3D Printing Cost Estimator

Item details

Basic information

Item name

Quantity

Size — upload an STL, or enter dimensions

If you have the file, upload it: the volume, surface area and overhangs are measured directly, which is far more accurate. Otherwise enter the bounding box by hand.

X (mm)

Y (mm)

Z (mm)

Orientation does not matter — Z is used as the print height.

How much of that box is solid material? The part almost never fills its bounding box. A bracket fills far less than a block.

Diagram showing the X, Y and Z dimensions of a part

Have the STL file? Upload it to measure the geometry automatically (max 16 MB).

Shape complexity

Pick the picture closest to your part. Complexity drives support material, print speed, post-processing time and scrap rate.

Simple Complex

Selected: — (multiplier —)

Context

Purpose of the item

Does the design already exist? Choose no if unsure — design cost is then added.

Is the printer on a UPS or stable power? Stable power lowers the expected scrap rate.

Advanced settings — printer, material, process and labour

Printer and material

Printer name

Printer cost (EUR)

Printer lifespan (h)

Printer power (W)

Electricity (EUR/kWh)

Material density (g/cm³)

Material cost (EUR/g)

Print process

Max flow rate (cm³/h)

Flow efficiency (0–1) Fraction of max flow actually achieved once travel and acceleration are counted.

Layer height (mm)

Wall thickness (mm) Perimeters plus top and bottom skin.

Infill density (0–1) The slicer setting, applied to the hollow core only.

Labour and design

Labour rate (EUR/h) Set to 0 to exclude labour entirely.

Setup time per plate (h)

Post-processing per item (h) Base value; scaled by complexity and support amount.

Design cost (EUR)

Build volume

Bed X (mm)

Bed Y (mm)

Max height Z (mm)

Save or load a printer profile

Import settings (JSON)

How the estimate is calculated

Two ways in, one model

An uploaded STL gives the exact part volume, surface area and overhang area. Without a file, the same three quantities are estimated from the bounding box, the occupancy figure and the complexity tier. Everything after that is identical, so the two routes stay comparable.

Material

An FDM part is a solid skin over a sparse core, so material tracks surface area at least as much as volume. Shell and infill are modelled separately rather than multiplying volume by a single fudge factor:

shell_volume = min(surface_area × wall_thickness, part_volume)
core_volume = part_volume − shell_volume
printed_volume = shell_volume + core_volume × infill_density
support_volume = overhang_area × height × 0.35 × 0.15
material_cost = (printed_volume + support_volume) × density × cost_per_gram × material_grade

Time

Volumetric throughput sets the floor, but a tall part with small layers is limited by per-layer overhead instead — Z moves, travel and minimum layer time. Ignoring that badly underestimates small, detailed parts:

effective_flow = flow_rate × flow_efficiency ÷ complexity
extrusion_time = material_volume ÷ effective_flow
layer_overhead = ceil(height ÷ layer_height) × 6 s
print_time = extrusion_time + layer_overhead

Machine, labour and scrap

electricity = print_time × (watts ÷ 1000) × price_per_kWh
depreciation = (printer_cost ÷ lifespan_hours) × print_time
post_processing = base_hours × complexity × (1 + support_ratio)
setup = setup_hours × number_of_plates, where plates come from how many parts fit the bed
scrap_rate = (0.01 with UPS, else 0.05) × complexity × qc_factor, capped at 60 %
design = design_cost × complexity × design_effort, once per job, only when the design does not exist

Purpose factors

Purpose affects three different things, so it is not one multiplier applied everywhere. A critical part needs better material and much more inspection and design validation, but not 2.5× the plastic.

Purpose	Material grade	QC / scrap	Design effort
General / decoration	1.00	1.0	1.0
Prototype	0.90	0.8	0.8
Functional / spare part	1.15	1.2	1.2
Critical / medical	1.60	2.5	2.5

Totals

unit_manufacturing = (material + electricity + depreciation + post_processing) × (1 + scrap_rate)
total = unit_manufacturing × quantity + setup + design
unit_incl_design = total ÷ quantity

Not included

Packaging, shipping, import duties and customs are too context-specific to estimate here. Filament drying, failed-print disposal and printer maintenance beyond straight-line depreciation are also excluded.