom t-shirts in bulk
Buying in bulk is the whole economics of custom t-shirts: the artwork setup is a one-time cost, so it spreads across more shirts as your run grows, which is why a bulk order lands at a far lower per-shirt price than a handful of one-offs. Corporate teams and company swag, schools and student organizations, fundraisers, and events all order bulk custom t-shirts the same way, with the same volume pricing, a low 50-shirt minimum, and mixed sizes (XS–2XL) across one run at no extra cost. A working crew is the one exception worth pricing separately: shirts worn on shift get replaced on a cycle, so custom crew shirts for a pit, film, or boat crew are usually sized and reordered as a standing run rather than a one-off.
Ordering is simple: send your logo or artwork (or a rough idea), tell us the quantity and a rough size split, and we'll send a free mockup and an itemized quote. Once you approve, your shirts are screen printed or embroidered, made to order, and shipped nationwide to one address or many, most runs ship about two weeks from approved mockup. Setting up a place your team can reorder over time? A company swag store handles repeat orders without platform or storage fees.
Custom t-shirt pricing FAQ
Custom shirts cost about $8–$12 per shirt at a 50-shirt minimum, $7–$10 at 100, and $5–$8 at 250+: delivered, with standard US shipping included. The exact custom t-shirt cost per shirt depends on quantity, the blank, and the number of print colors and locations; every order is itemized in a free quote.
Bulk custom t-shirts typically run $8–$12 per shirt at a 50-unit minimum, $7–$10 at 100 units, and $5–$8 at 250+: all delivered, with standard shipping to one address included. The per-shirt price drops as quantity rises because the one-time screen setup is spread across more shirts. These are budgeting estimates, not live offers; every order is itemized in a free quote.
Customizing a shirt costs about $8–$12 per shirt at a 50-shirt minimum, $7–$10 at 100, and $5–$8 at 250+: the delivered price includes the blank tee, printing, and standard US shipping. A one-time setup fee per design (a screen burned per print color) is charged once, not per shirt, and reorders of the same artwork usually skip it. The more you customize at once, the lower the cost per shirt.
Screen printing has a fixed setup cost: burning a screen for each print color. That cost is the same whether you make 50 shirts or 500, so spreading it across a larger run lowers the cost of each individual shirt. Quantity is the single biggest lever on what a custom t-shirt costs.
Often, yes: a one-time setup fee per design covers preparing your artwork for print (a screen per color). It's charged once, not per shirt, and on reorders of the same artwork it's usually already done. Your quote breaks this out clearly so you see exactly what you're paying for.
Most custom t-shirt orders start at our 50-shirt minimum, which keeps the per-shirt price sensible while the screens are set up. Some runs can go lower depending on the decoration and product: tell us your quantity and we'll confirm exactly what's possible.
Yes: our per-shirt ranges are delivered, with standard shipping to one US address included, so there's no separate shipping line to budget for. If you need shirts packed and shipped per recipient (kitting), that's quoted separately based on the destinations.
Making t-shirts in bulk costs about $8–$12 per shirt at the 50-shirt minimum, $7–$10 at 100, and $5–$8 at 250+: decorated and delivered, with standard US shipping included. Bulk lowers the per-shirt price because the one-time screen setup spreads across the whole run; a setup fee per design is quoted separately, and every order is itemized in a free quote.
Budget about $8–$12 per shirt for a team or event order at the 50-shirt minimum, dropping to $7–$10 at 100 and $5–$8 at 250+: delivered, with standard US shipping included. For a 50-shirt run that's roughly $400–$600 all-in, plus a one-time setup fee per design. Your free quote itemizes the exact figure before you commit.
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