What your result means
Total cost per good print is what one sellable print really costs you: filament, power and machine wear, the share of failed prints, your hands-on time, and packaging. Suggested price is the lowest price that still leaves your target margin after the marketplace takes its fees. Price below it and you're paying to make sales.
How to use the 3D Printing Cost Calculator
- Read filament used and print time from your slicer (Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, Cura and others all show both).
- Pick your currency (prices start in US dollars), then your state to load its average electricity price, or type your exact rate per kWh from your bill.
- Enter your printer's price and how many hours you expect it to last. Wear is spread across every print hour.
- Be honest about failures and hands-on time. Those two usually matter more than filament.
- Choose where you sell, set your margin, then use Download CSV to keep a pricing record.
Formula and worked example
material = grams ÷ spool grams × spool priceelectricity = watts ÷ 1000 × hours × (¢/kWh ÷ 100)machine = hours × (printer price ÷ lifetime hours + maintenance per hour)failure share = run cost ÷ (1 − failure rate) − run costtotal cost = material + electricity + machine + failure share + labor + extrasprice = (total cost + fixed fees) ÷ (1 − margin − fee %)
Worked example (the defaults): 120 g of PLA from a $22, 1 kg spool = $2.64. 0.12 kW × 6 h × $0.1831 = $0.13 of electricity. 6 h × ($700 ÷ 5,000 h + $0.05) = $1.14 of machine wear. A 10% failure rate adds $0.43, 20 minutes at $15/h adds $5.00, and packaging is $1.50: a total cost of $10.85. With no marketplace fees and a 40% margin, price = $10.85 ÷ (1 − 0.4) = $18.08, leaving $7.23 profit. Selling on eBay (about 13.6% + $0.40 per order), the same print needs $24.24: $3.70 goes in fees and $9.70 is profit.
Most expensive states: 10-hour print at 120 W
| State | ¢/kWh | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 48.00¢ | $0.58 |
| California | 33.61¢ | $0.40 |
| Maine | 32.41¢ | $0.39 |
| Massachusetts | 30.49¢ | $0.37 |
| New York | 29.90¢ | $0.36 |
Cheapest states: 10-hour print at 120 W
| State | ¢/kWh | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.72¢ | $0.15 |
| Nevada | 12.77¢ | $0.15 |
| Utah | 13.12¢ | $0.16 |
| North Dakota | 13.41¢ | $0.16 |
| Tennessee | 13.71¢ | $0.16 |
Source: U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, residential, July 2026 (retrieved 2026-10-04).
Assumptions and limits
- Filament length assumes 1.75 mm filament and generic densities (PLA 1.24, PETG 1.27, ABS 1.04, ASA 1.07, TPU 1.21, Nylon 1.14 g/cm³). Brands vary slightly; your spool's data sheet gives its exact density.
- The starting prices (spool, printer, maintenance, your rate, packaging, fees) are US figures in dollars. Pick your currency to clear them and enter your own; outside the US, enter your electricity price per kWh from your bill.
- The 120 W default errs high on purpose: Prusa measured an average of 80 W printing generic PLA and 120 W printing generic ABS on its MK-series printers (at 26 °C room temperature). Power draw varies with bed temperature, enclosure and material, so a plug-in power meter gives your real number.
- The eBay preset is an approximation for US sellers in most categories, from eBay's selling-fees page, and fees change over time. For Etsy or any other platform, choose Custom fees and enter the percentage and fixed fee from its current fee page. Offsite ads, shipping labels and taxes aren't included.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate the cost of a 3D print?
Add filament (grams used ÷ spool grams × spool price), electricity (kW × hours × rate), machine wear (hours × printer price ÷ lifetime hours), a failed-print allowance, your hands-on time and packaging. The calculator above does it for you and shows each part.
What is a good price to charge for 3D printing?
Start from your full cost per good print, then add a margin that pays for design time, returns and growth. Your niche, quality and competition decide what buyers accept. Set the margin field and the calculator works backwards to the price that keeps that margin after fees.
How much do 3D printer materials cost per print?
Divide the grams your slicer reports by the spool weight and multiply by the spool price. With a $22, 1 kg spool, a 120 g print uses $2.64 of filament. Material is often a smaller share of the cost than your time and failed prints.
Is there a 3D print cost calculator for Excel or Google Sheets?
Use Download CSV above. The file opens in Excel or Google Sheets with every input and result, so you can keep a pricing log for each product.
How do I calculate the electricity cost of my 3D printer?
Multiply average watts by print hours and divide by 1,000 to get kWh, then multiply by your rate. For example, 120 W × 10 h = 1.2 kWh × $0.1831 = about $0.22. Pick your state above to use its official EIA average.
Can I legally sell 3D prints?
It depends on the design. Prints of your own designs are generally yours to sell. Many downloadable models carry licences (for example, non-commercial Creative Commons) that forbid selling, and trademarked or patented items carry extra risk. Check each model's licence. This isn't legal advice.
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About this calculator
Written and maintained by Ahsan Khan. See how every number is calculated, and the test cases checked on every update, on the methodology page.
Sources
- Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State, U.S. Energy Information Administration (accessed Oct 4, 2026)
- Selling fees, eBay (accessed Oct 11, 2026)
- FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions (average power consumption), Prusa Research Knowledge Base (accessed Oct 11, 2026)
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This is an estimate to help you price, not financial or tax advice.