Dry Cleaning Pricing Calculator

Work out dry cleaning pricing instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Dry Cleaning Pricing Calculator

Dry cleaning is labour-dominated: pressing and finishing account for most of the time and cost, not the cleaning itself. Because direct cost per garment is small relative to price, a high gross margin is normal and necessary to cover premises and plant.

Formulas

Labour cost

Labour = Minutes per garment / 60 x Labour cost per hour

Price

Price = (Solvent cost + Labour cost) / (1 - Target margin %)

Worked example

With the default values below, Dry Cleaning Pricing Calculator returns Price per garment of $160.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Solvent and chemistry cost per garment: 22
Labour minutes per garment: 7
Labour cost per hour: 420
Target margin: 55

Results

Price per garment: $160.00
Direct cost per garment: $71.00
Labour cost per garment: $49.00
Gross profit per garment: $89.00

Step by step

1Values used
2Labour cost
3Price
4Price per garment= 160.00
5Direct cost per garment= 71.00
6Labour cost per garment= 49.00
7Gross profit per garment= 89.00

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the margin so high?

Because gross margin must cover rent in a retail location, plant depreciation, energy and the fixed cost of a machine that runs part-loaded much of the day.

What raises cost per garment?

Hand finishing, delicate fabrics, stain treatment and any item requiring a second pressing — which is why price lists differentiate by garment type.