Production

Pottery Income Goal Calculator

Calculate how many ceramic pieces you need to sell and make each month to reach your income goal, accounting for material costs, platform fees, scrap rate, and studio overhead.

Updated

Income Goal

Net take-home income after all costs.

Costs

Clay + glaze + kiln share. Typical: 20–35%.

Production (optional)

Pieces lost to cracking, firing faults, etc.

Enter to see total weekly workload.

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Results

calculate

Enter your measurements above and click Calculate.

How the Income Goal Calculator Works

This calculator works backwards from your desired monthly take-home income to tell you exactly how many pieces you need to sell — and make — each month.

Net Per Piece

Net/piece = Selling price − Platform fee − Material cost

Platform fees (Etsy ~6.5%, Faire ~15%, local market 0%) and material costs are deducted first to find the true contribution per sale.

Pieces to Sell

Pieces to sell = (Monthly goal + Overhead) ÷ Net per piece

Pieces to Make (with Scrap)

Pieces to make = Pieces to sell ÷ (1 − Scrap rate)

A 10% scrap rate means you need to make 111 pieces to have 100 pieces to sell after losses from cracking and kiln faults.

Typical Etsy seller material cost: 20–35% · Typical scrap rate: 8–15% · Etsy fees (2026): ~6.5% transaction + listing fees.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a realistic material cost percentage for pottery? expand_more
For most studio potters, materials (clay + glaze + kiln electricity share) account for 20–35% of the retail selling price. If your material costs exceed 40% of the sale price, it is very difficult to earn a living wage. The solution is usually to raise prices rather than reduce quality.
What are Etsy's total fees in 2026? expand_more
Etsy charges a 6.5% transaction fee plus a 3% + $0.25 payment processing fee and a $0.20 listing fee per item. Combined, effective total fees typically range from 9–13% depending on your price point. Enter 10% as a reasonable estimate for Etsy sellers.
How do I estimate my scrap rate? expand_more
Track rejected pieces over one full production cycle: count cracked greenware, kiln accidents (explosions, crawled glaze, warped pieces), and quality rejects. Divide by total pieces started. Most experienced wheel potters run 8–15%; learners and complex forms can be 20–30%.
What counts as studio overhead? expand_more
Studio overhead includes fixed monthly costs regardless of production volume: studio rent, electricity, insurance, equipment leases, and website fees. Variable costs (clay, glaze per piece) should be entered as a material cost percentage, not overhead.