Guide
How to calculate filament cost
This page is only the material line: cost per gram or per milliliter, then the cost of what this job uses. Type the numbers into the calculator. The rest of a selling price, including electricity, failed prints, and fees, is in how to price a 3D print.
Use the net material
Divide what you paid by the filament or resin you can actually print, not by the weight of the package. A listing that says 1 kg often means 1,000 g of filament. The empty reel is extra, and it is not part of the print. The same idea applies to a resin bottle: use the net resin, not the weight of the full bottle with the container.
If the label gives a gross weight, subtract the empty spool or bottle before you divide. PrintPrice does not look up that empty weight for you.
Cost for this job
Cost per gram is what you paid divided by the net grams. Cost per milliliter is what you paid divided by the net milliliters. Multiply that unit cost by what this job uses.
Use the figure from the slicer, and include brim, raft, supports, and purge when they are part of the job. PrintPrice does not open a 3D file and will not notice material you left out.
Arithmetic only, not a spool price. Suppose you paid $20 for 1,000 g of net filament. That is $0.02 per gram. A job that uses 40 g is $0.80 of material for one attempt. Replace both numbers with your spool and your slicer.
That $0.80 is one attempt. If some attempts fail, the main guide shows how the extra material is spread onto the successful print. This page does not repeat that step.
When the slicer shows meters
The calculator can turn a length into grams. It needs the filament diameter and the density in g/cm³ from that filament’s technical data sheet. The formula is π × (diameter ÷ 2)² × meters × density, with the diameter in millimeters. The result is grams.
Density is left blank on purpose. PrintPrice does not ship a preset density, because it changes by material and by brand. 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm are common spool sizes. Use the diameter printed on the spool.
Resin
Enter milliliters, which is how most resin slicers report volume. Divide what you paid for the bottle by the net milliliters, then multiply by the milliliters in the job, including supports if the slicer counted them.
If the bottle is labeled in grams, convert with the density on that manufacturer’s sheet before you type a volume. The calculator does not guess a resin density.
Where to put the number
On the calculator, enter what you paid, the net amount, and what this print uses. The material line is the successful attempt. Waste from failed prints is a separate line.
Electricity for the same job is covered in electricity cost of a 3D print.