Free calculator · for hobbyists and sellers
Find out what a 3D print really costs: filament, electricity, machine wear, labor and failed prints. Then see what to charge per part after marketplace fees.
Enter the numbers from your slicer. Results update as you type.
Filament and time for the whole plate, from your slicer
Material and what you paid per spool
Average power draw while printing, and your energy price
Spread the printer's cost over its working life
Your time, packaging or hardware per part, and an allowance for failed prints
Add a fixed setup charge, then price by markup or target margin after marketplace fees
The math
Every formula is shown, so you can check the numbers against your own spreadsheet.
Pricing guide
The calculator separates the cost of running a job from the price a customer pays. Use the cost as your floor, then account for your work, fees and the profit you want to keep.
A printer may run unattended for eight hours while you spend only twenty minutes preparing and finishing the job. Machine time covers depreciation, maintenance and electricity. Hands-on time covers slicing, setup, support removal, cleaning and packing. Keep them separate so a long print does not hide the work you actually do.
A ready-to-print download needs little preparation, but a customer file may need repair, orientation, support decisions or a design change. Add that time to hands-on minutes. For a new design or urgent deadline, consider a separate project charge rather than pretending it is ordinary printing time.
Markup starts from cost: a $10 cost with 50% markup sells for $15. Margin starts from the sale: a $15 price with $5 profit is a 33.3% margin. Choose Target margin when you want to keep a specific share after platform fees; the calculator grosses up the price so fees do not quietly reduce that share.
File checks, machine setup and communication take time even for a tiny part. A fixed setup fee per print job prevents small orders from becoming unpaid administration. It is divided among the parts on that job, so printing several copies spreads the charge instead of repeating it for every copy.
Examples
Illustrative PLA prints calculated with the editable example assumptions below, before labor and markup.
| Filament | Time | Filament | Electricity | Machine wear | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calibration cube | 4 g | 15 min | $0.08 | $0.01 | $0.05 | $0.14 |
| Phone stand | 45 g | 2 h 0 min | $0.90 | $0.04 | $0.38 | $1.39 |
| Desk organizer | 180 g | 7 h 0 min | $3.60 | $0.14 | $1.33 | $5.32 |
| Cosplay helmet | 900 g | 30 h 0 min | $18.00 | $0.61 | $5.69 | $25.52 |
Example assumptions: PLA at $20 per kg, a Bambu Lab P1S at an assumed 120 W, electricity at $0.17 per kWh, a $699 printer over an assumed 5,000 hours plus $0.05 per hour maintenance, and a 5% failure allowance. These are inputs for demonstration, not measured benchmarks.
Seller example
This example uses the same calculator model, with a 185 g PLA print taking eight hours, 20 minutes of hands-on work, packaging and a setup fee. The target is a 30% profit margin after the platform's percentage and fixed fees.
Assumptions: PLA at $22 per kg, the default printer and energy settings, $18 per hour for labor, $0.85 packaging, a $2 setup fee, and Etsy fees of 9.5% plus $0.45. The result is a pricing example, not a market-rate promise.
Shipping charged to the buyer, sales tax, income tax, returns and advertising are not included. Add those separately for your shop and jurisdiction.
Methodology & sources
The examples use editable starting assumptions, not measured industry averages. Printer power, service life, failure allowance, labor, and selling prices should come from your own records or supplier data.
Official reference links are provided for verification. Marketplace fees and electricity prices change; the calculator's presets remain editable.
FAQ
Using the example assumptions, filament at $20 per kg costs about 2 cents per gram. Electricity and machine wear depend on your equipment and local rates. The worked examples above show exactly how each input contributes before labor.
Slice the model. Bambu Studio, Orca Slicer, PrusaSlicer and Cura all show the filament used in grams and the estimated print time after slicing. If you only have the model file, use From file for a rough estimate.
Power draw varies with the printer, bed and hotend temperatures, enclosure and material. The calculator's 50–150 W presets are editable starting assumptions, not measured averages. Check the manufacturer's specifications or use a power meter, then apply your own price per kWh.
Printers wear out: nozzles, build plates, belts and fans need replacing. Spreading the printer's price over its expected working life, plus a small maintenance allowance, gives a fair hourly cost to recover with every print.
Start with 5% for a familiar, well-tuned setup if you have no records, then replace that assumption with your actual failed-print history. Use a higher allowance for long prints, new materials or difficult geometry.
Start from the full cost per part including your time, then choose a markup or target margin that fits your market. There is no universal price multiple. If you sell on Etsy or eBay, check the platform's current fees and include them so the expected profit survives those charges.
It's a rough estimate based on the model's volume and surface area, your infill and walls, and a typical speed for your printer. It's good for comparing options, not for quotes. For quotes, use your slicer's numbers.
Your inputs are saved in this browser only, so they're there next time you visit. Model files are read on your device and never uploaded. Copy link shares your settings, not your file.
Machine time is how long the printer is occupied. Labor is your hands-on work: slicing, setup, removing supports, cleaning, packing and communicating with the customer. Charge for both through separate fields instead of treating every print hour as an hour of your work.
Use markup when you think in multiples of cost. Use target margin when you want a known percentage of the final selling price as profit. With target margin selected, platform fees are included in the reverse calculation, so the resulting margin is measured after those fees.