3D Print Cost Calculator: Filament, Power and Price
Enter the filament and print time from your slicer, and the spool and power costs. See what one print costs, its selling price and the cost of a batch.
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This is not a slicer. Take the grams or the length and the print time from your slicer, then enter the rest here.
Density presets, g/cm³. Each one names its source below. Use the value on your spool label when it has one:
Sources: PLA, Prusament PLA safety data sheet, section 9.1. PETG, Prusament PETG technical datasheet, typical material properties. ABS, Wikipedia, Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, median density 1.07 g/cm³. TPU 95A, Prusament TPU 95A technical datasheet, typical material properties.
| Part of the cost | Per print |
|---|
Cost per print = (filament + electricity + wear + labour) ÷ (1 − failure rate). Price for selling = cost per print ÷ (1 − profit margin).
How to work out the cost of a 3D print
- Take the grams and the print time from your slicer. If you know the spool length instead, choose length and diameter and enter the density.
- Enter the spool price and weight, the printer power, your electricity price per kWh and the wear per hour if you know it.
- Add labour, a failure rate or a profit margin if you want them. Leave a box at 0 to leave that part out.
- Read the cost per print by part, the price for selling and the cost of the whole batch.
What I checked by hand
Before I trusted the page, I worked the first example out on paper. A 1 kg spool at 25 EUR costs 0.025 EUR a gram, so 120 g of filament costs 3.00 EUR. Six hours at 150 W is 0.9 kWh, and at 0.20 EUR per kWh that is 0.18 EUR. The page shows the same two numbers.
The rest of the example follows the same steps. The printer wear and the labour add 6.30 EUR, the failures add 1.05 EUR, and the margin takes the price to 15.05 EUR. I checked each addition against the table below.
One print, part by part
| Part of the cost | How it is worked out | EUR |
|---|---|---|
| Filament | 120 g × 25 EUR ÷ 1000 g | 3.00 |
| Electricity | 6 h × 150 W × 0.20 EUR per kWh | 0.18 |
| Printer wear | 6 h × 0.05 EUR per hour | 0.30 |
| Labour | 30 min × 12 EUR per hour | 6.00 |
| Failed prints | 9.48 × 10% ÷ 90% | 1.05 |
| Cost per print | 9.48 ÷ (1 − 0.10) | 10.53 |
| Price for selling | 9.48 ÷ (1 − 0.10) ÷ (1 − 0.30) | 15.05 |
| Batch of 5, cost | 5 × the cost before rounding | 52.67 |
| Batch of 5, price | 5 × the price before rounding | 75.24 |
The page works with the full values and rounds only what it shows. Multiplying the rounded 10.53 by 5 gives 52.65, which is why the batch row reads 52.67.
Grams, length and what the slicer gives you
This page is not a slicer. It does not cut a model into layers or estimate the time. The grams and the print time come from the slicer you already use, and the page turns them into money.
If your slicer shows the length of filament instead of its weight, choose length and diameter. The page works out the weight as the length times the area of the filament's cross section times the density. A 40 m length of 1.75 mm PLA at 1.24 g/cm³ is 119 g.
Failed prints and the profit margin
A failed print uses filament, power and time, and nobody pays for it. The page spreads that loss over the good prints: the cost per print is the base cost divided by one minus the failure rate. With a 10% failure rate, a base cost of 9.48 EUR becomes 10.53 EUR.
The profit margin is a share of the price, not a mark-up on the cost. A 30% margin divides the cost by 0.70: 10.533 EUR ÷ 0.70 gives the price of 15.05 EUR. The 4.52 EUR between them is the profit. The formula is written under the table, so you can check it yourself.
Checks before you quote a price
- Use the grams from the slicer after supports are added, since supports are filament you pay for too.
- Enter the wear per hour you believe in. Zero is a fair choice if you do not track it.
- Set the currency to the symbol or code your customers see. The page does not convert between currencies.
- Compare the price with what a print service charges for the same part before you publish it.
Privacy
The content you enter never leaves your device. The page keeps the values in this browser so they are still there on your next visit, and no request carries them.
Frequently asked questions
Does this calculator replace my slicer?
No. A slicer cuts the model into layers and gives the grams and the print time. This page starts from those two numbers and works out what the print costs you, so the slicer stays the source of the filament and the time.
How does the failure rate change the price?
The failed prints are paid for by the good ones. With a 10% failure rate the cost per print is the base cost divided by 0.90, so 9.48 EUR becomes 10.53 EUR. The page shows that difference as the failed prints line.
Is the profit margin a mark-up on the cost?
No. The margin is a share of the selling price, so the price is the cost divided by one minus the margin. A cost of 10.00 EUR with a 30% margin gives 14.29 EUR, and the 4.29 EUR difference is the profit.
Which density should I use for PLA, PETG, ABS or TPU?
The buttons set 1.24 g/cm³ for PLA, 1.27 for PETG, 1.07 for ABS and 1.25 for TPU 95A. The PLA, PETG and TPU values come from Prusament sheets, and the ABS value is the median in the Wikipedia article on ABS. Use the value on your spool label when it has one, because brands differ.
What if my slicer shows the length of filament, not the grams?
Choose length and diameter. Enter the length in metres, the diameter in millimetres and the density. The page gives the grams first, so you can see the weight it is pricing before the cost appears.
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