Print Job Cost Calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

What goes into a full print-job cost?

Material (weight × $/kg ÷ 1000) + electricity (printer W × hours × $/kWh ÷ 1000) + printer wear (often $0.05–0.20 per hour amortized) + a failure-rate markup (typically 5–15%) + your labor if commercial.

How much is electricity on a typical print?

A 150 W FDM printer running 10 h at $0.16/kWh = 0.15 × 10 × 0.16 = $0.24. Bed-heavy materials like ABS push average draw to 200–250 W; resin printers without heated beds usually pull 30–60 W.

How do I price for failure risk?

Track your own success rate; many shops use 90–95%. If 10% of jobs fail at average 50% completion, the failure markup is roughly 5% on materials and full electricity for the wasted portion.

What machine-wear rate is reasonable?

Divide expected lifetime cost (printer + nozzles + belts + hotend) by lifetime hours. A $500 printer expected to run 4,000 productive hours with $200 in consumables is ≈$0.18/h in wear.

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Estimates for informational purposes only.

Important Disclaimer: Estimates for informational purposes only.

This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only. Results are based on assumptions and may not reflect actual outcomes. Consult qualified professionals in relevant fields before making important decisions based on these results.

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How This Calculator Works

True per-print cost is filament + electricity + machine wear, with a loading factor for the prints that fail and a markup if you sell the result. Hobbyists usually only count filament and are surprised when the "$2 part" actually cost $7 once the printer's amortization, the wasted resin from the dud you reprinted, and a fair hourly cost of monitoring are added. This calculator lets you enter all the components separately so you can see which dominates and where to negotiate - cheaper filament rarely changes the picture; running long jobs unattended overnight (cutting your time cost) usually does.

Formula / Method

Filament cost = (grams ÷ 1000) × $/kg. Electricity cost = (printer watts ÷ 1000) × hours × $/kWh. Wear cost = wear $ per hour × hours (a fair number is the printer's purchase price ÷ expected lifetime hours - e.g. $300 printer ÷ 3000 h ≈ $0.10/h). Subtotal = filament + electricity + wear. Failure loading = subtotal × failure % (covers the materials of prints that fail and must be redone). Total cost = subtotal + failure loading. Sell price = total cost × (1 + markup %). Profit = sell price − total cost.

Worked Example

A 120 g PLA part at $22/kg, 6 hours print, 120 W printer, $0.16/kWh, $0.10/h wear, 8% failure rate, 100% markup. Filament = (120 ÷ 1000) × 22 = $2.64. Electricity = (120 ÷ 1000) × 6 × 0.16 = 0.72 kWh × $0.16 = $0.115. Wear = 0.10 × 6 = $0.60. Subtotal = $3.36. Failure loading = $3.36 × 0.08 = $0.27. Total cost = $3.63. Sell price at 100% markup = $7.26, profit $3.63. Notice that filament alone ($2.64) is only 73% of true cost - running on free electricity (solar, included rent) does not save you much, but cutting your failure rate from 8% to 3% saves about $0.17 per print - meaningful on a 100-print quote.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting electricity entirely - a long resin print can run 10+ hours and use noticeable kWh from the heater and the curing station.

Underestimating wear - nozzles, build plates, FEP sheets, drive belts, and stepper drivers all have a finite life; pricing $0.05–0.20/h is realistic.

Pricing your own time at $0/hr - the post-processing (supports off, sanding, painting) is often the biggest cost on a sellable print.

Setting failure rate too low - first prints of a new model fail 30–50% until tuned; settled jobs run 2–5%.

Using percentage markup that does not cover overhead - storage, shipping, packaging, listing fees on Etsy (6.5% transaction + payment processing).

Tips & FAQ

What markup is normal? Hobby Etsy sellers commonly use 2–3× total cost; commercial 3D print shops 4–6× on small parts and 2–3× on big ones, because handling and setup time dominates small orders. How do I price design time? Either roll into the markup or charge separately as a one-off fee - do not bury 8 hours of CAD work in a $5 print. What is a fair wear rate? Divide printer price by realistic lifetime hours (3,000–10,000 for hobby, more for industrial); add $0.02–0.05/h for nozzle and build plate consumables. SLA wear is higher - FEP and LCDs are consumables; budget $0.15–0.30/h. Failure rate dominates novelty: if you accept a new model from a customer, charge a setup fee that covers one failed print. Do I owe sales tax? Marketplace facilitators (Etsy, Amazon) collect for most US states; direct sales depend on your nexus - ask an accountant. Hourly billing or per-part? Per-part is easier for retail; hourly works for custom one-offs. Power consumption? Measure with a kill-a-watt - FDM averages 30–120 W (heated bed dominates); SLA averages 40–80 W. These numbers are planning estimates; track real costs to refine your model.

Frequently Asked Questions

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