Guides · Row 02 · 6 min read
What a custom rug really costs
Most ateliers keep prices behind a "request a quote" curtain. We'd rather you understand exactly what you're paying for before we ever speak — because a hand-knotted rug is priced by arithmetic, not mystique.
The three levers of price
Every hand-knotted commission is the product of three factors:
- Knot density — the labor. A 9 × 12 rug at 100 knots per square inch contains over a million hand-tied knots; at 150, half as many again. Each knot is a human motion. Density is the single biggest driver of cost. Our knot-density guide explains what each count buys you.
- Size — the area. Pricing scales with square footage, and knotting time scales with it exactly: twice the rug, twice the months at the loom.
- Fiber — the material. Himalayan highland wool is the foundation; mulberry silk accents raise both cost and luminosity; a high-silk or pure-silk piece is the top of the range. See the materials guide.
Honest market context
Across the industry, genuine hand-knotted rugs in wool typically trade between $30 and $70 per square foot at retail; fine wool-and-silk pieces at 100-knot quality commonly run $70 to $150+; high-silk and very fine weaves go beyond. Anything dramatically cheaper labeled "hand-knotted" deserves a flipped corner and a hard look — it is usually a low knot count, machine-spun yarn, or a tufted rug wearing the wrong name.
| Quality | Typical use | Indicative range / sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 60-knot wool | Plush, graphic, bold-scale designs | $30–55 |
| 80-knot wool | The all-rounder — most living spaces | $45–75 |
| 100-knot wool + silk | Fine detail, curves, luminous accents | $70–150 |
| 150-knot fine weave | Museum-grade detail, heirloom pieces | $120 and up |
Ranges are indicative market context, not a price list — every commission is quoted individually against its exact chart, size, and fiber plan.
What a commission looks like in practice
At our atelier, room-size commissions typically begin around $5,000, with 12–16 weeks from approved design to delivery. That figure buys the whole journey: the design consultation, the naksha chart drawn square by square, pot-dyed small-batch color, months at the loom, a glacial-water wash, hand-trimming, and white-glove delivery.
What costs nothing extra
Because every piece is made to order, the things other shops charge premiums for are simply how we work: custom dimensions to the inch, your own colorway, motif adjustments, and previews. Our AI Mockup Studio will place a proposed design in a photo of your actual room, free, before you commit a single dollar.
The honest cost-per-year math
A $6,000 hand-knotted rug that serves for 60 years costs $100 a year. A $1,200 tufted rug replaced every 6 years costs twice that — and spends its retirement in a landfill. Heirloom pricing is front-loaded, not expensive.
Ready for a real number for your room? Send us the dimensions and your vision — we reply within a business day.
Request a commission quote