How the cost of a 3D print is calculated
A print uses four things you pay for: plastic, electricity, a share of the printer’s life, and the material lost to prints that fail. The calculator works each one out and adds them together.
Everything runs in your browser. Change any number and the total updates straight away.
Worked example
A 45 g PLA bracket, sliced at 2 hours, on a €300 printer drawing 125 W on average. PLA costs €20 per 1 kg spool and electricity is €0.40 per kWh.
- Filament: 45 g × (€20 ÷ 1000 g)
- €0.90
- Electricity: 0.125 kW × 2 h × €0.40
- €0.10
- Wear: 2 h × (€300 ÷ 3000 h)
- €0.20
- Failure allowance: 10% of €1.20
- €0.12
- Total cost per print
- €1.32
Filament is about 70% of the cost here. On long, light prints such as tall vases, electricity and wear take a much larger share, which is why a filament-only estimate can be badly wrong.
Where to find each number
- Filament used: every slicer shows the estimated weight after slicing. In most slicers it appears in the preview or print summary, often next to the estimated time.
- Spool price and weight: use what you paid, including shipping. Most spools hold 1 kg of filament; the weight on the label excludes the spool itself.
- Average power: measure with a plug-in energy meter for the best figure. Without one, see the electricity cost calculator for typical values.
- Electricity price: your bill shows the unit rate per kWh. Use the rate including tax.
- Printer life: a few thousand hours is a fair working figure for a hobby printer before major parts need replacing. Raise it if you maintain your machine well.
- Failure allowance: if one print in ten fails, enter 10%. New printers and difficult materials need a higher figure.
Ways to reduce the cost per print
- Lower infill. Many functional parts are strong enough at 15–25% infill, and decorative parts often need even less.
- Use fewer walls or a larger nozzle for big parts. A 0.6 mm nozzle prints much faster, which cuts electricity and wear.
- Buy filament in 2–3 kg spools or multi-packs when you use one material a lot.
- Calibrate first. Flow, temperature and first-layer problems are the main causes of failed prints, and failures multiply every other cost.
- Print several parts in one job. Heating the bed once for a full plate uses less energy than several separate runs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to 3D print something?
Most small hobby prints cost between a few cents and a few euros or dollars. Filament is usually the largest share: at 20 per kilogram, every 50 g of plastic costs 1. Add electricity and wear and a typical 50 g print comes to about 1.20–1.60 in most currencies.
Is 3D printing cheaper than buying the part?
For small plastic parts, replacement clips, brackets and custom fittings, almost always. For parts that are mass-produced and sold cheaply, buying can be cheaper once you count your time and failed prints.
Why include printer wear?
Nozzles, belts, fans and build surfaces wear out, and the printer itself loses value with use. Spreading the printer’s price over its working life gives each print a fair share of that cost, which matters most if you sell prints.
Does infill change the cost?
Yes. Infill changes both the filament weight and the print time. Re-slice with the new infill and enter the new weight and time to see the difference.
Does the calculator work for resin printers?
Partly. Enter the resin used in grams (most resin slicers show millilitres; multiply by about 1.1 to get grams) and the bottle price and weight. Add the cost of IPA, gloves and FEP film under other costs.
Last reviewed October 2026. See how we calculate.