Engraved Cutting Board Pricing: How to Price Laser Engraved Boards
How to price laser engraved cutting boards: blanks, engraving time, food safe finish, design and gift boxes, with worked examples.
In this guide
Engraved cutting boards are a top wedding, housewarming and realtor closing gift. The blank and engraving time make up most of the cost, plus finishing and packaging. This guide shows how to price engraved cutting boards with three examples.
- Cutting board price = blank + engraving time + oil + design + packaging + overhead, then profit and fees.
- A small engraved bamboo board costs about $18.15 to make and sells for about $27.
- Handwritten recipe boards take more design time. Price them higher.
- Realtor and corporate orders share setup and get bulk tiers.
Why boards need engraving time in the price
Large designs and deep engraving take longer. A full recipe engraving can take much longer than a name.
Food safe oil and gift boxes add cost.
The steps
1. Price the blank
Bamboo, maple or walnut.
2. Add engraving time
Machine cost per hour times time.
3. Add design
Layout and proof. Recipe cleanup takes longer.
4. Add oil and packaging
Food safe oil, gift box or bag.
5. Add overhead, profit and fees
Use 10% overhead, 30% profit and fees.
Worked example: small, large and recipe boards
$20 an hour, 10% overhead, 30% profit and 10% fees.
| Small bamboo name board | Large maple board | Handwritten recipe board | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board blank | $7.00 | $22.00 | $14.00 |
| Engraving time | $2.00 | $4.00 | $5.00 |
| Oil and packaging | $1.50 | $3.00 | $2.00 |
| Labor at $20.00/hr | 0.3 hr = $6.00 | 0.4 hr = $8.00 | 0.75 hr = $15.00 |
| Overhead (10%) | $1.65 | $3.70 | $3.60 |
| Cost to make | $18.15 | $40.70 | $39.60 |
| Plus 30% profit | $23.59 | $52.91 | $51.48 |
| Cover 10% selling fees (divide by 0.90) | $26.22 | $58.79 | $57.20 |
| Suggested price | $27 | $59 | $58 |
Hardwood boards cost more, and buyers expect to pay more for them.
Pricing mistakes to avoid
- Engraving the cutting side. Engrave the display side, or tell buyers which side to cut on.
- No food safe finish. Use food safe oil.
- Free recipe cleanup. Handwriting cleanup takes design time.
- No bulk pricing for realtors. Realtors often order in bulk.
What you keep on each sales channel
The same small engraved board at $27.00 leaves different money in your pocket depending on where it sells. This uses the $18.15 cost to make from the example above, with Etsy's current transaction, processing and listing fees and Square's in-person card rate. Shipping, sales tax and ads are left out.
| Where it sells | Buyer pays | Fees | You keep | Profit over cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etsy (6.5% + 3% + $0.25 + $0.20 listing) | $27.00 | $3.02 | $23.98 | $5.84 |
| Your own website (about 2.9% + $0.30) | $27.00 | $1.08 | $25.92 | $7.77 |
| Craft fair, card reader (2.6% + $0.15) | $27.00 | $0.85 | $26.15 | $8.00 |
| Craft fair, cash | $27.00 | $0.00 | $27.00 | $8.85 |
| Wholesale to a shop (50% of retail) | $13.50 | $0.00 | $13.50 | -$4.65 |
On Etsy, fees take about 11% of a $27.00 sale. If a sale comes through Etsy Offsite Ads, add another 15% (12% for shops over $10,000 a year), so build that into your price if you're enrolled. Wholesale at half of retail loses $4.65 per piece here. Either raise retail, lower your cost, or set a separate wholesale price with a case minimum.
Bulk and custom order pricing
For a realtor order of engraved closing gift boards, logo layout and a test engrave takes about 0.5 hr at $20.00/hr. Charge that once per order, then spread it across the pieces. Materials are $10.50 per piece and hands-on time is 15 minutes, which drops when you batch the same design. Overhead is 10%, profit 30%, and 3% covers card or invoice fees.
| Quantity | Setup share per piece | Cost per piece | Price per piece | Order total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10.00 | $28.05 | $37.59 | $37.59 |
| 10 | $1.00 | $17.33 | $23.22 | $232.19 |
| 25 | $0.40 | $16.12 | $21.60 | $539.94 |
| 50 | $0.20 | $15.62 | $20.93 | $1,046.70 |
The price per piece falls from $37.59 to $20.93 because the setup is shared, not because you cut your rate. Quote the tier the customer actually orders, ask for a 50% deposit before you buy blanks, and set a minimum order size for custom work.
Cutting board checklist
- Blank cost.
- Engraving time.
- Design time.
- Oil and packaging.
- Overhead, profit and fees.
- Bulk tiers.
Price engraved boards
Type your blank, engraving time and finishing into the peach cells. The calculator shows cost and price.
Get the Engraved Cutting Board CalculatorCalculators that help
- Laser hourly rate: Find your machine cost per hour. Use the Laser Engraving Hourly Rate Calculator – Labor, Machine & Shop Rate.
- Engraving time: Estimate time. Use the Laser Engraving Time Estimator – Speed, Line Interval & Job Time.
- Price per square inch: Price by engraving area. Use the Laser Engraving Price per Square Inch Calculator – Inches or Centimeters.
- Wholesale: Set wholesale prices. Use the Laser Wholesale & Consignment Calculator – Boutique Pricing.
Common questions
How much should I charge for an engraved cutting board?
Many sell for about $25 to $75. In this guide a small bamboo board prices at about $27.
What wood is best?
Maple and walnut are popular hardwoods. Bamboo is a lower cost option.
How do I price recipe boards?
Add design time for cleaning up handwriting.
Should I oil boards?
Yes, with food safe oil.
How do I price realtor gifts?
Use bulk tiers.
Can you cut on an engraved board?
It is best to cut on the plain side.
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