Size / Hours / Price
Tattoo cost by size.
Inches, hours, and price ranges.
A 4 × 4 inch tattoo runs $150-500 in most US shops; the same size as a full-color portrait runs $300-1,100. Below, every size from a coin to a full sleeve is priced three ways, fine line, traditional, and color realism, because style moves the price as much as size does.
Find the row that matches your design, then take the range to your consultation.
| Size | Session | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny (1-2 in) | Under 1-2 hrs | $60-250 |
| Small (2-4 in) | 1.5-4 hrs | $100-500 |
| Medium (4-7 in) | 3-6 hrs | $250-850 |
| Large (7-12 in) | 5-14 hrs | $550-2,500 |
| XL (12+ in) | 10-40 hrs | $1,000-6,000+ |
Tattoo prices by size and style
The same area priced across three styles. Read down a column to see what size adds; read across a row to see what style adds.
| Size | Inches | cm | Session | Fine line | Traditional | Color realism |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny (1-2 in)Often the shop minimum | 1-2 | 2.5-5 | Under 1-2 hrs | $60-250 | $80-300 | $150-450 |
| Small (2-4 in) | 2-4 | 5-10 | 1.5-4 hrs | $100-500 | $150-600 | $250-900 |
| Medium (4-7 in) | 4-7 | 10-18 | 3-6 hrs | $250-850 | $300-1,000 | $500-1,600 |
| Large (7-12 in)Usually 2+ sittings | 7-12 | 18-30 | 5-14 hrs | $550-2,500 | $700-3,000 | $1,200-4,500 |
| XL (12+ in)Multi-session projects | 12+ | 30+ | 10-40 hrs | $1,000-6,000+ | $1,500-8,000+ | $2,500-12,000+ |
| Half sleeveSee the sleeve guide | 8-12 (wrap) | 20-30 (wrap) | 10-20 hrs | $1,000-3,000 | $1,200-3,500 | $1,800-5,500+ |
| Full sleeveSee the sleeve guide | 15-24 (wrap) | 38-61 (wrap) | 20-40+ hrs | $1,500-6,000+ | $1,800-7,000+ | $2,800-10,000+ |
Ranges compiled September 2026 from published studio price menus and third-party price guides, with the market anchors kept identical to our tattoo size chart page (2 × 2 in $60-250, 4 × 4 in $150-500, 6 × 6 in $450-850, full sleeve $1,500-6,000+). The fine line column follows the size chart's published bands; the traditional and color realism columns apply this site's hours × rate model at the $163/hr US average on a flat outer arm, roughly 1.15× and 1.7× the baseline hours, rounded to whole tens. Sessions are chair time; large pieces and sleeves are split across sittings, and the sleeve rows follow the size chart's project convention rather than the model's 24 in cap. Fine line / script is the baseline column and matches the tattoo size chart band by band. Traditional and neo-trad add bold linework and solid color, about 1.15× the baseline hours, and color realism takes about 1.7×, so the same outline grows by that ratio in chair time and price at every size. Data updated September 24, 2026.
Exact sizes, in whole inches
For a measurement you already have: each row is the longer side of the design, priced at the fine line baseline.
| Longer side | cm | Session | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 in | 5 cm | 1-2 hrs | $80-300 |
| 3 in | 7.5 cm | 1.5-3 hrs | $100-450 |
| 4 in | 10 cm | 2-4 hrs | $150-600 |
| 5 in | 13 cm | 3-5 hrs | $200-800 |
| 6 in | 15 cm | 4-6 hrs | $450-900 |
| 8 in | 20 cm | 5-8 hrs | $550-1,300 |
| 10 in | 25 cm | 6-11 hrs | $900-1,800 |
| 12 in | 30 cm | 8-14 hrs | $1,000-2,500 |
Rows are the model’s outputs at the $163/hr US average for fine line on a flat forearm; between whole inches the calculator below interpolates.
Size to cost calculator
Enter the width and length of your design in inches or centimeters. It runs the same hours × rate model as the homepage calculator, at the chart’s baseline, fine line on a flat forearm, and always answers with a range, never a single number.
Enter the width and length to see the area, the hours, and a price range.
Why a 4 inch tattoo can cost $150, or $800
Style is the multiplier people underestimate. Studio price menus commonly run $50-130/hr for newer artists, $150-300/hr for experienced ones, and $300-500/hr at the top of the market, and the demanding styles are done disproportionately by the pricier half of that ladder. A realism piece is usually both slower per square inch and worked on by a more expensive artist, which is why its column sits two to three times above fine line at every size.
Size itself is not linear either. Doubling both sides of a design quadruples the skin it covers, so a 6 inch piece is not twice a 3 inch one. It is closer to four times the area and roughly twice-and-a-half the chair time. That is what the jump from row to row in the table is really tracking.
Placement bends both numbers. A 4 inch design on a flat forearm is the baseline; the same 4 inches across the ribs or a hand works on a surface that curves, stretches, and moves, and it can take a third again as long. The calculator above keeps the baseline but takes your artist’s real hourly rate; type it in to move every size up or down the ladder at once.
What your budget buys, by size
Working from money to size instead of size to money? This is the same hourly model, read in reverse.
| Budget | Approx. hours | Roughly buys |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | ½, 1 hr | A tiny piece at or under the shop minimum |
| $200 | 1-1.5 hrs | A coin-sized 1-2 in design in fine line |
| $500 | About 3 hrs | A 3-4 in piece, or a 2 in design in color realism |
| $1,000 | About 6 hrs | A 5-6 in piece, or a 4 in black & grey portrait |
| $2,000 | About 12 hrs | An 8-10 in piece, or a 7 in color portrait |
Budget rows assume the fine line / script baseline on a flat spot at the $163/hr US average. Style multipliers move them fast: the same $500 buys a 4 in fine line piece or roughly a 2 in color portrait.
Cost by size questions
The questions people ask when a size and a budget meet. Something missing? Tell us and we will add it.
- How much does a 4 inch tattoo cost?
- $150-600 for a 4 × 4 in (10 × 10 cm) fine line design on an easy spot, and roughly $300-1,100 in full color. Four inches is palm-sized and usually takes 2-4 hours, so the artist's hourly rate decides most of the spread. Dense detail, shading, or a curved spot like the ribs pushes the same four inches toward the top of the range.
- Is $500 a lot for a tattoo?
- It is mid-range for a single sitting: about three hours at the US average of $163/hr, a 3-4 in fine line piece, a palm-sized design in traditional, or the start of a larger project. For a tiny coin-sized tattoo it would be high unless the artist is in demand; for anything 6 in or larger it is a down payment. Tip and deposit are usually extra.
- How much does a 6 hour tattoo cost?
- Six hours at the $163/hr national average is about $980 before tip. At $100/hr it is $600; at $250/hr it is $1,500. Six hours is a long sitting; large pieces are often split, so a quote for “six hours” may really mean two three-hour sessions priced as one project.
- Why do price charts disagree with each other?
- Most charts mix pricing systems. Some quote hourly rates, some flat minimums, some per-piece prices for common designs, and city and artist tiers stretch each further. The ranges here are built from one consistent model, estimated hours × published rates, and every number shows the assumptions behind it.