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3D Printing Cost Calculator for a Batch of Parts

Price one part of a batch: its filament, power, wear and failed prints, then the price to sell each copy and the total for the batch.

Built and written by Jernej Letica

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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.

Filament from

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 costPer print

Cost per print = (filament + electricity + wear + labour) ÷ (1 − failure rate). Price for selling = cost per print ÷ (1 − profit margin).

How to price a batch of 3D prints

  1. Enter the grams and the print time of one part from your slicer. A batch is the same part made again and again.
  2. Set the number of copies. The page multiplies the cost and the price of one part by that number.
  3. Enter the spool price, the printer power and your electricity price, and the wear per hour if you track it.
  4. Add a failure rate and a profit margin, then read the price for selling and the batch cost.

The batch example, worked out by hand

Here is the example on this page, priced by hand. One part weighs 45 g of PETG. The spool holds 1000 g and costs 20 EUR, so the filament for one part is 0.90 EUR. The part prints in 2 h 20 min at 180 W. At 0.30 EUR per kWh that is 0.13 EUR of electricity, and a wear figure of 0.10 EUR an hour adds 0.23 EUR.

Those three lines come to 1.26 EUR. A 5% failure rate makes a good part cost 1.33 EUR, and a 40% margin takes the price of one part to 2.21 EUR. Ten copies cost 13.26 EUR to make and sell for 22.09 EUR. These are worked figures, not a job I printed and weighed.

Ten copies of one part

Part of the costHow it is worked outEUR
Filament45 g × 20 EUR ÷ 1000 g0.90
Electricity2 h 20 min × 180 W × 0.30 EUR per kWh0.13
Printer wear2 h 20 min × 0.10 EUR per hour0.23
Failed prints1.26 EUR × 0.05 ÷ 0.950.07
Cost per part1.26 EUR ÷ (1 − 0.05)1.33
Price per part1.26 EUR ÷ 0.95 ÷ (1 − 0.40)2.21
Batch of 10, cost10 × the unrounded cost per part13.26
Batch of 10, price10 × the unrounded price per part22.09

Each line is rounded only when it is shown, so the first four lines add up to the cost per part: 0.90 + 0.13 + 0.23 + 0.07 = 1.33. The price and the batch rows use the unrounded figures, which is why ten parts at 2.21 EUR show 22.09 EUR and not 22.10.

Time per part on a shared plate

A batch of parts often prints together on one plate. The electricity and the wear belong to each part, so the time to enter is the plate time divided by the number of parts on it. Ten parts that take 23 h 20 min on one plate are 2 h 20 min each.

The page does not know how many parts share a plate. It takes the time you give it as the time of one part, and multiplies the result by the copies. If you put one part on the plate and print ten plates, enter the time of one plate and keep the copies at ten.

From a part price to a batch price

The price for selling is for one part. The batch price is that price times the number of copies, worked out from the unrounded price, so ten copies show 22.09 EUR and not 22.10. The margin works on the price: a 40% margin divides the cost by 0.60.

Delivery, packaging and payment fees are not in the calculation. Add them yourself to the batch price if your customer pays for them.

Before you quote a batch

  • Enter the time per part on a shared plate, not the time of the whole plate.
  • Use your own failure rate from the last few batches; a clean printer may fail far less than the 5% used in this example.
  • Keep the currency short, such as EUR or a symbol, since it appears on every line.
  • Recheck the spool price after each new purchase, because the filament share moves with 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 the batch price include the time for each part?

Yes, when you enter the time of one part. The page prices one part and multiplies by the copies. If several parts print on one plate, divide the plate time by the number of parts first, so each part carries its share of the time.

Does the batch cost include failed prints?

Yes. The failed prints are part of the cost per part, so the batch cost and the batch price already include the prints you expect to lose. Enter the failure rate you really see, and the total follows from it.

Can I price a batch of different parts in one go?

Not in one step. The page prices one part and repeats it. For parts with different grams or times, price each one on its own and add the batch prices together. The same spool price and power apply to all of them.

Does a bigger batch lower the cost per part?

Not on this page. The cost per part stays the same whatever the number of copies, because the page does not model bulk discounts for filament or a shorter time per part. If your batch shares a plate, a lower time per part is the change to enter.

Is the batch cost the price I should quote?

Not always. The batch cost is what the prints cost you. The batch price adds your margin, and the page leaves out delivery, packaging and card fees, so add those yourself before you quote.

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