3D Print Cost — Filament, Power & Wear

By summing the signed volumes of tetrahedra formed between every triangle and the origin — a standard technique for closed (manifold) triangle meshes. The result is in mm³ which we convert to cm³ for readability. Non-manifold STLs (gaps, flipped normals) can give a slightly wrong number; if a model looks impossible, repair it in Meshmixer or PrusaSlicer first.

Slicers account for shell thickness, infill pattern, support material, skirts and purge volume. This calculator asks for an overall infill percentage plus a purge-waste percentage so the result stays close to slicer values, but a real slicer profile for a specific machine will always be more accurate for the final print.

Look at your most recent utility bill for the per-kWh residential rate. Common 2025-26 defaults: ~$0.16 US average, ~€0.30 EU average, ~£0.27 UK, ~6 ₽ RU. Industrial/commercial rates are typically 30–50% lower.

A common formula is (filament + electricity + wear) × 2 for casual sales or × 3 for custom/one-off items. Etsy adds ~6.5% transaction + 3% payment + listing fees on top, so build those into the markup. Use the slider to find a price that covers cost plus profit plus your time.

Engineering filaments (Nylon, polycarbonate, carbon-fiber-reinforced) need higher hotend temperatures, hardened nozzles (the carbon fibres chew through brass in days) and an enclosure. Material is $60-90/kg vs $18-30 for PLA, and the abrasive grades shorten nozzle life — bake $5-10 of nozzle replacement into the wear figure if you print PA-CF regularly.