A customer wants ten mesh banners, 36 inches wide by 24 inches tall, with grommets.
You can charge different prices based on a product's dimensions, and you can price a product with many options at once. You build the price in layers.
Turn the width and height into an area and multiply it by the rate for the chosen material. Each extra option adds a set amount or a percentage, and quantity breaks come last.
Shopify variants can't do this on their own. A product can have at most three options and 2,048 variants, and no list covers every width a customer can type.
A price calculator on your store does the math live, and it doesn't have to sit on a product page. Appify Custom Product Options can also put it on a landing page, a collection, a blog post or your homepage. Not every options app can do that, so it's worth checking before you choose one.
You don't write the math yourself, either: describe your pricing in plain English and Chat with AI sets it up.
What can an option do to the price?
All prices in this article are made-up examples, in dollars. An option on a custom product usually does one of these five things:
- Add a set amount. Grommets add 3 dollars.
- Set the rate for the size. Vinyl is 4 dollars a square foot, fabric is 7.
- Raise the price by a percentage. A premium finish adds 15%.
- Pick a price from your chart. Width across the top, height down the side.
- Change the discount. Order 10 or more and save 10%.
Most custom products mix several of these. The three examples below work each one through.
Example 1: a banner priced by size, material and quantity
The customer enters 36 inches wide and 24 inches tall, picks mesh, turns on grommets and orders 10.
The math, step by step
- Area: 36 × 24 = 864 square inches. Divide by 144 to get 6 square feet.
- Material: mesh is 5 dollars a square foot. 6 × 5 = 30.
- Grommets: add 3 dollars. One banner costs 33.
- Quantity: 10 banners × 33 = 330.
- Quantity break: 10 or more saves 10%. 330 − 33 = 297.
The same banner in vinyl costs 24 before grommets. In fabric it's 42.
Ten 36 by 24 inch mesh banners with grommets: 297. The shopper sees that total in the price summary as they fill in the calculator, not in a quote a day later.
Two rules that keep the price sensible
- A minimum price. A 6 by 6 inch mesh banner with grommets works out to 4.25. Set a minimum price of 20 per banner and small orders still cover your time.
- Fees, if you charge them. Add a setup or rush charge as a fixed fee. Quantity discounts never reduce it, and it shows as its own line in the price summary.
What you set up for each piece
| Piece of the price | What you set up |
|---|---|
| Width and height | A Dimensions option in inches, with the smallest and largest sizes you make |
| Material | A dropdown where each material carries its own rate per square foot |
| Grommets | A switch that adds 3 when it's on |
| 10% off at 10 or more | A tier in quantity discount rules, applied automatically at checkout |
| Quantity | A Quantity option in the calculator, so the total for 10 shows as they choose |
Example 2: a product where each option adds to the price
Not every product has dimensions. A made-to-order desk starts at 300, and the customer picks from a few extras:
- Wood: oak adds nothing, walnut adds 120.
- Finish: matte adds nothing, oiled adds 40.
- Cable tray: adds 35.
A walnut desk, oiled, with a cable tray: 300 + 120 + 40 + 35 = 495.
You don't need to set up any math for this one. Set the starting price, give each choice its price, and the app adds up the starting price plus every selected option.
When an option should multiply instead of add
Some extras cost more on a bigger or pricier build. A flat amount undercharges on the big orders, so a percentage fits better.
Say a hand-rubbed finish adds 15% instead of a flat 40. The walnut desk with a cable tray is 300 + 120 + 35 = 455. Then 455 × 1.15 = 523.25.
That's a price adjustment: a rule that says "when Finish is Hand-rubbed, add 15%." You pick the condition from a menu. For the 15%, type it as a plain sentence and Describe with AI writes it.
Example 3: blinds priced from a width and drop chart
Some products don't use a rate per square foot. They're priced from a chart, with a set price for each width and drop.
Blinds are a good example. Here's a small chart:
| Drop (rows) × Width (columns) | 36 in | 48 in | 60 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 in | 95 | 118 | 140 |
| 60 in | 112 | 142 | 168 |
| 72 in | 129 | 165 | 196 |
The customer's window is 46 inches wide with a 58 inch drop. Neither number is on the chart.
- Round up to the next size: 46 becomes 48, and 58 becomes 60.
- Read the chart: 48 wide by 60 drop is 142.
- Fabric group B adds 20%: 142 × 1.2 = 170.40.
The chart lives in a pricing table with its lookup mode set to Nearest upper, which rounds up to the next size. If you'd rather charge a price between two chart sizes, set it to Interpolate instead.
How do you set this up without writing the math?
Describe the pricing the way you'd explain it to a new employee.
For Example 1, you could type: "I sell custom banners. Customers enter width and height in inches and choose vinyl, mesh or fabric at 4, 5 or 7 dollars a square foot. Grommets add 3 dollars. Give 10% off orders of 10 or more."
Chat with AI builds the options and the pricing, and the preview updates as it works.
- Already have a price chart? Attach the spreadsheet to Chat with AI instead of retyping it.
- Test it with a size you've quoted before. Enter it in the preview and compare.
- If the price is off, click Price looks wrong? under the preview price. The Troubleshoot tab shows what every part of the price is worth.
- Or just tell the chat. "36 by 24 mesh should be 33 but shows 30." It opens the Troubleshoot tab with those choices already filled in.
- Show customers how the price adds up. A price summary beside the calculator can list each option, the discount, the fees and the total.
Still choosing a calculator app? What to look for in a Shopify pricing calculator lists what it has to do.
Want to go deeper? How to Price Complex Custom Products on Shopify walks through planning a calculator from scratch. How to Price Shopify Product Options by Size, Quantity, and Pricing Table covers each pricing setting one by one, including weight and SKUs.
FAQ
Will the customer pay the calculated price at checkout?
Yes. The price the calculator shows is charged at checkout automatically, whatever the product's Shopify price is. The customer's choices are saved on the order for fulfillment.
What if my customers measure in centimeters?
Offer both units. Use Length options for width and height, and give each unit its own conversion factor. The calculator converts the entry before it prices it.
Can the price per square foot drop as the size grows?
Yes. Put falling rates in a pricing table with a rate for each size range, or use a quantity discount that changes with size as well as quantity. For example, 50 small signs can earn a bigger discount than 50 large ones.
Can several products share one price chart?
Yes. A pricing table created on the main Pricing Tables page is available to every calculator in your store. Update a rate once and every product that uses it picks up the change.
Every option, every size, priced as they choose.
Whatever you sell, however you price it · The last options app you'll shop for