How Much Does It Cost To Tailor A Jacket: A Price Guide

So, how much does it cost to tailor a jacket? The price to alter a jacket changes a lot based on what you need done, the jacket itself, and where you go. Think of a range, but expect most simple jacket alteration costs to be between $20 and $50. More complex changes can cost $100 or even much more. This guide will help you see the typical price range for jacket alterations. We will look at different kinds of jobs and what makes the price go up or down.

How Much Does It Cost To Tailor A Jacket
Image Source: alterations-express.com

Common Jacket Changes and Their Costs

Many people buy a jacket and find it doesn’t fit just right. Tailoring can fix this. Tailors can make small tweaks or big changes. The price depends on how complex the work is. Here are some common jobs and what they usually cost.

Making Sleeves Shorter or Longer

One of the most common changes is fixing the sleeves. Maybe they are too long or too short.

Price to Shorten Jacket Sleeves: This is often a simple job. A tailor takes fabric from the cuff. The cost is usually between $20 and $40. If the sleeves have buttons or special vents near the cuff, it might cost a bit more, maybe $30 to $50.
Lengthening Sleeves: This is harder. It’s only possible if there is extra fabric tucked inside the cuff. This job costs more than shortening. Expect to pay $30 to $60. Sometimes it’s not possible at all if there’s no extra fabric.

Making the Body Smaller (Taking It In)

A jacket might be too wide around the chest or waist. A tailor can make it fit better.

Cost to Take In Jacket: This means the tailor removes fabric from the sides of the jacket. This is a common request. The cost of jacket waist alteration or chest alteration varies. It depends on how much fabric needs removing. It also depends on if the jacket has one vent or two vents in the back. One vent is easier. Two vents make it harder. Expect to pay $40 to $80 for this job.
Letting the Body Out: This means making the jacket bigger. Like lengthening sleeves, it’s only possible if there is extra fabric hidden inside the seams. This is less common than taking in. If possible, it costs about the same as taking in, maybe $40 to $80.

Changing the Shoulders

Shoulder fit is very important for how a jacket looks. It’s also one of the hardest and most expensive changes.

How Much to Alter Jacket Shoulders: This job can mean making the shoulders narrower. It might involve removing shoulder pads. It could even mean moving the sleeves. This work is complex. It changes the basic structure of the jacket. Because it’s so hard, the cost is high. Expect to pay $80 to $150 or even more. Often, if the shoulders don’t fit, it’s better to find a new jacket. This job is really for expensive jackets that are almost perfect otherwise.

Making the Jacket Shorter (Hemming)

The length of the jacket body might need changing.

Price to Hem Jacket: This means cutting off fabric from the bottom of the jacket. It can be a simple job. But if the jacket has pockets near the bottom, or a complex lining, it gets harder. A simple hem might cost $30 to $50. If it’s complex, it could be $50 to $80. Be careful not to make the jacket too short. It can change the look a lot.

Fixing the Collar

Sometimes the collar doesn’t lie flat. Or maybe it needs shaping.

Changing the Collar: This is not a super common alteration. It can fix small fit issues around the neck and upper back. The cost depends on how much needs doing. A simple collar fix might be $40 to $70.

Moving Buttons or Buttonholes

Sometimes you just need small tweaks to make the jacket feel better or hang right.

Moving Buttons: This is very cheap. It might be $5 to $10 per button. Moving a button can sometimes make the jacket feel slightly looser or tighter in a small area.
Adding or Moving Buttonholes: This is harder and costs more. Adding a buttonhole is usually $15 to $30 each.

Things That Change the Cost

The average cost jacket tailoring isn’t one set number. Many things affect the final price. Knowing these factors helps you guess the price before you go to the tailor.

The Jacket’s Material

The fabric of the jacket makes a difference.

Normal Suit Fabrics: Wool, cotton, linen blends are standard. They are usually easy for tailors to work with. The prices listed above are typical for these.
Delicate Fabrics: Silk or very thin materials need extra care. They can be hard to sew without causing damage. This extra care means a higher price.
Thick or Tough Fabrics: Leather, heavy tweed, or thick denim are hard to sew through. Tailors need special needles and tools. Altering a leather jacket can cost much more than a wool suit jacket. A simple leather sleeve shorten might be $50 to $100. Taking in a leather jacket body could be $100 to $200 or more.
Patterns: If the fabric has a strong pattern (like plaid or stripes), the tailor must match the pattern perfectly after making changes. This takes more time and skill. It will increase the cost, maybe by 20% to 50%.

How the Jacket is Made

The way the jacket is built inside affects the price.

