About

How this estimate is built

This is an independent tool. It is not run by a studio, an association, or a tattoo supply company, and it takes no money from any of them. Nobody paid to be in the numbers below.

The formula

Every result on this site comes from the same three steps. Nothing else moves the number.

hours  = base hours for the size
       × placement factor
       × style factor

price  = hours × hourly rate

rate   = your artist's rate, if you type one
         otherwise a city reference range, if we have one
         otherwise the US national average

Both ends of every range are carried through, so the output range reflects both uncertainties honestly. Prices are then rounded — to the nearest $10, or the nearest $100 once the top of the range passes $1,000 — because a figure like $387.50 would pretend to a precision nobody has.

The hour table

The base hours per size are our model, not a studio policy and not an industry standard. They exist so that “how big is it” can be turned into “how long does it take” in a way you can read and argue with. Placement and style factors work the same way: they estimate how much longer an area or a style takes to work on. They are not a mark-up on the tattoo.

If you think a number here is wrong, that is useful to us. Every result has Show the math open on request, so you can see exactly which figure you disagree with.

Where the rates come from

Source	Figure	Used how
TattooSmart artist survey	$163/hr	Default when no artist rate is entered
Industry write-ups	$130–250/hr	Sanity check on the range, and the FAQ
Shop minimums	$60–150	Shown as a hint when a range falls below it. Never multiplied in.
Salary and job-board sites	$26–99/hr	Not used. They measure employed staff, not what a tattoo costs.

City rates

We do not show a city rate until we can point at a real, dated source for it. Published city-by-city tattoo rates contradict each other badly, and a made-up number is worse than no number. Until a city clears that bar, every estimate uses the national average — or the rate you type in yourself, which is almost always the most accurate figure available.

What this tool will not do

It will not give you a single precise price. That number does not exist yet.
It will not quote you, book you, or put you in touch with an artist. Ask a studio.
It will not multiply a city onto a price. City changes the hourly rate, and nothing else.
It will not show reviews, ratings, or badges we have not earned.

Corrections

Data last reviewed September 12, 2026. If a source has moved, a rate has aged, or an hour estimate is off, write to hello@tattoocalc.com. Corrections get made and the date above changes.

TattooSmart artist survey — national average rate

Source URL and publication date are pending verification. Until they are filled in, this figure is named but not linked.

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