A practical guide for 3D printing businesses
How to price 3D prints: costs, labor and profit
What should you charge so a job pays for material, machine time, and your work — while still leaving a profit? Here is the complete process without accounting jargon.
The short answer
A 3D print price does not begin or end with filament cost. Add direct machine costs, active labor, and a buffer for risk and profit. Then check the minimum order value for the complete job.
material + electricity + machine wear + labor + risk and profit buffer; the result must not fall below your minimum order value
What belongs in a 3D printing price
The most common mistake is charging only for material. Your printer consumes time and wears out, while someone still has to prepare, check, and finish the job.
Material, including supports
Multiply filament grams or resin milliliters by the actual spool or bottle price. Include supports and any material that does not remain in the finished part.
Electricity
Convert printer power to kilowatts, then multiply it by print hours and your electricity rate. It is small per hour but adds up on long jobs.
Machine wear
Nozzles, films, build plates, bearings, and the printer itself have limited lives. A simple hourly rate builds a reserve for service and replacement.
Your labor
Count communication, model checks, print setup, support removal, washing, curing, and packing. The printer may run unattended; your time is not free.
Risk and profit
Prints can fail and a business needs profit. A markup above costs is not overcharging; it creates room for mistakes and future investment.
Minimum order value
For a tiny part, communication and setup can cost more than material. A minimum protects jobs that would otherwise not be worth accepting.
Calculate a 3D print price step by step
1. Get material and print time
Use your slicer or calculator to find grams or milliliters, print duration, and whether supports are needed.
2. Calculate machine costs
Add electricity and your hourly machine-wear rate to the material cost for the complete print time.
3. Price active labor
Add the minutes you actively spend on the job and multiply them by your hourly labor rate.
4. Add risk and profit
Add a percentage that covers unexpected problems and leaves a worthwhile profit after costs and labor.
5. Check your minimum
If the result is below your minimum order value, use the minimum. Even a tiny job still needs communication and setup.
Two worked examples
These figures use a default EUR example. In every market, adjust material, labor, and minimum values for your own shop.
250 g PLA, 20 print hours
PLA at €12/kg, 120 W power, €0.12/h wear, 10 minutes setup, 3 minutes supports, and labor at €12/h.
- Material
- €3.00
- Electricity
- €0.53
- Machine wear
- €2.40
- 13 minutes labor
- €2.60
- 50% risk and profit buffer
- €4.26
Recommended price €12.79
120 ml resin, 6 print hours
Standard resin at €20/l, 100 W power, €0.12/h wear, 10 minutes setup, 3 minutes supports, 15 minutes finishing, and labor at €12/h.
- Material
- €2.40
- Electricity
- €0.13
- Machine wear
- €0.72
- 28 minutes labor
- €5.60
- 50% risk and profit buffer
- €4.43
Recommended price €13.28
Why price per gram is not enough
A 20-gram part may use very little material, but you still have to talk to the customer, check the file, prepare the printer, and hand over the job. That is why the default EUR profile uses a €10 minimum for the complete order. Setup spreads across a batch; on a single tiny part, the minimum protects you from unpaid work.
Common 3D printing pricing mistakes
- Charging only for material and ignoring your time.
- Billing every print hour as active human labor.
- Forgetting supports, washing, curing, or packing.
- Having no minimum order value for small jobs.
- Using the same rate for FDM and resin regardless of finishing.
- Leaving orientation to chance — supports change material use more than electricity.
- Sending a binding quote before checking printability.
- Forgetting shipping, VAT or extra finishing that is not in the calculation.
You just priced one model by hand
When printing is how you make a living, you do the same work on every inquiry — and the customer waits. A calculator on your website does it for you, even while you sleep.