3D Printing Cost Calculator
Work out what a 3D print really costs in filament, electricity and machine wear, and what to charge.
About the 3D Printing Cost Calculator
Enter the filament used (from your slicer), the spool price and weight, the print time, printer power, electricity price, wear cost per hour and a failure allowance. The calculator gives the cost per print and a suggested price with markup.
Your slicer reports the grams of filament and print time. Filament cost is its share of the spool; electricity is power × hours × your rate (a typical FDM printer averages 100–150 W once heated); machine wear covers nozzles, belts and the printer's eventual replacement. Add an allowance for failed prints.
The formula
Cost = (filament + kWh × rate + wear × hours) × (1 + failure %)
Worked example
120 g of a 22-per-kg spool, 6 hours at 120 W, 0.18 per kWh, 0.20 wear per hour, 10% failures
- Filament 2.64 + electricity 0.13 + wear 1.20 = 3.97
- + 10% for failed prints
- = 4.37 per print
Questions people ask
How much does PLA cost per gram?
About 2–3 cents at $20–30 a kilogram.
Should I charge for my time?
Yes, for design, setup and post-processing if you sell prints.