3D Print Material Cost Calculator
The real cost of a 3D print is mostly filament plus electricity. Filament cost is the grams used scaled by your spool price per kilogram. Electricity cost is the printer's average power draw in kilowatts, multiplied by the print time in hours and your utility's price per kilowatt-hour. This calculator adds those two, plus an optional extra amount for maintenance or labor, to give a transparent per-print total. Every price is a user-editable input because filament and energy prices vary by region and supplier and change over time, so nothing is hardcoded.
Print cost formula
Material = (grams / 1000) * spool price
Energy (kWh) = (watts / 1000) * hours
Electricity = energy * price per kWh
Total = material + electricity + extra
Watts divided by 1,000 converts to kilowatts; multiplied by hours gives kilowatt-hours, the unit your utility bills. All prices are inputs you control.
Print cost context
- Material and electricity are the two costs that follow directly from physics and price.
- Use your utility's actual price per kilowatt-hour from your bill; U.S. rates vary by state.
- Average printer power is lower than peak because the bed and hotend cycle on and off.
- Add maintenance, nozzle wear, or labor in the extra cost field for a fuller figure.
- No price is hardcoded; every input is editable to avoid an untrue assumption.
3D print cost: frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the cost of a 3D print?
Add the filament cost to the electricity cost. Filament cost is the grams used divided by 1,000, times the spool price (price per kilogram). Electricity cost is the average printer power in kilowatts times the print time in hours times your electricity price per kilowatt-hour.
What electricity price should I use?
Use your own utility's price per kilowatt-hour, which appears on your bill. U.S. residential electricity prices are published by the Energy Information Administration and vary widely by state, so this calculator keeps the rate editable rather than assuming one figure.
How do I find average printer power?
Measure it with a plug-in power meter, or use the manufacturer's stated average draw. Heated beds and hotends cycle on and off, so the average over a print is lower than the peak. Enter the average watts you observe.
Does this include machine wear or labor?
By default it covers material and electricity, the two costs that follow directly from physics and price. You can add a maintenance or labor amount in the extra cost field if you want a fuller per-print figure for pricing your work.
Why keep prices editable instead of built in?
Filament and electricity prices change constantly and vary by region and supplier. Hardcoding them would risk an untrue figure, so every price is a clearly labeled input you control.
Official sources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: eia.gov (residential electricity prices).
- National Institute of Standards and Technology: Office of Weights and Measures (energy and mass units).
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 17 June 2026. See our methodology.