Lining: Most jackets have a lining. The tailor must open the lining to make changes to the outer fabric. Then they must sew the lining back perfectly. This adds time and effort. Unlined jackets might be slightly cheaper to alter for some simple jobs.
Structure: Suit jackets have a lot of structure inside (padding, canvas). Altering these areas, like shoulders, is very complex. Casual jackets (like bombers or parkas) are often less structured, making some alterations easier and cheaper.
Details: Vents (slits in the back), pockets, special seams, or fancy stitching add difficulty. The tailor has to take these apart and put them back correctly. More details often mean higher costs.

How Hard the Job Is

This is a big factor in the tailoring suit jacket cost.

Simple Jobs: Shortening sleeves without vents or buttons, or taking in the sides of a simple jacket are less complex. They cost less.
Medium Jobs: Shortening sleeves with vents/buttons, hemming a lined jacket, or significantly taking in a jacket with vents are medium difficulty. They cost more.
Hard Jobs: Changing shoulders, completely relining a jacket, or complex work on tricky fabrics are hard jobs. They cost the most.
Multiple Alterations: If you need many things done (sleeves, body, hem), the total cost adds up. Some tailors might offer a small discount if you do several jobs at once, but don’t count on it. Each job is priced based on its difficulty.

The Tailor’s Experience and Location

Just like with any service, where you go changes the price.

Experienced Tailors: A tailor with many years of experience or one known for high-quality work will charge more. They are likely better at complex jobs and produce cleaner results.
Location: Tailors in big cities or fancy areas usually charge more than those in smaller towns or less expensive neighborhoods. A tailor on Savile Row in London will charge vastly more than a local dry cleaner’s tailor.
Type of Business: A dedicated tailor shop often charges more than a dry cleaner that also does simple alterations. High-end department stores with tailoring services are usually the most expensive.

Rush Jobs

Need your jacket back fast?

Extra Cost: Most tailors charge extra for rush service. If you need the jacket in a day or two instead of a week or two, expect to pay 30% to 50% more.

Getting Prices and Finding a Good Tailor

So how do you find out the exact price? You need to visit the tailor.

Asking Different Tailors

It’s a good idea to get quotes from a couple of places.

Visit in Person: Take your jacket to the tailor. Explain exactly what you want changed.
Get a Quote: A good tailor will look at the jacket and tell you the price before they start work. They should explain what they will do.
Compare: Get quotes from two or three tailors. This helps you see the price range for jacket alterations in your area. Don’t just go for the cheapest option. Consider their experience and what others say about their work.

Seeing a Price List

Some tailors or alteration shops have a suit alteration price list. This is helpful.

Check the List: Look at their price list. It might show typical costs for common jobs like sleeve shortening or taking in a jacket.
Ask for Details: Remember that prices can vary based on the specific jacket. The price list is a guide. Always ask for a price for your jacket.

Is Paying for Tailoring a Good Idea?

Tailoring isn’t cheap, especially for complex jobs. So, is it worth the cost?

Making Clothes Fit: A well-fitting jacket looks much better than one that is too big or too small. Tailoring makes your clothes fit you.
Improving Appearance: A good fit makes you look sharper and more put-together.
Extending Life: Tailoring can save a jacket you love but doesn’t quite fit anymore. It’s cheaper than buying a new high-quality jacket.
Value of Good Clothes: If you have an expensive suit or a high-quality jacket, paying for tailoring protects your investment. A $50 alteration on a $500 jacket is a good value if it makes it fit perfectly. A $100 alteration on a $100 jacket might not feel worth it unless you really love the jacket.

Think about the original cost of the jacket. Think about how much you like it. Think about how much better it will look and feel after tailoring. This helps you decide if the jacket alteration cost is worth it for you.

Quick Look at Prices

This table gives you a general idea of the price range for common jacket alterations. Remember, these are estimates. Your actual cost might be different.

Alteration Job	Typical Price Range	Complexity	Notes
Shorten Sleeves (simple cuff)	$20 – $40	Easy	Common job
Shorten Sleeves (with vent/buttons)	$30 – $50	Medium	More time involved
Lengthen Sleeves	$30 – $60	Medium	Only if extra fabric is there
Take In Sides (simple)	$40 – $70	Medium	No vents or one vent
Take In Sides (with 2 vents)	$50 – $80	Medium	More difficult due to vents
Let Out Sides	$40 – $80	Medium	Only if extra fabric is there
Hem Jacket Length (simple)	$30 – $50	Medium	Simple hem, no close pockets
Hem Jacket Length (complex)	$50 – $80	Harder	Pockets near hem, complex lining
Alter Shoulders	$80 – $150+	Very Hard	Often changes jacket structure. Expensive!
Change Collar	$40 – $70	Medium/Hard	Less common
Move Buttons	$5 – $10 per button	Easy	Quick fix
Add Buttonholes	$15 – $30 each	Medium	Requires special machine

This table shows the average cost jacket tailoring for basic needs. Complex fabrics or construction will push prices higher.

