How much do suit alterations cost in the UK?
A full answer in sterling, VAT included. For a typical suit, a trouser hem starts at £28, jacket sleeves at £55 and taking the jacket in at £75. Here is what each job costs and what moves the price.
The short answer
Most suit alterations are a combination of a few standard jobs. At Cavendish Atelier, a plain trouser hem is from £28, waist in or out from £34, jacket sleeves with a plain cuff from £55 and a jacket taken in at the sides and back from £75. All prices include VAT and are confirmed after pinning.
So the most common suit request — hem the trousers, shorten the sleeves — starts at £83. Add a jacket take-in and it starts at £158.
Trouser alterations
Trouser work is the least expensive part of a suit. A plain blind-stitched hem is from £28, a turn-up or hem with heel tape from £34, waist in or out from £34 (with the seat, from £48), and a taper from knee to hem from £36 (full leg from £48). A replacement zip is from £42.
Jacket alterations
Jacket work costs more because the cloth, canvas and lining all have to be handled. Plain-cuff sleeves are from £55. Sleeves with working buttonholes are from £85, because they cannot simply be shortened from the cuff end; from the shoulder they are from £140.
Taking in the body is from £75 for sides and back, or £45 for the back seam only. Shortening a jacket is from £120, and shoulder adjustments — the most involved job — are quoted after pinning, from £150.
What makes the price go up or down
The guide prices are starting figures for standard cloth. The things that move them are:
- Working cuffs on the jacket sleeve, which need a different method
- Heavy coating, vintage canvas and unusual construction, which are quoted after the visit
- How far the change goes — a taper from the thigh is more work than from the knee
- Speed: express (about 72 hours) is +30%, and next day for simple work is +50%, where available
- Several garments at once, which spreads the visit fee (see below)
The visit fee and minimum order
Because a fitter comes to you, there is a £30 visit fee. It is credited in full when confirmed work reaches £120, so a suit needing a hem, sleeves and a take-in usually carries no visit fee at all. There is a £60 minimum order per collection.
Dinner suits and wedding parties
A dinner suit needing sleeves, jacket take-in and hem is offered as a package from £150, which is less than the three jobs priced separately. For weddings, when the groom plus three or more are fitted in one visit at one address, work is at list price less 10% and the visit fee is waived.
How our prices compare
High-street counters are usually cheaper per job, and Savile Row houses usually more. Cavendish prices sit between the two: every garment is pinned on you at your address, collected, finished in a workroom and returned pressed — no queue, no second trip to collect.
Common questions
How much does it cost to have a suit taken in?
Taking a jacket in at the sides and back is from £75, and trousers at the waist from £34. Together, from £109, VAT included.
Are your alteration prices inclusive of VAT?
Yes. Every price on the site includes VAT and is a starting guide, confirmed by the fitter before anything leaves your address.
Is there a charge for the home visit?
There is a £30 visit fee, credited in full when confirmed work reaches £120. The minimum order is £60 per collection.
Do I pay before the work is done?
Payment is by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay at booking or on collection. Corporate clients can be invoiced. We do not take cash in the home.
We reply to every request by email within one working day. Or email the desk at hello@cavendishatelier.com.