How 3D printing cost is calculated
A print costs more than the filament it uses. This calculator adds the four costs that matter for FDM and resin printing, then applies your markup.
Failed prints are spread over the good ones: with a 5% failure rate, every good part carries about 5% extra filament, power and machine time.
Example
A 45 g PLA bracket that prints in 3 h 20 min on a 150 W printer: filament $0.95, electricity $0.09, machine wear $0.56, 10 minutes of labor $4.17. Total cost is about $5.77, and with a 40% markup the price is about $8.08. Labor is often the biggest cost on small parts.
Filament prices
Typical prices per kilogram used as presets. Change the spool price to match what you pay.
| Material | Price per kg | Cost of 45 g |
|---|---|---|
| PLA | $20 | $0.90 |
| PETG | $22 | $0.99 |
| ABS | $20 | $0.90 |
| ASA | $28 | $1.26 |
| TPU | $32 | $1.44 |
| Nylon (PA12) | $45 | $2.02 |
| PC | $40 | $1.80 |
| Carbon fiber PLA | $38 | $1.71 |
| Resin (SLA) | $40 | $1.80 |
How much should I charge for 3D printing?
Most print shops price at cost plus 30–100%, with a minimum order of $10–25 to cover setup and handling. Charge more for engineering materials, tight tolerances, rush jobs and finishing such as sanding, painting or inserts.
To quote faster, load the STL, 3MF or STEP file into InCost. It finds the volume and filament weight, estimates print time for 31 printer models, picks the best orientation and prints a PDF quote.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to 3D print something?
For a typical small PLA part of 20–100 g, the material costs $0.40–2.00 and electricity a few cents. With machine wear and labor, the real cost is usually $2–10, and shops charge $5–30.
How much electricity does a 3D printer use?
A typical FDM printer uses 100–250 W while printing, mostly for the heated bed. A 5-hour print at 150 W uses 0.75 kWh, about 13 cents at $0.17 per kWh.
How do I know how much filament a print uses?
Your slicer (Cura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer) shows the filament weight in grams and the print time after slicing. Use those numbers, including supports.
Should I include failed prints in the price?
Yes. If one print in twenty fails, every good print should carry a share of the wasted material and machine time. Enter your failure rate and the calculator spreads it automatically.
Can InCost calculate print cost from an STL file?
Yes. InCost reads STL, 3MF and STEP files, calculates volume, filament weight and print time, suggests the best orientation and profile, and creates a quote.