Looking at the Suit Alteration Price List

Sometimes you can find a general suit alteration price list online or in the shop. This list gives you a starting point.

What’s on the List: It usually lists common jobs for suits. This includes jackets and pants. For jackets, you’ll see prices for sleeves, taking in/out, and maybe hemming.
Why It’s Helpful: It gives you an idea if the tailor is expensive or affordable compared to others.
Limitations: Remember, the list is general. The price for your suit jacket might be higher. This is because your jacket might have a difficult fabric or complex details. Always ask for a specific price for your item.

The price range for jacket alterations can be wide. A simple sleeve hem might be $20. A full shoulder job could be $150 or more. A suit jacket alteration price list gives you a base idea.

Factors Making Alterations Harder

Some things make a tailor’s job much harder. This increases the jacket alteration cost.

Fabric Type

Slippery Fabrics: Fabrics like rayon or some synthetics are hard to handle. They can move around while sewing.
Thick Fabrics: Tweed, corduroy, multiple layers are hard to sew through.
Leather/Suede: Needs special needles, machines, and skills. Edges can’t be pressed easily.
Pattern Matching: Plaids, stripes, or big prints must line up after seams are opened and resewn. This takes careful work.

Jacket Construction

Full Canvas: High-quality suits have a canvas layer inside that gives structure. Altering these requires working with this canvas. It’s more complex than working with fused (glued) jackets.
Hand Stitching: If parts of the jacket are sewn by hand (like buttonholes or edges), the tailor may need to recreate this by hand. Handwork costs more.
Working Vents: Some jacket sleeves have buttonholes that really open. Shortening these while keeping the working vents is much harder and more expensive than simple non-working vents. This significantly impacts the price to shorten jacket sleeves.

Complexity of the Specific Request

Amount of Change: Taking in a jacket by a little bit is easier than taking it in a lot. Big changes can affect how other parts of the jacket hang. This changes the cost to take in jacket.
Changing Multiple Areas That Interact: Changing shoulders is hard partly because it affects the sleeves and the upper body fit. Tailors must rebalance everything. This is why the cost to alter jacket shoulders is high.
Adding Features: Adding new pockets or vents is usually not possible or very expensive. Tailoring is usually about making existing features fit better, not adding new ones.

Knowing these points helps you understand why one alteration might cost much more than another, even if they seem similar at first look.

What To Expect When You Visit a Tailor

Going to a tailor for the first time? Here is what usually happens.

Make an Appointment: For jacket alterations, especially suit jackets, it’s good to make an appointment. The tailor needs time to fit you properly.
Wear the Right Clothes: Wear the shirt and shoes you would normally wear with the jacket. This helps the tailor see how the jacket truly fits you.
Tell the Tailor What You Feel: Explain why you think the jacket doesn’t fit. Is it too tight, too loose, too long? Point to the areas you are concerned about.
Let the Tailor Pin: The tailor will have you put the jacket on. They will look at how it hangs. They will use pins or chalk to mark the changes needed. They might ask you to move your arms to see how the jacket feels.
Discuss Options and Price: The tailor will explain what changes they recommend. They will tell you the price for each alteration. This is when you get your specific suit alteration price list for the work needed on your jacket. Ask questions if you don’t understand something.
Agree and Leave the Jacket: Once you agree on the work and price, you leave the jacket. You’ll get a receipt with the list of work and the pick-up date.
Try it on When You Pick Up: When you get the jacket back, try it on in the shop. Make sure you are happy with the fit. If something isn’t right, tell the tailor right away. They can often make small adjustments.

Taking the time to have a proper fitting ensures the tailor understands what you need. It also helps you understand the work being done and the reason for the jacket alteration cost.

Why Jacket Tailoring is an Investment

Many people buy off-the-rack jackets. These are made to fit average body shapes. But bodies are not average! Tailoring makes an average-fitting jacket look like it was made just for you.

Better Silhouette: Alterations like taking in the waist (cost of jacket waist alteration) create a cleaner shape. Shortening sleeves to the right length looks sharp (price to shorten jacket sleeves). Fixing the shoulders gives a strong, clean line (how much to alter jacket shoulders).
Comfort: A jacket that fits well is more comfortable to wear. Sleeves aren’t getting in your way. The body isn’t too tight or too baggy.
Confidence: Wearing clothes that fit well makes you feel better. You stand taller. You feel more confident.
Making Older Items New: Tailoring can update the fit of an older jacket. Maybe styles have changed slightly, or your body shape has changed. Alterations can make that jacket look current again.

