Pricing Your Stained Glass Projects – Part 2 – Materials Cost

$ PRICING YOUR STAINED GLASS WORK – Part 2 By Martha Hanson / Paned Expressions Stained Glass Studio

©2008 Paned Expressions Studios, Inc.

MATERIALS COST CALCULATIONS

This part of your costing should be the easiest of the three calculations as the $$ are so evident.  Don’t be fooled!  Sure, you know the cost of your glass.  You have receipts, right?  OK, how much did it cost to go get it and bring it home?  To have it shipped in/to unpack it and put it away?  This all becomes part of you material costs as well if you don’t want to lose money on this window.  So, here we go.  Let’s price the glass for that 16 sft panel commissioned in the Labor example.  Remember to add in a scrap %. This is based on the amount of curves in the design and, quite literally, how good your cutting skills are.  Let’s say there are lots of curves in the design and you’re pretty good at cutting glass. This fictitious window has the following glass costs and freight/handling has already been factored into the glass price/sft:   Width: 32″      Height: 72″   Number of pieces: 1250 with a scrap factor = 43%

GLASS REQUIRED:

White                               240 pieces      0.546 feet²  x $3.50/sft       =     $     1.91

Bullseye 6212                  110 pieces       0.270 feet²  x $7.50/sft       =     $     2.02

Bullseye 1112                  120 pieces       0.391 feet²  x $8.50/sft       =     $     3.32

Uroboros 61-701-90        470 pieces       4.706 feet²  x $9.75/sft       =     $   45.88

Spectrum 151SF                74 pieces       4.738 feet²  x $5.50/sft       =     $   26.05

Clear double rolled            98 pieces     12.086 feet²  x $3.75/sft       =     $   45.32

Crimson antique              138 pieces       0.140 feet²  x   1.19            =     $     1.19

22.878 feet²                                 $ 125.69

If you have software to calculate the foil/lead usage, you’re way ahead of the game.  Otherwise calculate as follows:

• Average of  6” of foil/piece
• Average of  3.5” of lead came/piece

This should more than cover your cost on most windows and does not include the outer came framing.

IF FOIL CONSTRUCTION:

Inches of copper foil:                          3135.294 x .027/inch             =     $   84.65

Solder                                                                                                 =     $   16.00

Total:              =     $ 100.65

IF LEAD CAME CONSTRUCTION:

Inches of came (24 each 6′ lengths)    1671.865 x .05/inch               =     $   66.87

Solder                                                                                                 =     $     4.00

Glazing Materials (Putty, Whiting, etc)                                             =     $   12.00

Total:              =     $   82.87

TOTAL COST CONSTRUCTION

           COPPER FOIL METHOD                                                                                LEAD CAME METHOD

Pattern   =    $   44.00                                                                 Pattern  =   $  44.00

Glass   =    $ 125.69                                                                   Glass  =   $ 125.69

Foil/Solder    =    $ 100.65                                        Came/Solder/Finishing  =   $  82.87

Total   =    $ 270.34                                                                    Total  =   $ 208.56

As you can see from these calculations, you have covered the cost of the actual glass used.  Yes, you buy more than you need in order to complete a panel, so there is another way to calculate this portion of the cost.  If you cost in the total of what you purchased (certainly easier to calculate), this means that any subsequent panels, suncatchers, etc, you create from the remaining glass will naturally have reduced costs to construct, due to previously costing this glass into a prior panel.  However, the labor and overhead need still be factored into these subsequent creations.  This method can get a bit complicated when partial “scrap” and partial new glass is used for a project.

When costing in materials, don’t forget the wear and tear on your cutter head, grinder bits and, if you use one, your glass saw.  These elements are used up with every piece you shape and should be added into the cost of every piece of art you produce.  I’d love to give you a formula here, but everyone uses these devices at their own rate an only you can estimate this part of the material cost.