Whether you sell prints on Etsy, run a print farm or simply want to know what a hobby part really costs, the price of a 3D print comes from three places: the plastic that ends up in the part (and supports), the time the machine is busy, and the electricity it uses. Slicers such as Cura, PrusaSlicer and Bambu Studio already tell you the filament length and print time, so the only missing pieces are your costs.
Filament is sold by weight but sliced by length, so the calculator converts between them using the density of the material and the cross-section of the filament. A metre of 1.75 mm PLA weighs about 3 g, while a metre of 2.85 mm PLA weighs almost 8 g. ABS and HIPS are lighter (about 1.04 g/cm³), so the same spool weight gives you roughly 19% more length than PLA.
Labour or machine time covers printer wear, nozzles, build plates, your own time for setup and post-processing and a share of the printer’s purchase price. Finally, a markup turns the cost into a selling price. Small parts are dominated by machine time, large solid parts by material.
How to use the 3D Printing Cost Calculator
- Filament material
- Density of the material
- Filament diameter
- I know the filament
- Filament length
- Filament weight
- Filament price
- Printing time
- Cost per hour (labour and machine time)
- Printer power draw — Typical desktop FDM printers average 70–150 W while printing.
- Electricity price per kWh
- Markup
Results update as you type, every field has its own unit menu, and everything is calculated in your browser.
How it works
Pick the material (or enter a custom density) and the filament diameter, then enter either the filament length from the slicer or the weight. Add the spool price, print time, hourly rate, printer power and electricity price and the markup. The calculator converts length to weight, adds material, labour and energy costs and applies the markup.
Worked example
A slicer reports 30 m of 1.75 mm PLA and a 5-hour print. The filament cross-section is π × (0.0875 cm)² = 0.02405 cm², so 3,000 cm of filament is 72.16 cm³, which weighs 72.16 × 1.24 = 89.48 g. At $25 per kg the material costs $2.24. Five hours at $2 per hour is $10.00 of machine time, and 120 W for 5 hours is 0.6 kWh, or $0.09 at $0.15 per kWh. The total cost is $12.33, and a 30% markup gives a price of $16.02.
Filament length per kilogram
| Material | Density (g/cm³) | 1.75 mm: m per kg | 2.85 mm: m per kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | 1.24 | 335 | 126 |
| ABS | 1.04 | 400 | 151 |
| PETG | 1.27 | 327 | 123 |
| TPU | 1.21 | 343 | 129 |
| Nylon | 1.14 | 364 | 137 |
Inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Filament material | Choose one: PLA – 1.24 g/cm³, ABS – 1.04 g/cm³, PETG – 1.27 g/cm³, PETT (T-Glase) – 1.27 g/cm³ … |
| Density of the material | In g/cm³ |
| Filament diameter | Choose one: 1.75 mm, 2.85 mm, 3.00 mm |
| I know the filament | Choose one: Length used (from the slicer), Weight used |
| Filament length | Units: m, ft, cm |
| Filament weight | Units: g, kg, oz, lb |
| Filament price | Units: per kg, per lb |
| Printing time | Units: h, min |
| Cost per hour (labour and machine time) | Amount in your currency |
| Printer power draw | In W. Typical desktop FDM printers average 70–150 W while printing. |
| Electricity price per kWh | Amount in your currency |
| Markup | In % |
What each result means
- Material cost = [Filament weight]÷1000×[Filament price]
- Labour and machine cost = [Printing time]×[Cost per hour (labour and machine time)]
- Electricity cost = [Printer power draw]×[Printing time]÷1000×[Electricity price per kWh]
- Total cost (before markup) = [Material cost] + [Labour and machine cost] + [Electricity cost]
- Final price = [Total cost (before markup)]×(1 + [Markup]÷100)
- Profit = [Final price] – [Total cost (before markup)]
- Filament cost per gram = [Filament price]÷1000
Formula
Filament weight = ρ × π × (d/2)² × length · Material cost = weight × price per kg · Labour = print time × hourly rate · Energy = power × time × price per kWh · Price = (material + labour + energy) × (1 + markup)
Worked example
Inputs — Filament material: PLA – 1.24 g/cm³; Filament diameter: 1.75 mm; I know the filament: Length used (from the slicer); Filament length: 30 m; Filament price: $25 per kg; Printing time: 5 h; Cost per hour (labour and machine time): $2; Printer power draw: 120 W; Electricity price per kWh: $0.15; Markup: 30 %.
Results — Density used = 1.24 g/cm³; Filament weight = 89.48 g; Filament length = 30 m; Material cost = $2.24; Labour and machine cost = $10.00; Electricity cost = $0.09; Total cost (before markup) = $12.33; Final price = $16.02; Profit = $3.70; Filament cost per gram = $0.0250.
Key terms
- Filament density
- Mass per volume of the plastic in g/cm³ – PLA 1.24, ABS 1.04, PETG 1.27.
- Filament diameter
- 1.75 mm is the most common size; 2.85 mm (often sold as 3 mm) is used by some printers.
- Markup
- Percentage added to the cost to give the selling price.
- Machine time
- The time the printer is busy, which carries wear, depreciation and supervision costs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to 3D print something?
Material for a typical small PLA part (20–100 g) costs about $0.40–$2.50 at $20–25 per kg; machine time and electricity usually add more than the plastic.
How many metres are on a 1 kg spool of PLA?
About 330 m of 1.75 mm PLA, or about 125 m of 2.85 mm PLA.
How much electricity does a 3D printer use?
A desktop FDM printer averages 70–150 W, so a 10-hour print uses about 1–1.5 kWh – roughly $0.15–$0.25 at $0.15 per kWh.
What hourly rate should I charge?
Hobby sellers often charge $1–3 per machine hour; print services charge more to cover labour, failures and post-processing.
Why does my slicer show a different weight?
Slicers use their own density setting; set it to your filament's datasheet value so both agree.
Does the price include failed prints?
Not directly – raise the markup or hourly rate by your typical failure rate (5–10% is common).
What markup do 3D printing businesses use?
Commonly 20–50% on top of cost for simple parts, more for design work or rush orders.