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All calculatorsMethodology

3D Printing Cost Calculator

Estimate one print’s material, energy, machine depreciation and hands-on labor from entered assumptions, then apply an explicit markup.

Interactive calculator · Method PRINTINGCOST-1.0 · Last reviewed: 2026-10-05

Calculate your scenario

Material = grams/1000 × USD/kg × (1 + waste/100). Energy = machine hours × watts/1000 × USD/kWh. Depreciation = hours × (purchase − residual)/productive lifetime hours. Labor = minutes/60 × hourly rate. Cost = material + energy + depreciation + labor + other cost. Price = cost × (1 + markup/100).

Your inputs

Try an example

Default worked example. Edit the inputs to calculate your scenario.

Default worked example

Entered-markup price $15.05
Total allocated print cost $12.04
Material $2.20
Energy $0.09
Machine depreciation $0.75
Hands-on labor $8.00
Other entered cost $1.00
Profit before excluded costs $3.01
Equivalent margin 20%

Cost components total $12.04. Apply 25% markup on cost for $15.05. Prices and productive machine life are entered assumptions.

How to use the calculator

Use the slicer’s material mass, your material price and machine time. Enter an additional material allowance only if it is not already included. Open Advanced to set power, productive machine life and hands-on labor; those costs remain included while collapsed. Set markup on total cost.

What the result means

Separate hands-on work from unattended machine time. Markup divides profit by cost; margin divides profit by selling price. Whole-job costs are displayed to cents after aggregation.

Formula and units

Material = grams/1000 × USD/kg × (1 + waste/100). Energy = machine hours × watts/1000 × USD/kWh. Depreciation = hours × (purchase − residual)/productive lifetime hours. Labor = minutes/60 × hourly rate. Cost = material + energy + depreciation + labor + other cost. Price = cost × (1 + markup/100).

Worked examples

Five-hour 100 g print: Slicer material before waste: 100 g; Material price: 20 USD/kg; Additional material allowance: 10 %; Machine time: 5 hours; Average measured power: 120 W; Electricity price: 0.15 USD/kWh; Machine purchase price: 500 USD; Expected residual value: 50 USD; Productive machine life: 3000 hours; Hands-on labor: 20 minutes; Hands-on labor rate: 24 USD/hour; Other cost for this print: 1 USD; Markup on total cost: 25 %.
Example result: Entered-markup price: $15.05; Total allocated print cost: $12.04; Material: $2.20; Energy: $0.09; Machine depreciation: $0.75; Hands-on labor: $8.00; Other entered cost: $1.00; Profit before excluded costs: $3.01; Equivalent margin: 20%.

Two-hour 30 g print: Slicer material before waste: 30 g; Material price: 30 USD/kg; Additional material allowance: 0 %; Machine time: 2 hours; Average measured power: 80 W; Electricity price: 0.2 USD/kWh; Machine purchase price: 600 USD; Expected residual value: 0 USD; Productive machine life: 4000 hours; Hands-on labor: 10 minutes; Hands-on labor rate: 30 USD/hour; Other cost for this print: 0 USD; Markup on total cost: 50 %.
Example result: Entered-markup price: $9.35; Total allocated print cost: $6.23; Material: $0.90; Energy: $0.03; Machine depreciation: $0.30; Hands-on labor: $5.00; Other entered cost: $0.00; Profit before excluded costs: $3.12; Equivalent margin: 33.3333%.

Limitations and common mistakes

This is a single successful print cost model. Enter slicer supports in grams and avoid counting them again as waste. Failed prints, maintenance, setup, taxes and overhead need an entered allowance. Machine-life depreciation is an allocation, not a prediction of useful life. Example costs are not current prices.

A five-hour unattended print does not mean five hours of hands-on labor. Do not add an allowance already included in slicer mass or confuse markup on cost with margin on price.

Sources and assumptions

Method PRINTINGCOST-1.0; last formula review 2026-10-05. Sources and their supported claims. Calculation methodology.