Pricing method · reviewed 28 July 2026
How much should you charge for a 3D print?
Charge enough to cover the successful print—not only the filament. A defensible quote includes material, energy, machine wear, hands-on labour, consumables, failed-print allowance, selling fees and profit.
The short formula
direct cost = material + power + depreciation + labour + consumables + packagingexpected cost = direct cost ÷ (1 − failure rate)selling price = expected cost ÷ (1 − marketplace fee − target margin)This method treats failure risk, marketplace fees and margin separately. That matters: adding 30% markup to cost does not create a 30% margin.
What belongs in the quote
| Cost | Practical input | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| FDM material | Slicer grams × spool price per gram | Using the whole spool price |
| Resin material | Estimated millilitres × price per millilitre | Ignoring supports and vat residue |
| Power | Print kWh plus resin wash/cure kWh | Using printer wattage as if it were energy |
| Machine wear | Purchase price ÷ useful printing hours | Assuming the printer is free after purchase |
| Labour | Prep, supervision, removal, finishing and packing minutes | Charging only for machine time |
| Failure allowance | Your observed failed-job rate | Adding nothing because the current print succeeded |
| Selling fee | Marketplace/payment percentage | Subtracting it after choosing a target margin |
Worked example
Suppose one FDM item has USD 9.89 expected cost after its failed-print allowance. With a 12% selling fee and a 30% target margin:
price = 9.89 ÷ (1 − 0.12 − 0.30) = USD 17.05The expected fee is USD 2.05 and expected gross profit is about USD 5.12. This is gross project profit before tax, refunds, advertising, shipping subsidies and owner overhead not entered in the model.
FDM and resin should not use the same assumptions
For FDM, weight and spool price are usually the main material inputs. Resin jobs add wash fluid, gloves, filters, curing energy and often more finishing time. Use the calculator’s process selector so those costs remain visible rather than hiding them inside an arbitrary markup.
How to improve accuracy
- Start with slicer time and material estimates.
- Measure actual wall power for representative jobs.
- Track hands-on minutes instead of total elapsed print time.
- Record failures by printer, material and job type.
- Review marketplace fees and exchange rates before sending the quote.
Pre-send quote review
Before sending a customer quote, save the job assumptions and check each boundary below. This prevents a complete calculator result from becoming an incomplete commercial promise.
| Check | Record in the quote | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Quantity, material, colour, dimensions and supplied file revision | Prevents a later design change being treated as included work |
| Finish | Support removal, sanding, assembly, painting and packaging | Makes hands-on labour visible |
| Timing | Production lead time and the date the quote expires | Keeps capacity and volatile inputs separate from a permanent price promise |
| Acceptance | Tolerance, visual standard and customer approval point | Defines what a completed job means before production starts |
| Fulfilment | Pickup or shipping, destination, tax and platform fees | Avoids silently subsidising delivery or channel costs |
The calculator's CSV export captures the numeric assumptions. Add the scope and acceptance notes in the message or document that accompanies it; the export is a planning record, not a contract template.
Method references
For comparison, see the Original Prusa price-calculator explanation and Omni Calculator’s 3D-printing calculator. PrintCostLab’s model is independently implemented and exposes failure allowance, marketplace fee, margin, batch totals and resin consumables as separate inputs.
Disclosure: this Public beta has no affiliate relationships. Examples are planning illustrations, not observed sales or guaranteed profit.