What does one 3D print really cost you?
Put in your spool price, the grams and print time from your slicer, and how many pieces come off the plate. The calculator adds failed prints, electricity, packaging and your time, then shows what to charge. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Keep all of this in ZoraMaker
This calculator forgets everything when you close it. Sign up for ZoraMaker to store all you need to track your products: the materials and blanks you bought and what you paid, your design files, what each product uses, and its cost per piece - kept up to date as prices change, for every product, color and size. Then see what you can make from what's on the shelf, and sell at vendor shows from your phone.
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Know your price? ZoraLister turns your products into listings on Etsy and eBay, from one place. Its connection to ZoraMaker is being built: once it is on, the products you make - and how many you have - go straight across.
See ZoraListerOne kind of making? 3D print cost calculator · Laser engraving & cutting · Sublimation tumblers & mugs · Vinyl decals · UV printing · Guides for makers
How the cost is worked out
- Filament: the spool price divided by its grams, times the grams the print uses (supports, brim and color-change purge included), split across the pieces on the plate.
- Electricity: your printer's watts times the print time, at your rate per kWh.
- Failed prints: their filament and power spread over the good pieces you sell.
- Then packaging, your hands-on time, and the price that covers it all after marketplace fees and your margin.
How do I find the grams and print time?
Your slicer shows both after slicing - Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer and Cura all list the filament used and the estimated time.
Should I count electricity?
It is usually small for one print, but it adds up over hundreds. The calculator counts it so you see the full cost - your printer, its parts and your rent are paid for by the margin.
How much should I charge for a 3D print?
At least the cost per piece plus the marketplace's fees, and then a margin that pays for your printer, its wear and your business. Put in your fees and the margin you want and the calculator gives the lowest price that does it.
Why count failed pieces and waste?
Every failed print, ghosted tumbler, scorched board and weeded-away scrap was paid for. If one piece in twenty fails, the nineteen you sell have to cover it - so the calculator spreads that cost over the good pieces.
Should I pay myself?
If you leave your time out, the price only covers your materials and you work for free. Put in what an hour of your time is worth to you - even a small rate changes the price you should charge.
How is "charge at least" worked out?
It's the price where, after the marketplace takes its share and its fixed fees, what's left covers the cost per piece and still leaves the margin you asked for. Shipping isn't included - charge it separately or add it to the extras.
What about my printer, laser, press and rent?
Machines, laser tubes, print heads, tools and rent are running costs of the business - they aren't used up by one piece. The calculator counts the electricity a piece uses; your margin is what pays for the rest.
More free calculators: Laser Engraving & Cutting Cost Calculator · Sublimation Pricing Calculator · Vinyl Decal Pricing Calculator · UV Printing Cost Calculator · all of them on one page