What Custom Medals Cost: Pricing Drivers and Bulk Orders
There is no single price for a custom medal, because five things move it: the process, the size, the quantity, the ribbon setup and the packaging. Understanding which of those actually drives your total — and which barely moves it — is what lets you land on budget without ending up with a medal that disappoints. This guide covers what each choice costs you, where the real savings sit, and what you give up when you cut the wrong thing.
Quick Answer
- Biggest cost driver
- Quantity — unit price falls as the run grows
- Second biggest
- Size, then process
- Smallest levers
- Ribbon loop type and packaging
- Setup or mould fee
- None
- Minimum
- 25 pieces per design
- Placement sets
- Three finishes of one artwork count as one design
- Seeing the numbers
- The product page prices each combination as you select it
- Above the online range
- Email for volume pricing
What actually moves the price
Ranked by how much they change your total, from most to least.
| Choice | Effect on total | Worth spending on when |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity | Largest. Unit price falls as the run grows | Worth checking the next quantity band before you commit |
| Size | Substantial. More metal in every piece | The occasion warrants it — championships, marathons, headline awards |
| Process | Moderate. Soft enamel is the base; die struck and 3D die cast step up | Your design needs sculpting or a colour-free metal look |
| Ribbon loop | Small. Wide sewn and free-moving loops add a little | You are using a wide ribbon and want it to hang flat |
| Packaging | Small per piece, but multiplies across a large run | Medals are handed over individually rather than at a finish line |
Rather than quote figures that go out of date, the product page prices each combination as you select it. Configure the version you want, then change one option at a time to see what it actually costs. That takes about a minute and gives you real numbers rather than estimates.
Quantity is where the leverage is
Custom medals carry fixed work — tooling, artwork preparation, setup — that does not change whether you order 20 or 200. Spread across more pieces, that fixed portion shrinks per medal. Two practical consequences:
- The step up is often cheaper than it looks. Going from 100 to 150 does not add 50% to your total, because the per-piece price is falling at the same time. Check both on the page before you decide the smaller number is the safer one.
- Running short is expensive in a way the spreadsheet does not show. A second small run later costs more per piece than including those medals in the first order, and for a dated design it may not be practical at all.
A note for small orders: the 25-piece minimum applies per design rather than per order, and three plating finishes of one artwork count as a single design. A tournament needing only a handful of first, second and third medals can still order a set.
Where the savings actually are
Cut these first
- Packaging. Clear bags instead of boxes across the main field, boxes only for podium places.
- Size, selectively. 2 inch for participation, 3 inch only for the championship.
- Number of designs. One die with different ribbon colours instead of several dies.
- Process, where it is not doing work. Soft enamel suits most logo-based designs.
Cutting these usually backfires
- Quantity below what you need. Running out at the event cannot be fixed.
- Ribbon width on a large medal. A heavy medal on a narrow ribbon twists and looks unfinished.
- Size at the headline award. The one medal people photograph is the wrong place to save.
- Text legibility. Shrinking type to fit a smaller medal defeats the point of having it made.
What "cheap medals" usually means
Searching for the lowest price is reasonable when budgets are fixed. It helps to know what typically gets traded away, so you can decide whether you mind:
- Stock designs instead of custom tooling. The lowest prices often come from ready-made medals with a printed insert rather than your artwork struck into metal.
- Thinner pieces. Less metal is cheaper, and it is immediately obvious in the hand.
- Narrow or plain ribbons. A significant part of how a medal feels comes from the ribbon.
- No proof stage. Skipping the digital proof saves the supplier time and moves all the risk to you.
The comparison worth making: price per recipient, not price per medal. A medal that a runner keeps on a hook for years is a different value proposition from one that ends up in a drawer that evening — and the difference between them is often smaller than the difference between two suppliers' quotes.
Planning a budget that survives contact with the event
A workable sequence when the total is fixed:
- Settle quantity first, based on final rosters or your registration cap plus overage. This is the number you should not compromise.
- Set the size for your headline award, then decide whether everyone else needs the same size.
- Choose the process that suits the artwork, not the one that sounds most impressive.
- Configure that combination on the product page and read the total.
- If it is over budget, adjust packaging first, then size for the non-headline group, then the number of separate designs.
For working out quantities in particular, the race medal guide covers registrations versus finishers, and the team and tournament guide covers roster counting and the sports that award per division rather than per team.
Ordering above the online range
The product page covers the standard quantity range. Beyond that, volume pricing is handled by email, and it is worth starting that conversation early rather than after you have configured something. Have your quantity, size, process and deadline ready — those four determine most of the answer.
Before you commit
- Quantity confirmed from real numbers, with overage, before optimising anything else
- Two nearby quantities compared on the page rather than assumed
- Headline award sized properly, even if the main field is smaller
- Number of separate designs minimised — ribbon colour used to differentiate instead
- Packaging matched to how medals are handed over, not chosen by default
- Checked that the price you are comparing includes tooling, since there is no setup fee here
- Volume enquiry sent by email if your quantity is above the online range
Frequently asked questions
How much do custom medals cost?
It depends on process, size, quantity, ribbon and packaging, so there is no single figure. The product page prices each combination as you select it, which is faster and more accurate than any estimate — configure what you want and change one option at a time to see the effect.
Do I get a better price ordering in bulk?
Yes — unit price falls as the run grows, because the fixed work is spread across more pieces. It is worth pricing the next quantity band before settling on a smaller one.
Is there a setup or mould fee on top?
No. There is no separate tooling charge, so the configured price is the cost of the medals. That matters when comparing quotes, since a lower unit price elsewhere may have setup billed separately.
What is the most economical way to order a gold, silver and bronze set?
Order one artwork in three finishes. That counts as a single design, so the 25-piece minimum applies once rather than three times — which is what makes small placement sets affordable.
Where should I cut first if I am over budget?
Packaging, then size for the non-headline group, then the number of separate designs. Leave quantity alone — running short at the event is the one problem you cannot solve afterwards.
Can I order more than the online quantity range?
Yes, by email. Send your quantity, size, process and the date you need them, and start that conversation before configuring rather than after.
Working out which options you actually need? The medal design guide covers style, size, ribbon, finish and packaging in order. Medal finishes explains the placement-set logic, and choosing a medal maker covers what to check when you are comparing quotes. Browse the medal range to see finished pieces.
Price your configuration
Set your size, process, ribbon, packaging and quantity on the product page and read the total straight away — no quote to wait for. Order from 25 pieces per design, with no setup fee and a free digital proof before production.
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