How it works
cost per print = (filament + electricity + depreciation) ÷ (1 − failure rate) + labor. Suggested price = cost per print × (1 + markup).
Four costs go into a print, and most "cost per gram" tools only count the first. Filament is the part weight in kilograms times your price per kilogram: a 45 g part at $25/kg is $1.13. Electricity is power times time in kilowatt-hours times your rate: 120 W for 6 hours is 0.72 kWh, about $0.12 at 17.3¢/kWh. Machine depreciation spreads the printer’s price over its working life — a $400 printer rated for 5,000 hours wears about $0.08 an hour, so a 6-hour print is $0.48. Those three are your cost per attempt. Because some prints fail and get scrapped, the material and machine cost is divided by the success rate: at a 10% failure rate you actually spend 1 ÷ 0.90 ≈ 1.11× as much per good print. Finally, prep and post-processing labor (slicing, support removal, finishing) is added at your hourly rate. The suggested sell price applies your markup on top — and note that markup is measured against cost, so a 100% markup is only a 50% margin. Change any field and every number updates instantly.
Sources
- Additive-manufacturing cost model (machine, material, labor) Thomas, D. S. & Gilbert, S. W. (2014). Costs and Cost Effectiveness of Additive Manufacturing: A Literature Review and Discussion. NIST Special Publication 1176. Frames AM unit cost as machine (capital) cost, material, labor and build time.
- US average electricity price (default rate) U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Electricity explained: Factors affecting electricity prices." 2025 US average residential price ≈ 17.30¢ per kWh.
- Yield-adjusted unit cost (failure loss) Standard manufacturing cost accounting: cost per good unit = cost per attempt ÷ yield, where yield = 1 − scrap (failure) rate. Scrapped prints waste their material and machine time.
FAQ
What does it really cost to 3D print something?
More than the filament. A true cost adds the electricity the printer draws, the wear-and-tear (depreciation) on the machine, the material and time lost to prints that fail, and your labor for slicing, support removal and finishing. For a typical small PLA part the filament might be a dollar or two, but labor and failures often cost more than the plastic. This calculator adds all of it up and, if you want, applies a markup to suggest a sell price.
How is machine depreciation calculated?
Depreciation spreads the printer’s purchase price over the hours you expect it to run before it needs replacing. Divide the price by the expected lifetime in hours to get a cost per hour, then multiply by the print time. A $400 printer rated for 5,000 hours costs about 8 cents an hour, so a 6-hour print carries roughly 48 cents of machine wear. It is small per print but real, and it is what pays for your next printer.
Why does the failure rate raise the cost?
Every failed print still uses filament, electricity and machine hours, but produces nothing to sell or use. To recover that, the material and machine cost of a good print is divided by your success rate. At a 10% failure rate, you get nine good prints for every ten you start, so each good one has to carry about 11% more cost. Dialing the failure rate to zero assumes every print succeeds — optimistic for most setups.
What power draw should I enter for my printer?
Use the average watts while printing, not the power supply’s peak rating. A small direct-drive FDM printer with a heated bed typically averages 80–150 W over a print, spiking higher while the bed heats up and dropping once it is at temperature. Large-format or high-temperature machines draw more. If you have a plug-in energy meter, read the average during a real print; otherwise 120 W is a reasonable starting point for a desktop FDM printer.
Should I include my own labor if it is a hobby?
That is your call. If you print purely for fun, set the labor rate to zero and the calculator treats your time as free — useful for knowing your out-of-pocket cost. If you sell prints or want an honest picture of what a piece costs, price your time: slicing, babysitting the first layer, removing supports and finishing add up fast, and ignoring them is how makers end up effectively paying customers to take their work.
Is markup the same as profit margin?
No, and mixing them up is the most common pricing mistake. Markup is profit as a percentage of your cost; margin is profit as a percentage of the sell price. A 100% markup doubles your cost but is only a 50% margin, and a 50% markup is just a 33% margin. This tool applies your markup to the cost to suggest a price; if you want to price to a target margin after marketplace fees, use the dedicated 3D print price calculator.
Can I upload my G-code or STL file?
You can drop one in, and it never leaves your computer — the file is read locally in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Drop a sliced G-code from PrusaSlicer, SuperSlicer, OrcaSlicer, Bambu Studio or Cura and it fills in the exact filament weight and print time your slicer already calculated, so the cost is as accurate as your slice. Drop a raw STL and it measures the model’s volume and estimates the grams from the material density and an infill/solidity setting you pick — an estimate, not an exact slice, because real weight depends on walls, supports and infill. Either way you can still edit every field by hand afterward.
Estimates only, not a quote. Results depend on the numbers you enter — filament price, power draw, printer lifetime, failure rate and labor all vary by machine, material and workflow. Verify your own costs before pricing work for a customer.