How to use the calculator
- Pick a mode: «Hobby» tracks material and electricity only; «Business» adds markup, a modeling fee, per-part notes, and a shareable quote link for your client.
- Drop in a G-code file or enter part weight and print time manually.
- Get a cost breakdown per part and the total for the whole order.
What goes into the cost of a 3D print
- Filament — the main line item (40-60% of total cost)
- Electricity — driven by printer wattage and runtime
- Printer depreciation — typically over 5,000 working hours
- Wear parts — nozzles, belts, Z-axis lead screws
- Labor — slicing, setup, removal, post-processing
This calculator handles material, electricity and depreciation automatically; the remaining items (wear-and-tear, operator time) you account for via markup or modeling fee. For home use, material and electricity are usually enough. Read the full guide →
Where to buy filament and what to pick
Prices shift with brand, sale cycles, and stock. Check recent reviews and printer compatibility before buying a spool. Premium brands (Polymaker, Prusament) cost more but ship more consistent diameter and color batches; budget Chinese imports (Sunlu, Overture, eSUN) are widely available on Amazon and AliExpress at half the price.
Popular filament brands
| Brand | Known for |
|---|---|
| Polymaker | Premium PolyLite/PolyMax PLA, PETG, ASA, nylons — sold on Amazon and MatterHackers |
| Prusament | Czech-made, tight diameter tolerance ±0.02 mm, every spool ships with a QC report |
| Hatchbox | Reliable budget PLA, PETG and ABS — long-time Amazon favorite in the US |
| Overture | Entry-level PLA and PETG with included build plate — great cost per kilo |
| eSUN | Wide range from PLA+ to ePA-CF, available globally on Amazon and AliExpress |
| Sunlu | Cheap PETG-HF, silk PLA, and rapid PLA — popular for high-throughput printers |
| MatterHackers Build | Build Series — affordable house brand from MatterHackers (USA), basic colors |
| ColorFabb | Dutch premium specialty filaments — woodFill, copperFill, silk, and engineering grades |
Filament types by use case
| Material | Category | Where it shines |
|---|---|---|
| PLA | Basic | Easiest filament to print — no enclosure needed. Great for cosplay, miniatures, and prototypes. |
| PLA+ | Basic | Stiffer, tougher PLA blend with the same print profile — handles light functional parts. |
| PETG | Universal | Strong, partially transparent, water-resistant — the go-to for outdoor and food-adjacent prints. |
| PETG-HF | Universal | High-flow PETG tuned for fast printers like Bambu Lab X1C and Prusa MK4. |
| ABS | Engineering | Heat-resistant and tough — requires an enclosure and good ventilation. |
| ASA | Engineering | UV-stable ABS replacement — for outdoor parts that won't yellow in sunlight. |
| TPU | Flexible | Rubber-like — gaskets, phone cases, watch bands, grips. Print slow. |
| PA (Nylon) | Engineering | Nylon — wear-resistant, needs aggressive drying and a heated chamber. |
| PC | Engineering | Polycarbonate — extreme heat resistance, optically clear, very stiff. |
| PLA-CF | Reinforced | Carbon-fiber PLA — stiff and dimensionally stable, requires a hardened nozzle. |
| PETG-CF | Reinforced | Carbon-fiber PETG — functional brackets, drone frames, fixtures. |
| PA-CF | Reinforced | Carbon-fiber nylon — highest stiffness-to-weight, must be bone-dry to print. |
| Woodfill | Decorative | PLA blended with wood fibers — looks and smells like cut wood after sanding. |
| Silk PLA | Decorative | Glossy silk-effect PLA — best for decorative pieces and gifts. |
How much electricity a 3D printer uses
Power draw depends on bed temperature (104-230 °F / 40-110 °C), hotend temperature (390-570 °F / 200-300 °C), and whether the printer is enclosed. Resin printers draw 2-3× less than FDM since they don't heat a bed.
| Printer type | Power (W) |
|---|---|
| Compact FDM (Bambu A1, Ender-3 V3, Prusa Mini) | 80-120 |
| Enclosed FDM (X1C, Voron, Prusa XL) | 180-250 |
| Large-format FDM (K2 Plus, Modix BIG-60) | 250-350 |
| Resin (SLA / MSLA) | 40-80 |
5 short formulas
Formulas 1–3 (material, electricity, depreciation) are computed automatically. Formulas 4–5 (wear-and-tear, operator time) you add manually via markup or modeling fee.
- Filament cost:
weight (g) × $/kg / 1000 × 1.05 - Electricity:
time (h) × power (kW) × $/kWh - Depreciation:
(printer price / 5000 h) × print time - Margin:
(sale price − cost) / sale price × 100% - Batch:
(single time × quantity) + idle/changeover time