A garment quote needs to cover the work you have agreed to do. Start with materials, time and operating costs, then decide what room remains for uncertainty and business surplus. A price copied from another maker cannot tell you whether your own process is sustainable.
The calculation below is illustrative. It is not a Bengaluru market rate, a VFA pricing recommendation or a promise that customers will accept the amount.
Define the order before calculating
Write the garment details, who supplies the material, the planned fittings, the finish and the delivery date. A quote for one design should not silently become a quote for additional embroidery, a different lining or repeated redesign.
Separate an adjustment needed to deliver the agreed fit from a new customer request that changes the scope. Decide how you will discuss those situations before they happen.
If the work is unfamiliar, make a sample or seek technical guidance before giving a firm price.
Build one illustrative quote
Suppose a simple custom order has the following assumptions:
| Component | Illustrative calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Direct materials and consumables | Fabric, lining, trims and thread | ₹1,000 |
| Maker's working time | 3 hours × ₹250 | ₹750 |
| Share of operating costs | An allocation chosen for this example | ₹250 |
| Order contingency | Allowance chosen for this example | ₹100 |
| Planned business surplus | Amount chosen for this example | ₹400 |
| Quote before any applicable tax | Sum of the rows above | ₹2,500 |
The direct materials need an actual purchase estimate. The hourly amount and allocations need your own reasoning. They are not facts supplied by this article.
The ₹400 is a planned residual after the listed allowances, not guaranteed profit. Actual costs, rework and time can change it. Tax treatment, if relevant, must be established separately for the actual business and transaction.
Count time honestly
In the example, the three hours must include the work you intend to cover. If consultation, cutting, fitting and collection take additional time, the quote is missing part of the job.
Break the process into tasks and time a sample. Keep the estimate separate from the actual result. You may find that a difficult neckline takes longer than expected or that a fitting creates another visit.
If the same job takes five hours at the assumed ₹250 per hour, the time allowance becomes ₹1,250. With the other rows unchanged, preserving the planned residual would require a ₹3,000 quote. If the price stays ₹2,500, you must identify which allowance is reduced. The arithmetic does not make the extra hours disappear.
Avoid counting the same cost twice
If thread and zips are included in direct materials, do not add them again as a vague consumables percentage. If operating costs include machine maintenance, explain the allocation rather than charging a second unidentified amount.
An allocation is an estimate until you compare it with real spending and completed orders. Review it as the pattern of work becomes clearer.
If the customer supplies fabric, direct costs may be lower, but your measurement, handling, cutting and fitting time still exists. Record the supplied material's condition and usable quantity.
Check capacity as well as price
A profitable-looking quote can still create a problem if you promise more hours than you have. Keep accepted orders on a simple schedule and allow for the fitting sequence.
The VFA income and capacity planner helps explore the relationship between available hours, order time, price and direct costs. Its cash-surplus output is not a replacement for tracking owner pay, tax or actual business accounts.
Demand is another unknown. A workable quote does not establish how many customers will order at that price.
Explain the quote clearly
A customer needs to understand the agreed garment, amount, payment stages, fitting plan and delivery conditions. You do not need to turn the quote into an accounting lecture.
State what happens if they request a significant change. Confirm it before doing the extra work. Keep the revised agreement with the order record.
After completion, compare estimated and actual materials and time. That is where the next quote becomes more informed.
Learn the making process behind the number
If you cannot assess construction or fit, the cost estimate will be uncertain. VFA's Boutique Management course describes learning in making and order-related skills.
Read the first-order guide before accepting a commission. To discuss the training, arrange a visit at the Jayanagar studio listed on Maps. Bring a sample job and the tasks you struggled to estimate.