3D print cost calculator
Most people only count filament. This calculator adds electricity, machine wear, labour and your failure rate, then suggests a selling price for a target margin.
Electricity uses an average draw (a heated bed plus hotend usually averages 80–150 W). Machine wear spreads the printer's price over its expected life in print hours. Update the inputs to match your machine and energy price.
How the cost is built up
The calculator sums four real costs and then adds a buffer for failed prints:
- Material — weight ÷ 1000 × price per kg. This ignores purge and support waste; if you purge a lot, add 10–20%.
- Electricity — watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. A typical enclosed printer averages 100–150 W; a large heated bed pushes it higher.
- Machine wear — printer price ÷ life hours × print hours. This is the cost people forget; it is what pays for the next printer.
- Labour — hands-on minutes × your rate. Slicing, setup, removal and finishing all count.
The failure buffer divides the subtotal by (1 − failure rate). A 10% failure rate adds about 11% to cost. The suggested price then divides by (1 − margin), which is not the same as adding a markup: a 40% margin means 40% of the price is profit.
Related tools
G-code analyzer
Drop in a .gcode file to get filament use, weight and cost.
Filament length & weight
Convert between metres, grams and cubic centimetres.
Spool remaining
Weigh a part-used spool to see how much is left.
Volumetric flow calculator
Check whether your speed is more than the hotend can melt.
Print farm calculator
Model throughput and profit for one or many printers.
FAQ
Should I price by weight or by print time?
By time is more honest for anything slow, because machine time is the scarce resource. A common compromise is to charge material cost plus a fixed rate per hour of printer time.
What failure rate should I use?
For a tuned printer and a proven model, 2–5%. For a new material or a tall print, 10–20% is realistic. Track your own scrap rate and use it.
Is electricity really worth counting?
For a long ABS print on an enclosed machine, electricity can approach the cost of the filament. It is worth counting if you print a lot.