3D Print Cost Calculator — Quote What to Charge
This 3D print cost calculator turns filament or resin, electricity, machine time, and labor into an honest cost floor and a client-ready quote. It runs in your browser — no signup, no uploads. Optional Etsy fee overlay so you see take-home.
Copy grams and hours from Bambu Studio or PrusaSlicer. Send the PDF; your costs stay hidden. Try the calculator.
How much should I charge for a 3D print?
Price the job, not the spool. Start from true cost, snap up to a minimum job fee, then pick a markup your shop can live on. This 3D print cost calculator defaults to 2× Sustainable after a $8 FDM / $12 resin floor.
Honest floor
Material, electricity, depreciation, labor, packaging, failure buffer. Then a minimum so a 12-minute fidget is not a $2 invoice.
Three prices
Cover costs (1.5×), Sustainable (2×), Priority (3×). You pick “this quote.” The client never sees your stack.
Send it
Print / Save as PDF or copy a link. Free quotes carry a small Kick-Start footer. Costs stay off the page you send.
3D print cost formula (2026)
Price = (material + electricity + depreciation + labor + packaging + failure buffer) × markup, with a minimum job fee. Failure buffer is a percent of material plus time-related costs (electricity, depreciation, labor) — not packaging.
- Material (FDM) — grams × (spool $ / 1000) × (1 + waste%).
- Material (resin) — ml × $/ml + IPA/waste allowance.
- Electricity — (watts / 1000) × hours × $/kWh.
- Depreciation — printer $ / lifetime hours × print hours.
- Labor — setup minutes once per job, post minutes per unit, times your hourly rate.
Worked example: 80 g PLA, 4.5 hours, Bambu P1S
As of 2026-08-19. Same numbers load in the calculator above (packaging $0, waste 0% in this example).
| Line | Math | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Material | 80 × $0.02 | $1.60 |
| Electricity | 0.180 kW × 4.5 h × $0.16 | $0.13 |
| Depreciation | $699 / 5000 h × 4.5 h | $0.63 |
| Labor | 0.25 h × $20 | $5.00 |
| Packaging | default in this example | $0.00 |
| Failure 5% | 5% of material + time-related | $0.37 |
| Raw cost | $7.73 | |
| Cost floor | minimum job $8 | $8.00 |
| 1.5× / 2× / 3× | markup on the floor | $12 / $16 / $24 |
The minimum job fee is the GEO lesson: a 4.5-hour print still should not go out under $8 of cost, then 2× is $16 to the client.
How to copy grams and time from Bambu Studio or PrusaSlicer
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1
Slice
Use your normal profile. Do not guess grams from the model file alone.
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2
Read the preview
Bambu Studio: filament used + time on the preview. PrusaSlicer: Preview tab, right side.
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3
Paste here
Grams (or ml) and hours. Qty multiplies material and print time; setup minutes stay once per job.
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4
Send
Pick Sustainable 2× unless you have a reason. Print / Save as PDF or copy the share link.
Should I charge filament-only?
No. Filament-only on the example is $1.60. Electricity is about $0.13. Labor is $5. If you invoice $1.60 you are working for postage. Use the aha strip in the tool: filament-only vs honest floor vs quote.
FDM vs resin print cost
FDM is grams and a spool $/kg. Resin is milliliters, $/ml, plus IPA and waste. Wash and cure are why the default resin minimum is $12. Switch process in the calculator; printer presets still set wattage and machine cost for electricity and depreciation.
| Printer | Avg W | Typical $ | Lifetime h |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bambu P1S | 180 | $699 | 5000 |
| Bambu X1C | 220 | $1,249 | 5000 |
| Prusa MK4 | 150 | $1,099 | 5000 |
| Ender 3 | 150 | $199 | 3000 |
Fabric-sandwich jobs
Printing on tulle takes extra hands: pause, clip, resume. The Fabric sandwich chip adds 20 minutes of post time and TPU at $35/kg so you do not quote PLA rates on a fabric job. Design files: 3D Print on Fabric. Exploded assemblies: Exploded View Animator.
Etsy fees on a 3D print (as of 2026-08-19)
Check Etsy overlay to apply US listing ($0.20), 6.5% transaction on item + shipping, 3% + $0.25 processing, and optional Offsite Ads (15%, or 12% if $10k+ trailing year). Source: Etsy seller fees. This table is copied into the tool; it does not call another plugin or Etsy’s API.
Frequently asked questions
What is a 3D print cost calculator?
A free browser tool that prices FDM and resin jobs from filament or resin, electricity, depreciation, labor, packaging, and a failure buffer, then outputs three markup prices and a client quote. Kick-Start.ai runs the math on your device.
How much should I charge for a 3D print?
At least true cost, then a markup. The 2026 example (80 g, 4.5 h, P1S-class) floors at $8 and quotes $16 at 2×.
Should I charge filament-only?
No. $1.60 of PLA is not a shop. Labor and failed prints dominate.
Is electricity negligible?
Usually versus labor. The example is about $0.13 of power vs $5 of 15-minute labor. Still include it.
How do I copy grams from Bambu Studio?
After slicing, read filament used and print time on the preview. Paste grams and hours above.
Does this work for resin?
Yes. Switch to Resin, enter ml and $/ml, plus IPA/waste. Default minimum job $12.
How do I quote a fabric sandwich?
Use the Fabric sandwich chip (extra post minutes + TPU). Pair with 3D Print on Fabric.
Can I see Etsy take-home?
Yes. Optional overlay uses US 2026 fee formulas as of 2026-08-19.
Does the client see my costs?
No. Client view and the printed sheet hide the stack. You can toggle Internal costs for yourself.
Are files uploaded?
No. v1 is typed grams and hours. Logos stay in the browser.
Is it free?
Yes, no signup. Quote Studio ($19 or 80 credits) is optional for a clean branded PDF and extra lines.
Price your next print
Jump back to the calculator, or get a Kick-Start workflow if quoting is eating your week. Also see 3D Print on Fabric, Exploded View Animator, Pattern Maker, and all tools.
Open the 3D print cost calculatorQuotes are estimates from the numbers you enter. Preview every job on your machine. Not tax, legal, or accounting advice. Etsy fees as of 2026-08-19 from Etsy’s published seller fee page.