How to price beaded bracelets
Updated
A fair price for a beaded bracelet pays for your beads, cord, clasp and packaging. It pays for your time and the fees where you sell. Then it adds some profit for the business.
How much should I charge for a beaded bracelet?
With supplier prices from September 24, 2026, the glass stretch bracelet above comes to at least $14.41 on Etsy. The rose quartz bracelet on wire with a sterling clasp comes to $37.71. Your beads and time will differ, so use the calculator with your own numbers.
The rose quartz bracelet uses 20 beads, 30 minutes. This covers your beads and supplies, your time at $20 an hour, your overhead and Etsy fees. It leaves $7.55 profit a bracelet.
The pricing formula
- For each bead: the strand's price ÷ the beads on it × the beads you use.
- Add cord or wire by the inch, then crimps, the clasp and the bag.
- Add your time: minutes ÷ 60 × your hourly rate.
- Add your overhead for one bracelet: tools, electricity, your website. Divide a month of it by the bracelets you make in a month.
- Price = (all costs + fixed fees) ÷ (1 − percentage fees − profit).
Percentage fees are taken from the final price. That's why the last step divides, instead of adding the fees on top.
What one bead costs
Beads are sold by the strand, but you use them one at a time. A $2.29 strand of 25 glass beads is about $0.09 a bead. A $17.85 strand of 50 rose quartz beads is about $0.36 a bead. The shop's page usually lists the bead count, often as "about 50 beads". Enter the strand as you bought it, and the calculator does the dividing.
How many beads for a 7-inch bracelet
Seven inches is 177.8 mm. Divide by the bead size to get the count:
| Bead size | Beads for 7 inches |
|---|---|
| 4 mm | 44 |
| 6 mm | 30 |
| 8 mm | 22 |
| 10 mm | 18 |
| 12 mm | 15 |
Beads vary a little from their stated size. A clasp and spacers take up room too. Lay the beads out before you cut. When you enter bead sizes above, the calculator shows how long your beads make.
Stretch cord or beading wire
Stretch cord is the cheaper way to string a bracelet: it needs no clasp or crimps. In the glass example, the cord adds $0.25 a bracelet. On wire, the rose quartz bracelet's wire, two crimps and clasp add $8.17. The sterling clasp alone is $6.83, close to the $7.14 for all its beads. Don't leave the clasp out of your price.
Pricing bigger sizes
A bigger bracelet uses more beads and cord. One more inch of 8 mm beads is about 3 beads. Made 8 inches long, the glass bracelet comes to $14.84. That's $0.43 more than the 7-inch one. Price each size you sell, or price by your largest size.
Stacks and sets
A stack bought in one order shares one order fee, so each bracelet costs a little less to sell. For a stack of 3 glass bracelets in one order, charge at least $42.54. That's $14.18 each, instead of $14.41. Offer a lower stack price only if it still covers your costs.
Clay bead and friendship bracelets
Price them the same way. Enter clay beads by the bag, the cord, and your time. They're quick to make, but your time still counts. If you make bracelets for children, check the lead rules for children's jewelry on the CPSC's jewelry page.
Selling to shops
Shops usually pay half your retail price, so check that half still covers your costs. Half of the glass bracelet's $14.41 is $7.20. That's less than the $9.71 it costs in beads, supplies and time. To sell it wholesale, charge at least $19.42 retail. For consignment and more on selling to shops, see the handmade jewelry pricing calculator. To check whether a market pays for its booth, use the craft fair profit calculator.
Common pricing mistakes
- Pricing by the bead count, but forgetting the clasp and crimps.
- Leaving out your time because a bracelet is quick to make.
- Forgetting the cord, the bag and the fees where you sell.
- Charging the same for every size when bigger ones use more beads.
- Offering stack deals that don't cover your costs.
Common questions
- How much should I charge for a beaded bracelet?
- Enough to cover your beads, cord, clasp, packaging, time and selling fees, plus profit. With supplier prices from September 24, 2026, the glass stretch bracelet comes to at least $14.41. The rose quartz bracelet on wire comes to $37.71.
- How do I work out the cost of one bead?
- Divide what you paid for the strand by the beads on it. A $2.29 strand of 25 glass beads is about $0.09 a bead. A $17.85 strand of 50 rose quartz beads is about $0.36 a bead.
- How many beads do I need for a 7-inch bracelet?
- About 22 beads of 8 mm, 30 of 6 mm, or 44 of 4 mm. A clasp and spacers take up room, so lay the beads out before you cut the cord.
- Should gemstone bracelets cost more than glass?
- Price by what they cost you. In the examples, a rose quartz bead costs $0.36 and a glass bead $0.09. The calculator carries that difference into the price.
- Do I charge for my time on a quick bracelet?
- Yes. 20 minutes at $20 an hour is $6.67. Leave it out, and each bracelet pays you nothing for the work.
- What counts as overhead?
- Business costs that aren't for one bracelet: pliers, bead mats, electricity and your website. Add up a usual month and divide by the bracelets you make in a month. Bags and tags go in your supplies, because each bracelet uses its own.
- How do I price a stack of bracelets?
- Price one bracelet first. The result then shows the least to charge for a stack of 3 bought together. Change the stack size under More settings.
- Is stretch cord or beading wire cheaper?
- Stretch cord, because it needs no clasp or crimps. In the examples, stretch cord adds $0.25 a bracelet. Wire, two crimps and a sterling clasp add $8.17.
- How much should I charge for clay bead bracelets?
- Price them the same way. Enter the clay beads by the bag, the cord, and your time. The calculator adds your fees and profit.
Where the example prices come from
Each example uses the regular price of one pack on a US supplier's site, checked on September 24, 2026. The bead counts and inches of cord are our own, for a 7-inch bracelet.
- Czech glass beads, 8 mm (25 on a strand) (Beadaholique)
- Opelon stretch cord, 0.7 mm, 5 m (Beadaholique)
- Organza pouches, 3 × 2 in, 12 (Fire Mountain Gems)
- Rose quartz faceted round beads, 8 mm (about 50 on a strand) (Fire Mountain Gems)
- Beadalon beading wire, 49 strand, .015 in, 30 ft (Beadaholique)
- Sterling silver crimp tubes, 2 × 2 mm, 10 (Jewelry Supply)
- Sterling silver lobster clasp, 11 × 6 mm (Jewelry Supply)
- Organza pouches, 4½ × 3 in, 12 (Fire Mountain Gems)
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