3D Print Pricing Calculator
Estimate production cost, break-even and a selling price using your own costs, labor and chosen markup.
How the math works
Production cost combines material, electricity and a share of the printer's purchase price. For example, $350 spread over 5,000 useful hours is $0.07/hour, so a six-hour job carries $0.42 of machine cost. Price and lifetime are illustrative inputs, not current product prices or manufacturer lifespan claims. Replacement parts and repairs may require a separate allowance.
The failure adjustment divides production cost by the success rate. At an assumed 8% failure rate, that means division by 0.92. This model treats each failure as a full-production-cost attempt; it can overstate losses when failures occur early. Use a tracked failure rate and check the result against actual material and machine time lost.
Your selected multiplier applies to failure-adjusted production cost; labor is added afterward. That is this calculator's pricing model, not a rule every business must use. Break-even covers only the costs entered here. Selling fees, shipping, packaging and other omitted costs still need to be checked before treating the difference as profit.
The formula in detail
price = (production ÷ (1 - failure_rate)) × markup + labor
Illustrative example. A print uses $2.50 of filament and $0.20 of electricity across 6 hours. Wear on a $350 printer over 5,000 hours adds $0.42, so production is $3.12. At an 8% failure rate that becomes 3.12 ÷ 0.92 = $3.39. Half an hour of prep and cleanup at $15/h is $7.50. With a chosen 3× multiplier, (3.12 ÷ 0.92) × 3 + 7.50 = $17.67, rounded. The entered-cost break-even is $10.89. These results use unrounded intermediate values and exclude selling fees and other costs described below; they are not market-price recommendations.
Check these before quoting
- Compare the finished product. Consider fit, customization, finish and delivery as well as the price of alternatives. Your calculated cost alone does not establish demand or what someone will pay.
- Include the costs beyond plastic. The example's $2.50 of material becomes a $10.89 entered-cost break-even after electricity, machine use, assumed failures and labor. Use your own inputs instead of a fixed multiple of filament cost.
- Price the actual batch. Several parts may share preparation and warmup, while finishing still takes time for each part. Enter the whole batch's material, duration and labor, then divide by the number of acceptable parts.
- Separate machine time from labor. Use print duration for the machine-cost input and actual work or required supervision for labor. Include design and cleanup work where it belongs, without counting the same work twice.
- Check the final take-home amount. Calculate the fees and other costs of the actual sales channel. Compare what remains with your complete costs and intended profit; no particular multiplier guarantees a sustainable sale.
Where the inputs come from
Start with your purchase records and sliced job. Calculate material cost with the Filament Cost Calculator, using total consumed grams without adding waste twice. For a detailed multi-color breakdown, use the AMS Purge Waste Calculator. Electricity comes from the Electricity Cost Calculator. Record successful and failed attempts in the Failure Rate Calculator and enter your own purchase price, useful-life assumption and labor time.
Frequently asked
- What markup should I use?
- Choose a multiplier for your costs and the particular product, then compare the resulting price with what buyers will pay. There is no universal 3x minimum. This calculator multiplies failure-adjusted production cost and adds labor afterward. A 3x multiplier is 200% markup on that production cost, not a 300% profit margin.
- Why divide by one minus the failure rate?
- The model assumes each failed attempt consumes a full print's material, electricity and machine cost. If 10% of attempts fail, divide production cost by 0.9 to spread those losses across successes. Early failures can cost less, so use your observed losses to refine the estimate. Labor is added separately and is not automatically increased by this adjustment.
- Should I really charge for my time at hobbyist scale?
- Recording preparation, finishing, packing and required supervision makes the estimate more useful, even if you choose to discount a job. Enter your own hourly rate. Machine runtime and hands-on labor are separate inputs; include design or repeated failure-cleanup work in your labor total when relevant.
- What lifetime should I assume for my printer?
- Use an assumption that fits your replacement plans and test how changing it affects the price. The 5,000-hour default is an editable example, not a measured lifespan. For a $350 printer and six-hour job, changing 5,000 hours to 4,000 raises machine cost from $0.42 to $0.525: a $0.105 difference, about 11 cents, before failure adjustment and markup.
- Does this include marketplace fees, shipping, and packaging?
- No. Check your actual platform and payment-processing charges, shipping, packaging, taxes where applicable, and other business costs. Some fees depend on the final selling price or shipping amount, so verify the final take-home amount after adding them. A markup does not guarantee that every omitted cost is covered.