Everything you need to know to price your balloon designs profitably
Welcome to Quote Your Balloons! This tool helps you calculate profitable prices for your balloon designs by accounting for all your costs - materials, labour, overheads, and profit margin.
Itemise every material for precise pricing
Fast pricing with totals you already know
Save your default rates and preferences
Generate professional customer quotes
The Detailed Calculator lets you itemise every material for precise pricing. Use this when you want to track exact quantities and costs.
Add all materials used in your balloon design. For each item, enter:
Always round up unit prices to cover popped balloons, waste, and extras like ribbon. For example, if 12" balloons cost 15p each, enter 20p to account for wastage.
Use the + Add Material button to add more items, and the Clear All button to reset the entire calculator.
Track all time spent on the project (in minutes):
Use the Hourly Rate slider to set your rate. The calculator converts your minutes to hours automatically.
These are your business running costs that aren't tied to a specific order:
Insurance, utilities, rent/storage, equipment, software subscriptions, education/training, marketing, vehicle costs, and more. Use the Overhead Calculator in Settings to work out your per-order overhead.
This is what allows your business to grow and provides a buffer for unexpected costs.
| Margin | Rating | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | Average | Competitive markets, building client base |
| 15-20% | Good | Standard pricing for most orders |
| 20-30% | Excellent | Premium work, high demand, complex designs |
The Quick Calculator is a simplified version for faster pricing when you already know your material totals. Perfect for repeat orders or when you've pre-calculated your costs.
Use this when you already know your total material cost and just need to add labour, overheads, and profit. It's faster than itemising every balloon!
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Materials Total | Enter the combined cost of all balloons and supplies |
| Total Minutes | Combined creation and admin time (in minutes) |
| Hourly Rate | Your rate per hour (uses your saved default) |
| Order Size | Small (£5 overhead) or Large (£12 overhead) |
| Delivery Miles | Round-trip distance at 45p per mile |
| Hire Fee | Flat fee for any props, stands, or equipment |
Use the Detailed Calculator once to work out material costs for common designs, then use the Quick Calculator for repeat orders with those saved totals.
Calculate the cost of helium per balloon based on your tank size and price. Essential for pricing helium-filled bouquets and displays accurately.
Use the toggle buttons at the top to switch between:
Each type has different helium fill volumes, so make sure you're using the correct calculator for your order.
Standard helium volumes for latex (rubber) balloons:
| Balloon Size | Litres Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5" | 2L | Won't float - decorative only |
| 9" | 7L | Small floating balloon |
| 11" | 15L | Standard size |
| 16" | 42L | Large balloon |
| 24" | 142L | Giant balloon |
| 36" | 425L | Jumbo balloon |
Standard helium volumes for foil (metallic/mylar) balloons:
| Balloon Size | Litres Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 11" | 13L | Small foil |
| 16" | 15L | Standard foil |
| 24" | 40L | Large foil |
| 36" | 110L | Jumbo foil |
Helium tanks never empty completely. Factor in 10-15% wastage when calculating costs. Also consider that some helium escapes during filling.
If you have a 50L tank that costs £80:
Don't forget to include helium costs in your material costs when using the main calculator. Helium is expensive - make sure you're charging for it!
The Settings tab lets you save your personal defaults so you don't have to re-enter them each time.
Choose your experience level to get rate recommendations:
| Level | Rate Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | £15-20/hr | Building portfolio, learning techniques |
| Intermediate | £30/hr | Consistent quality, established business |
| Expert | £45-60/hr | Premium service, complex installations |
Use this tool to calculate your true per-order overhead based on your yearly figures:
Your settings are stored in your browser's local storage, so they'll be there next time you open the app. Click "Save Settings" to apply changes to the calculator.
Manage your account and subscription from the Settings tab:
After calculating a price, you can generate a professional PDF quote to send to your customer.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Your Business Name | Appears in the header (saved for future quotes) |
| Your Contact Details | Email/phone shown in header (optional, saved) |
| Customer Name | Who the quote is for |
| Event Date | When the event is taking place |
| Event Type / Occasion | e.g., "5th Birthday Party", "Wedding" |
| Design Description | What you're providing (be specific!) |
| Final Price | Pre-filled from calculator (adjust if rounding) |
| Deposit Required | Enter amount if requiring upfront payment |
| Hire Items | Optional - select if including hire equipment (Easel, Hoop, Stand, etc.) |
| Quote Valid For | Number of days (default: 14) |
Your business name and contact details are automatically saved after generating your first quote. They'll be pre-filled next time!
Understanding how your price is calculated helps you make informed decisions about your business.
| Materials | £25.00 |
| Labour (120 mins ÷ 60 × £30) | £60.00 |
| Overheads | £5.00 |
| Delivery (20 miles × 45p) | £9.00 |
| Subtotal | £99.00 |
| Profit (20%) | £19.80 |
| Hire Fee | £0.00 |
| Recommended Price | £118.80 |
Consider rounding your final price to a clean number (£118.80 → £120 or £125). This makes invoicing easier and looks more professional.
Label your lower prices as introductory offers. This sets expectations that prices will increase, reducing "sticker shock" when you raise rates later.
Yes! Your settings and business details are saved in your browser's local storage. They'll be there when you return. Note: clearing your browser data will remove these saved settings.
Yes, the app is fully responsive and works on mobile devices. Simply open the HTML file in your mobile browser.
First, check if your competitors are underpricing (common in balloon industry!). If you genuinely need to be competitive, look at reducing material costs or working more efficiently rather than cutting your hourly rate or profit margin.
No! Customers don't need to see your costs. The PDF quote shows only the total price, deposit, and balance - keeping your pricing strategy private.
Use the Overhead Calculator in Settings. Add up all your yearly business costs (insurance, utilities, rent, equipment, subscriptions, training, marketing) and divide by your number of orders.
Make sure you have an internet connection (needed to load fonts and the PDF library). Try refreshing the page or clearing your browser cache.
This usually happens when your browser's privacy/tracking protection is blocking our login service. To fix this:
Our login service is secure and doesn't track you - it's just flagged by strict privacy settings because it's hosted on a different domain.