Some things stay with you.
Know what yours could cost.
A style is more than a look. It changes the time, the detail, and the price.
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A memory. A rebellion. A name you never want to forget. The best tattoos begin with something that matters to you.
We help with the practical part: a clear price range, the hours behind it, and a better conversation with your artist.
Make a little room for foreverThe art is personal.
The math should be open.
Size. Placement. Style. That’s your starting point.
Pick a size, placement, and style. We’ll turn your idea into a useful price range.
Have your artist’s rate? Add it in More options for an estimate based on their pricing.
A tattoo cost calculator and a tattoo price calculator answer the same question. One model estimates the hours your design takes and multiplies them by an hourly rate. The result is a range, with the calculation open for you to inspect.
Your artist knows their pricing best. Add their hourly rate in More options and the estimate follows immediately. Size, placement, and complexity stay visible in the breakdown, so you can see exactly what changed.
Size is the single biggest lever on price, because size is really area, and area is really time. A design twice as wide and twice as tall covers four times the skin, and the artist is still paid by the hour.
Most artists price a very small piece as a flat minimum, then switch to an hourly rate once the work runs past an hour or two. That is why the jump from a coin-sized piece to a palm-sized one feels so much bigger than the measurements suggest.
Placement matters just as much as size. The same drawing on a flat outer forearm and on the ribs are two different jobs, because one surface holds still and the other curves away and moves with every breath.
The ruler above is our model for turning inches into hours. It is an estimate, not studio policy, and you can see it applied line by line in Show the math on any result.
See the full tattoo size chart , every size from a 1-inch thumbnail to a full sleeve, with session time and cost. Working in centimeters? The tattoo size calculator converts any measurement both ways.
Drawings are to scale with each other, not to your body. A ruler and a tape measure beat any diagram, measure the spot before you commit.
Typical ranges by placement and size. Cite it, screenshot it, take it to your consultation. It is the same model the calculator runs.
| Placement | Small2-4″ | Medium4-7″ | Large7-12″ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outer arm / forearm | $240-490 | $490-980 | $1,000-1,600 |
| Upper arm / shoulder | $240-490 | $490-980 | $1,000-1,600 |
| Calf | $240-490 | $490-980 | $1,000-1,600 |
| Thigh | $260-510 | $500-1,000 | $1,000-1,700 |
| Chest | $270-540 | $500-1,100 | $1,100-1,800 |
| Back (upper / shoulder blade) | $270-540 | $500-1,100 | $1,100-1,800 |
| Spine / full back panel | $290-590 | $600-1,200 | $1,200-2,000 |
| Ankle / wrist | $280-560 | $600-1,100 | $1,100-1,900 |
| Hand / finger | $310-610 | $600-1,200 | $1,200-2,000 |
| Foot | $290-590 | $600-1,200 | $1,200-2,000 |
| Neck / throat | $310-610 | $600-1,200 | $1,200-2,000 |
| Ribs / side | $320-640 | $600-1,300 | $1,300-2,100 |
| Head / face | $330-660 | $700-1,300 | $1,300-2,200 |
| Other / not sure | $270-540 | $500-1,100 | $1,100-1,800 |
Ranges use the US national average of $163/hr and the fine line / script style factor. Your placement and style will move these. Built from published artist hourly rates and our own size-to-hours model. These are estimates, not quotes. Ranges are rounded and assume the fine line / script style; a black & grey portrait of the same size runs considerably higher.
Pricing one kind of tattoo? See small tattoo cost for the shop minimum and what $50-300 buys, forearm tattoo cost from one piece to a full wrap, half sleeve tattoo cost for the upper arm or the forearm, and full sleeve tattoo cost for the whole arm.
The questions that come up before anyone sits in the chair. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
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