Calculating 3D print costs: filament, electricity, cost per hour
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A printed part usually costs less than you think, but more than just the filament. Anyone who sells parts, prints for others or simply wants to know whether a print is worth it should know four items: material, electricity, wear and failed prints. Here is how to calculate them.
1. Filament
This is the biggest and easiest item to calculate. After slicing, the slicer shows you how many grams a print needs, including supports, brim and, with multi-colour printing, the purge waste.
Formula: price per kg ÷ 1000 × grams
Example: a 1 kg spool of PLA for €20 and a part weighing 50 g: €20 ÷ 1000 × 50 g = €1.00
Typical prices for 1 kg of PLA or PETG are around €12 to €30. Engineering materials such as nylon, PC or fibre-reinforced filaments cost considerably more, often €30 to €140 per kg. All materials at a glance: What does which filament cost? Calculate with your actual spool price including shipping.
2. Electricity
A 3D printer uses less electricity than many people assume. It only draws its highest power briefly while heating up, after which it holds the temperature with considerably less.
Manufacturer measurements as a guide:
| Printer type | Average while printing |
|---|---|
| Small open printer, PLA | about 80 W |
| Mid-sized open or enclosed printer, PLA | about 95 to 110 W |
| Same printer with ABS (hotter bed) | about 120 W |
| Large printer or two nozzles, PLA | about 185 to 200 W |
The values come from the Bambu Lab Wiki and the Prusa Knowledge Base, measured at room temperature. Printers with an actively heated chamber and large print beds at high temperatures draw more. As a rule of thumb for the calculation, use 100 W for PLA and 150 to 200 W for ABS, ASA or large machines. If you want to know exactly, measure with a plug-in power meter.
According to the BDEW electricity price analysis, the average electricity price for households in Germany in 2026 was 37.0 cents per kWh. It is best to use the price from your own contract.
Formula: power in kW × hours × electricity price
Example: 100 W, 3 hours, €0.37/kWh: 0.1 kW × 3 h × €0.37 = €0.11
Standby consumption is added if the printer stays switched on permanently. Depending on the machine that is about 4 to 10 W, more on large machines. Over a year it adds up: 6 W around the clock comes to about 53 kWh, so just under €20.
3. Wear and spare parts
Nozzles, build plates, PTFE tubes, belts and fans wear out. Individually these are small amounts, but they come up regularly. The simplest way is to calculate with a flat rate per print hour.
Here is how to arrive at your flat rate: estimate what you spend on spare parts per year and divide it by your print hours. Example: €50 of spare parts over 500 print hours a year comes to €0.10 per hour. If you print a lot with abrasive filaments, you use more nozzles and end up higher. Abrasive means that fillers such as carbon or glass fibres, metal powder or glow pigments wear down the nozzle from the inside like fine sandpaper. A brass nozzle wears out considerably faster that way than with PLA or PETG.
If you want to include the purchase of the printer, for example because you sell parts, divide the purchase price by the hours you realistically expect it to run. A €600 printer spread over 3,000 print hours comes to €0.20 per hour. For hobby prints most people leave this item out.
What you service and replace regularly is covered in Maintaining a 3D printer.
4. Failed prints
Not every print works. A first layer that comes loose, a clogged extruder or wrongly placed supports cost material and time. The calculation becomes more honest with a surcharge on material and electricity:
- 5 to 10 % if your printer runs reliably and you print familiar models
- 15 to 20 % for new models, new materials or large parts
These values are rules of thumb, not measured figures. It is best to keep records for a while, and then you will know your own rate.
Cost per print hour
Many people prefer to work with an hourly rate. The hourly rate covers everything that depends on print time. The filament is added separately by the gram, because a slow print does not need more material.
| Item per hour | PLA, 100 W | ABS or large machine, 180 W |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity (€0.37/kWh) | €0.04 | €0.07 |
| Wear (flat rate from above) | €0.10 | €0.10 |
| Without purchase | about €0.14 | about €0.17 |
| Purchase (€600 over 3,000 hours) | €0.20 | €0.20 |
| With purchase | about €0.34 | about €0.37 |
For hobby prints, roughly 15 cents per hour plus filament is therefore enough. If you sell parts, add the purchase and your own working time for preparation and finishing. Working time is then usually the biggest item.
Worked example: a 50 g part in 3 hours
| Item | PLA, open printer | ABS, enclosed printer |
|---|---|---|
| Filament (50 g) | €20/kg: €1.00 | €25/kg: €1.25 |
| Electricity (3 h, €0.37/kWh) | 100 W: €0.11 | 180 W: €0.20 |
| Wear (3 h × €0.10) | €0.30 | €0.30 |
| Subtotal | €1.41 | €1.75 |
| Failed-print surcharge of 10 % on material and electricity | €0.11 | €0.15 |
| Total | about €1.52 | about €1.90 |
The figures show that with typical hobby prints, filament makes up the bulk. Electricity is almost negligible. Anyone who saves material, for example through less infill or slimmer supports, saves the most. The articles on infill and supports help with this.
What is not in the calculation
- Working time: preparing, finishing and packing. For sales you must include it.
- Multi-colour printing: the purge waste can weigh more than the part itself with many colour changes. The slicer usually shows it separately.
- Drying: if you dry damp filament, that costs electricity too.
Calculator
Do not want to calculate yourself? In the print cost calculator you enter spool price, weight, print time, power and your electricity price and see the cost immediately, optionally including machine and working time.