3D printing planning tool

3D Print Cost Calculator

Estimate a single print or a job across several sliced plates. Record complete consumption, run work and once-per-order costs.

For the most accurate result, enter filament usage and print time from your slicer.

Choosing a printer? Compare models and operating considerations before pricing a job.

Optional model estimate

Upload a model to calculate its solid-model-equivalent weight. STL units need your confirmation; slicer settings can substantially change actual use.

STL

3MF

Choose STL file

Select a non-empty .stl file, up to 25 MiB.

STL model unit

Calculate your print cost

Use slicer values (recommended)

Use model estimate

Enter filament weight and print time from your slicer.

Quote item descriptionMaterialCurrencyFilament weight (g)Print time (hours)Spool priceSpool weight (g)Printer power (W)Your electricity price per kWhMachine wear / maintenance per hourLabour cost per hourLabour and post-processing time (hours)Extra parts costPackaging costShipping included in this quoteFailure allowance (%)

The selected failure percentage is a budget uplift on all entered production and overhead costs in this mode, including packaging and shipping. It is not a predicted failure rate.

Cost breakdown

Filament/material: £0.00
Electricity: £0.00
Machine use: £0.00
Labour: £0.00
Direct production cost: £0.00
Packaging, delivery and extra parts: £0.00
Failure allowance: £0.00
Estimated production cost: £0.00

This is an internal production-cost estimate. It does not add profit margin or calculate sales tax. Review complete consumption and included allowances, then send the cost to the price calculator.

Need to quote a customer? Use the 3D Printing Price Calculator.

Before estimating a production run, use the Flow Rate Calculator to check a material profile with a single-wall test.

Plan with slicer values

Solid geometry estimates enclosed material, not a complete sliced job. Use complete consumption including supports and purge where already included by the slicer, adding separately absent material only once. Simple estimate uses your complete slicer grams, time and entered rates; add overhead and a declared budget uplift once. For the complete fictional five-part example, switch to Several plates / one job. Its 160 g and seven hours, with shared preparation and per-run handling, give 39.192 currency units. Follow the production-cost breakdown.

Next, choose margin and fees in the price calculator. Once the customer charge is agreed, prepare a quotation with its scope and revision. Neither profit nor sales tax belongs in this production subtotal.

Your slicer is the best source for filament usage and print time. Learn more in How to Calculate 3D Printing Cost and How Much Filament Does a 3D Print Use.

Learn how to turn that cost into a transparent customer price in How Much to Charge for 3D Prints.

You have a result to review. Check the remaining spool against this job

A complete material and energy example

Illustrative job: 80 g of parts/support plus 20 g separately reported purge at 24 currency units/kg costs 2.40 in material. A 4-hour run averaging 120 W uses 0.48 kWh; at 0.30 per kWh that is 0.144. Add purge only when it is absent from the slicer total.

Interpret the result and choose the next step

Use observed average power and complete sliced consumption where available. Keep waste already included in the input separate from an additional failure allowance. A percentage uplift is a budgeting choice, not proof of how often your jobs will fail. Currency selection changes the label, not an exchange rate.

Check the remaining spool against this job