Even though there is a cost to tailor a jacket, the benefits in terms of look, feel, and confidence can be significant. It turns a standard item into something special for you. The price range for jacket alterations covers everything from small comfort fixes to major style changes.

Average Costs Reconsidered

Let’s look again at the average cost jacket tailoring. It really depends on the type of job.

A very simple fix, like taking up a basic hem on a casual jacket, might be as low as $20.
A standard alteration on a suit jacket, like shortening sleeves with buttons or taking in the body, often falls in the $30 to $80 range per job.
Complex work, such as major shoulder changes or working with difficult materials like leather, will push the cost over $100, sometimes well over $150.

When you look at a suit alteration price list, these are the ranges you will likely see. But remember, these are starting points. Always get a final price for your specific jacket.

The overall jacket alteration cost depends on adding up the cost of each specific job you need. If you need sleeves shortened ($30) and the body taken in ($50), the total cost is likely around $80, not including tax or rush fees.

Knowing the typical price to shorten jacket sleeves ($20-$50), the cost to take in jacket ($40-$80), how much to alter jacket shoulders ($80-$150+), and the price to hem jacket ($30-$80) gives you a good base idea. But remember that other factors, like fabric and construction, can add to these numbers. The suit alteration price list is a good guide, but a personal quote is always best.

Common Questions

Here are some questions people often ask about jacket tailoring costs.

H5 Is It Cheaper to Alter a Jacket or Buy a New One?

It depends on the jacket. If you have an inexpensive jacket, altering it might cost more than buying a new one on sale. But if you have a high-quality jacket, altering it to fit perfectly is usually cheaper than buying a new jacket of the same quality. For expensive items, tailoring is almost always a better value than replacing.

H5 How Long Does Tailoring Take?

Simple jobs like sleeve shortening or taking in the sides might take one to two weeks. More complex work, like shoulder alterations, can take longer, sometimes three weeks or more. If you need it faster, ask about rush service, but be ready to pay extra.

H5 Can Any Jacket Be Altered?

Most jackets can be altered in some way. But some jobs are not possible or not worth the cost. For example, making a jacket much bigger is often impossible if there isn’t enough extra fabric. Completely changing the style (like making a suit jacket into a casual bomber) is usually not practical or possible. A tailor will tell you what can and cannot be done.

H5 Is the Price Per Alteration or Per Visit?

Prices are almost always per specific alteration. If you need sleeves shortened and the body taken in, you pay for both jobs. The suit alteration price list shows costs for each type of work.

H5 Does the Cost Include Fittings?

Yes, the price for the alteration usually includes the fitting needed to mark the changes and the final try-on.

H5 Should I Lose Weight Before Getting a Jacket Tailored?

If you plan to lose a significant amount of weight, it might be better to wait. Altering a jacket multiple times can be costly and might not give the best result. If you are only planning small weight changes, getting it tailored now is fine. A tailor can usually take a jacket in further later if needed, as long as they don’t cut away too much fabric the first time.

H5 Can a Tailor Fix a Jacket That’s Too Small?

Making a jacket bigger is much harder than making it smaller. It’s only possible if the tailor can find extra fabric in the seams. This is often not much. So, if a jacket is very tight, especially in the shoulders or chest, it might not be possible to make it fit.

Bringing It All Together

Figuring out the cost to tailor a jacket means looking at several things. The jacket alteration cost depends mostly on the type of job you need. Simple work like changing sleeves (price to shorten jacket sleeves) or taking in the waist (cost to take in jacket, cost of jacket waist alteration) is less expensive. Harder jobs like altering shoulders (how much to alter jacket shoulders) or complex hemming (price to hem jacket) cost more.

The jacket itself also matters. Fabrics that are hard to work with, or jackets with complicated building or many details, increase the tailoring suit jacket cost. Where you go for tailoring also changes the price. An experienced tailor in a big city will charge more than a local dry cleaner.

Looking at a suit alteration price list can give you a general idea. But always take your jacket to a tailor to get a specific quote for your needs. This gives you the true price range for jacket alterations for your item.

While there is a cost, tailoring is often a worthwhile investment. It makes your jackets fit perfectly. This helps you look and feel your best. For quality jackets, tailoring can save you money compared to buying new. Know the typical average cost jacket tailoring for different jobs, find a good tailor, and enjoy wearing clothes that fit you just right.