Nakshi Kantha price in Bangladesh: what a fair price looks like

How much does a Nakshi Kantha cost in Bangladesh?

We found no official price list for Nakshi Kantha, so the most useful numbers are dated shop prices reported by the press. If you're new to the craft, our Nakshi Kantha guide explains how it is made and where. In January 2026, Prothom Alo surveyed Dhaka shops that sell kantha and kantha-stitched pieces. Its figures are a fair snapshot of the market:

• Madhobi Mart in Uttara: kanthas from ৳1,250 to ৳20,000.
• Kumudini Handicrafts: kanthas from ৳8,100 to ৳14,000.
• Karupally: bed sheets from ৳3,000 to ৳4,400, and cushion covers under ৳600.
• New Market, where you bargain: prices that can start from ৳900.

At the top end, a craftsperson interviewed by The Daily Star in February 2021 said a kantha stitched with fish, flowers and other intricate motifs can cost about ৳25,000. Treat every figure here as a reading from its date, not a fixed rate. Prices move with cloth costs and wages, and one shop's range is not the whole market.

What are you actually paying for?

Mostly time. A Nakshi Kantha is several layers of cloth held together by row after row of small running stitches. Banglapedia notes that three to seven saris may be layered, depending on the thickness wanted, and that the running stitch both holds the layers and builds the pattern. Every motif, and the rows of stitching that fill the ground around it, is worked by hand.

How long that takes varies enormously:

• A 2019 BSS report from Rajshahi said a Nakshi Kantha takes one to two weeks to make, depending on the design.
• Heifer International, writing about a women's group in Natore, said a medium-sized quilt takes two to three months, with the women working on it at least an hour a day.
• The craftsperson in The Daily Star's 2021 piece said a heavily patterned kantha can take up to six years.

So when two kanthas of the same size differ in price, look at stitch density and motif detail first. Prothom Alo's 2026 survey adds colour, design and fabric quality to the list.

How does the type of piece change the price?

Kantha is not one product. Banglapedia lists traditional forms that include lep kanthas (winter quilts), sujni kanthas (spreads and coverlets), small square rumal kanthas, the arshilata (a wrap for a mirror or toilet things) and the dastarkhan, a spread laid on the floor for meals. Today the same stitching also goes onto wall hangings, cushion covers, purses, table mats and saris.

Prothom Alo's January 2026 figures show how size and work move the price:

• Purses and table mats: ৳300 to ৳350 at Kumudini.
• Cushion covers: under ৳600 at Karupally.
• Wall mats: ৳700 to ৳2,200 at Kumudini.
• Bed sheets: ৳3,000 to ৳4,400 at Karupally.
• Saris: ৳5,000 to ৳5,500 at Kumudini.
• Full kanthas: ৳8,100 to ৳14,000 at Kumudini, and up to ৳20,000 at Madhobi Mart.

A small piece can be honestly hand-stitched and still cheap, because it takes hours rather than weeks. A large piece stitched densely from edge to edge sits at the top of any range.

Why do some "kanthas" cost so little?

There are three common reasons, and only one is a problem.

• Small size. A purse or cushion cover with real hand stitching can cost a few hundred taka.
• Faster, simpler production. AramcoWorld reported in 2025 that in hubs such as Jamalpur, designs are often stencilled onto the cloth and then stitched over, and that entrepreneurs employ up to 100 women in nearby villages to make quilts for them. That allows quicker and cheaper production, and it is still hand stitching.
• Machine stitching or print. In 2019 BSS reported that women in Rajshahi were paid ৳1,600 to ৳1,700 to stitch one Nakshi Kantha, depending on its size. That is the stitching wage alone, before cloth, thread or any shop's costs.

If a full-size quilt is offered for less than that wage, ask how it was made. Our guide to handmade vs machine-made Nakshi Kantha walks through seven checks, starting with turning the piece over.

Do prices differ between Jamalpur, Jashore and Rajshahi?

We found no source that compares prices district by district, so be wary of anyone who says one district is always dearer. What the sources do show is that regions differ in style and in how the work is organised, and both affect the hours in a piece.

• [Jamalpur](/en/districts/jamalpur). Prothom Alo reported in February 2024 that the GI application for Jamalpur's Nakshikantha had been published by the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, and Wikipedia records the Geographical Indication as granted to Bangladesh in 2024. Jamalpur is also one of the hubs where entrepreneurs supply stencilled cloth and thread to village stitchers.
• [Rajshahi](/en/districts/rajshahi). Banglapedia notes that quilting is heavy in the Rajshahi and Chapai Nawabganj area, and Wikipedia describes the lohori kantha as particularly popular in Rajshahi.
• [Jashore](/en/districts/jashore). Wikipedia links the Lik or Anarasi type of kantha to the Jessore area, and the Jessore stitch is a variation of the darning stitch.

A GI name tells you where a kantha comes from. It is not a price guarantee.

Where does the money go?

In the arrangements these reports describe, the person who stitches is not the person who sells. BSS reported in 2019 that a Rajshahi entrepreneur supplied the fabric and thread and paid women ৳1,600 to ৳1,700 per kantha. AramcoWorld describes Jamalpur entrepreneurs paying for each quilted piece the women return. The gap between that wage and the shop price covers cloth, thread, transport, the shop's costs and its margin. Neither source gives the stitcher's share of the final price, and we won't guess one.

On JADUZ, each maker sells under their own name, with their district shown on every piece. A JADUZ curator reviews each maker's portfolio, proof of making and identity before they can sell, and approves every piece before it goes live. JADUZ markets the maker, collects the payment through the courier, keeps a commission and pays the rest to the maker. You can read more about how JADUZ works or meet the makers directly.

How do you judge a price before you pay?

A price means little until you know what it buys. Before you compare two kanthas, get the same four facts for each:

• Size. Ask for the measurements. A single bedcover and a double are different amounts of work.
• Coverage. Is the whole ground filled with rows of stitching, or are the motifs sitting on plain cloth? Full coverage takes far longer.
• Time. Ask how long it took to stitch. A maker can usually tell you in days, weeks or months.
• Who and where. A maker's name and district are easier to trust than "from a village".

Then turn it over. Hand running stitches vary slightly, show up on both faces and leave small knots where a new thread starts. If the price is low and the back looks machine-perfect, you have probably found the reason for the price. Our handmade vs machine-made checklist covers the details.

Where can you see current prices?

Prices in news reports date quickly, so use them as a guide to the range, not as a quote. On JADUZ every piece shows its live price, its maker and district, and whether it is ready to ship or made to order. Made-to-order pieces show their making time, which is added to delivery. Browse Textiles & Kantha for current kantha prices, or see the kanthas from Jamalpur makers and other districts.

Buying for someone else? Our handmade gift ideas guide suggests kantha pieces for different budgets and occasions.

Every JADUZ order is cash on delivery anywhere in Bangladesh: you pay the courier when the parcel arrives, and the delivery page lists fees and usual delivery times. If a piece arrives damaged, wrong or not as described, report it with photos within the claim window (returns) and JADUZ arranges a replacement or a refund, as the returns page explains.