Empty spool weights
eSun empty spool weight: what your scale should read
eSun is the hardest brand to pin down. eSun publishes no spool weight, it has used several spool designs across its lines and years, and people's measurements of its plastic spools run from about 209 g to 265 g.
Many current eSun PLA lines ship on cardboard spools, which a community database lists at 170 g. The calculator below starts there. If yours is a plastic spool and the answer matters, weigh an empty eSun spool from the same line and use Custom: a 50 g spread between spool designs is exactly the margin that ruins a close call.
eSun spool weights at a glance
| Spool and what is on the scale | Empty weight (g) | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
Cardboard spool, 1 kg Empty cardboard spool | ~170 g empty | Community database Listed for PLA-Basic, PLA+, PLA-Matte and similar 1 kg lines. eSun itself publishes no spool weight. |
Clear plastic spool, 1 kg Empty plastic spool | 209-225 g empty | User measurements Five measurements across three sources: 209, 210, 212, 222 and 225 g. eSun has used more than one clear spool design. |
Black plastic spool, 1 kg Empty plastic spool | 230-265 g empty | User measurements One person measured 230 g; another found all of theirs between 255 and 265 g. |
“Manufacturer” means the brand publishes the number. “User measurements” means people weighed their own spools and posted the result, so your spool can differ. The exact answer takes one minute: weigh an empty spool of the type you use, write the number on it, and pick Custom in the calculator from then on.
What a wrong tare does to your answer
Every gram of tare error moves the remaining-filament answer by the same gram. Say the scale reads 300 g and you are unsure whether the tare is 200 g or 225 g. One gives 100 g of filament left, the other 75 g. For an 80 g print, that is the difference between 20 g to spare and 5 g short. When a print is close, weigh an empty spool of the same type before you trust any preset.
How to weigh it right
- Take the spool off the printer or out of the AMS. Anything supporting the spool skews the reading.
- Use a kitchen scale on a flat surface. Gram resolution is plenty; you do not need a lab scale.
- Enter the total weight above, pick the matching spool type, and read off grams remaining. The result updates as you type.
Frequently asked
- Why do eSun spool weights vary so much?
- eSun has changed spool designs more than most brands, and different filament lines have shipped on different spools in the same year. Two eSun spools on your shelf can genuinely be 50 g apart empty. That is not your scale's fault.
- Which number should I use for eSun PLA+?
- If it came on a cardboard spool, start with about 170 g. If it is plastic, weigh an empty one from the same line: measured plastic spools range from about 209 to 265 g. Once you know your number, write it on the spool and the question is settled.
- Does the calculator handle a spool weight I measured myself?
- Yes. Pick Custom in the spool type dropdown and type your measured weight. Your own measurement always beats a preset.
Where these numbers come from
Each row above names its evidence. Sources were last checked October 10, 2026. Spool designs change without notice, so if your spool disagrees, trust your scale over any table, including this one.
- SpoolmanDB community spool database: eSun
- Bambu Lab forum: eSun empty spool weights
- 3D Printing Space forum: empty spool weights
- Empty Spool Weight Catalog and its comments (Printables)
Correction note: October 10, 2026: the eSun preset changed from a 200 g "typical" plastic spool, which we could not trace to a source, to the 170 g cardboard spool listed in a community database. Plastic eSun spools vary too much for one preset; weigh yours.