3D Print Cost Calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to 3D print per gram of filament?

At typical PLA prices of $20 per kilogram, the material cost is $0.02 per gram. A 100 gram print costs about $2.00 in material before electricity and machine wear are added.

What is the cost of electricity for a 3D print?

Most FDM printers draw 100 to 300 watts while the bed is heating up; once the bed holds temperature, steady-state draw during printing is often closer to 60 to 150 watts. At $0.12 per kWh, a 10-hour print on a 200-watt printer costs about $0.24 in electricity. Resin printers with UV LED arrays typically use 40 to 80 watts - less than most FDM printers, since only the LCD backlight and a small UV array need power.

How do I estimate machine wear cost?

Divide the printer's purchase price by its expected print hours to get a per-hour depreciation rate. A $400 printer expected to last 2000 hours costs $0.20 per hour in depreciation. Add nozzle replacement and maintenance parts for a more complete figure.

What markup should I charge for resale?

For simple functional prints sold online, three to five times the raw material and electricity cost is a typical starting point. Complex, high-detail resin models or prints requiring significant post-processing can justify eight to ten times material cost.

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Typical Filament Costs

PLA filament costs roughly $18 to $25 per kilogram for standard brands and is the best choice for most decorative and prototype prints. PETG runs $22 to $30 per kg and offers better temperature and impact resistance. ABS is similar in price at $20 to $25 per kg but requires an enclosure for reliable results. TPU flexible filament costs $25 to $35 per kg. Resin for MSLA and SLA printers is $40 to $60 per liter. Generic house brands cost less; premium filled materials such as carbon-fiber PETG or glow-in-the-dark PLA cost significantly more. Buying in 1 kg spools reduces the per-gram cost compared to smaller quantities.

What This Excludes

Machine depreciation is a real cost, but this calculator does not include it - it only totals material, electricity, and a failure-rate reserve. For most desktop FDM printers priced at $200 to $800, depreciation works out to $0.10 to $0.40 per hour assuming 2000 hours of service life, so add that manually if you want a fully loaded number. Resin printers cost more to own per hour, typically $1 to $4 per hour. Labor for setup, part removal, and post-processing is not included either. Support material and bed adhesion consumables such as glue sticks, hairspray, and isopropyl alcohol for resin cleaning can add 10 to 20 percent to material cost on complex prints.

Estimating Weight and Time

Both Cura and PrusaSlicer display estimated filament weight in grams and estimated print time before you send the job to the printer. Slice the model at your intended settings first, then enter those numbers here for the most accurate cost estimate. Infill density is the biggest driver of material use. A 15 percent gyroid infill uses roughly half the filament of 40 percent rectilinear at the same wall count, which can cut material cost by 30 to 40 percent on solid-looking parts that do not need structural strength throughout. Resin slicers like ChiTuBox and Lychee report volume in mL, not grams - multiply the mL figure by your resin's density (typically 1.05 to 1.20 g/mL) to get the grams to enter here, and convert your $/L resin price to $/kg the same way.

Reducing Print Costs

The fastest way to reduce cost on FDM prints is to lower infill density and use a hollow-shell design with more perimeter walls instead. Three or four perimeter walls at 10 to 15 percent infill produces a part that looks and feels solid but uses far less material than high infill. Printing at a larger layer height, such as 0.3 mm instead of 0.2 mm, reduces print time by 30 to 40 percent with minimal visible quality loss for functional parts. Nesting multiple small parts in a single print session reduces the per-part startup overhead.

Pricing Prints for Resale

When selling 3D printed parts, material and electricity together rarely cover total cost. Factor in machine depreciation, your time for setup and post-processing, packaging, and shipping. A common starting point is material cost multiplied by three to five for simple prints, rising to eight to ten times material for complex, high-detail resin prints where failure rates and cleaning time are higher. If you run a print farm for commercial production, track actual failure rates per material because defect reprints can add 10 to 30 percent to true material cost on difficult geometries.

3D Print Cost Calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

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