Price calculator for 3D printing

How to calculate the price of a 3D printed piece

The right price is built in two steps. First you add up everything the part uses and get to the real cost. Then you add taxes, fees and the profit margin on top of that cost. The calculator does both steps with the values you enter. The example below uses the default values.

1. Filament

Divide the spool price by its weight to get the cost per gram. A 1 kg spool that costs $20.00 works out to $0.02 per gram. A 85 g piece uses $1.70 of filament. Use the weight the slicer shows, including supports and purge. More details in the guide to filament cost per print.

2. Electricity

Multiply the print hours by the power in kW and by the price per kWh. That's 4.50 h × 0.20 kW × $0.15 = $0.14. Average power draw is lower than the power supply's maximum rating, so it's best to measure it with a plug-in power meter. See how in the 3D printer energy use guide.

3. Printer wear

The printer loses value with every hour of use: nozzle, belts, bed and, eventually, replacing the machine. Divide the printer's price by its lifespan in hours. $400.00 ÷ 4,500 h = $0.09 per hour, or $0.40 for a 4.5-hour print.

4. Labor

Count the minutes you spend on the part: slicing, preparing the bed, removing the part, taking off supports, finishing, and packing. Multiply by your hourly rate. That's 30 minutes at $15.00 per hour = $7.50. In the example, labor is the biggest cost of the part, and it's what gets left out most often when the price is set by eye. See also how much to charge for post-processing.

5. Extras and failure reserve

Extras are materials that go with the part, such as packaging, magnets, and glue. The failure reserve is a percentage of the cost that pays for prints that go wrong. With 5% on $9.74, the reserve comes to $0.49 and the real cost comes to $10.23. More on this in the guide to factoring failure rate into price.

Why the price uses division, not multiplication

Taxes, card fees, and marketplace commissions are charged on the sale price, not on the cost. Adding 45% to the cost (15% for taxes and fees plus 30% margin) looks like the same thing, but it leaves much less profit:

With the divisor, the math is 10.23 ÷ (1 − 0.15 − 0.30) = 10.23 ÷ 0.55 = $18.60. The price already covers taxes and fees and leaves exactly the margin you chose. Learn the difference in the guide to profit margin in 3D printing.

What the other numbers show

• Markup: how many times the price exceeds the cost. In the example, ×1.82.
• Profit per machine hour: the profit divided by print hours. Useful for comparing parts: a cheap, quick part can earn more per hour than an expensive, slow one. See how much to charge per print hour.
• Minimum price: the lowest price that still covers the cost, taxes and fees, with no profit. Below it, every sale loses money.
• Three times the filament: compares your price with the calculation that uses only filament. In the example, it would give $5.10 and leave you at a loss, because it ignores labor, the machine, and taxes.

For the full step-by-step with more examples, read the 3D printing pricing guide and the list of the most common pricing mistakes.