About this tool
Filament is often only a small part of what a 3D print costs. The calculator adds material, electricity, the depreciation of the printer over its lifetime and maintenance per print hour. Optionally it also includes failed prints, working time for preparation and post-processing, and a markup.
Failed prints are spread so that the successful prints carry them: with a 10 % failure rate, a good part needs 1 / 0.9 ≈ 1.11 attempts on average. Working time is counted once per job. If several parts share the build plate, the calculator also shows the price per part.
How it works
- Enter the filament use and print time from your slicer, the filament price per kg and the number of parts.
- Enter power, electricity price, printer price, lifetime and maintenance, or keep the defaults.
- Add a failure rate, working time, hourly rate and markup if needed.
- Read the total, the price per part and the breakdown of the costs.
Frequently asked questions
How much electricity does a 3D printer use?
A typical FDM printer draws about 80 to 150 W on average while printing; heating the bed briefly takes more. An energy meter plug measures it exactly. To calculate the consumption of other appliances, use the Electricity Cost Calculator.
How is the printer depreciation calculated?
Printer price divided by the expected lifetime in print hours, times the print time. A €600 printer with a lifetime of 5,000 hours costs €0.12 per hour. Maintenance and spare parts such as nozzles, belts or build plates are added per hour.
Why do failed prints raise the cost more than the rate?
Because every failed print has to be paid for in full. With a rate p, a good part needs 1 / (1 − p) prints on average. At 10 % that is 11 % extra cost, at 50 % it doubles.
Where do I get the filament use from?
Every slicer shows the weight or length of filament after slicing. If only the length is given, the Filament Calculator converts it to grams.