How Much Does It Cost to 3D Print?
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We sliced 9 real models on a Bambu Lab A1 and priced each one exactly the way the calculator does. The smallest, the keychain, takes 5.5 g of PLA and 31 minutes: about $0.25 to print yourself, or $5.00 from a print shop charging the rates below. The largest, the life-size figure, takes 16.74 kg and 12 days of printing: $411.40 yourself, or $685.00 from a shop.
| Filament / time | Time | DIY cost | Shop price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KeychainLow poly heart keychain by 3d_creativaDIY $0.25 | 5.5 g 31m | 31m | $0.25 | $5.00 |
| 3DBenchy3DBenchy by Creative ToolsDIY $0.46 | 11.4 g 50m | 50m | $0.46 | $5.00 |
| Phone standPhone Stand by PlatinumStars. Printed on its side, as its designer recommendsDIY $0.91 | 26.7 g 1h 24m | 1h 24m | $0.91 | $5.00 |
| Articulated dragonArticulated Spirit Dragon by sunset3dDIY $2.85 | 65.9 g 5h 39m | 5h 39m | $2.85 | $8.50 |
| Book standElegant book stand by cordilon. Two halves, one plate eachDIY $2.54 | 91.6 g 2h 38m | 2h 38m | $2.54 | $7.50 |
| Magazine holderMagazine file box by madebythisguyDIY $6.79 | 232 g 7h 56m | 7h 56m | $6.79 | $15.00 |
| 30 cm LEGO-style figureBrick Megafigure (10:1 scale) by Julia Ebert. Scaled to 75% for 30 cm, nine plates, with supports on the legs, head and hands as its designer specifiesDIY $16.41 | 529 g 21h 31m | 21h 31m | $16.41 | $31.00 |
| Cosplay helmetIron Man Helmet, Articulated, Wearable by Boxandloop. All 29 printed parts on six plates, with supports wherever a part overhangsDIY $23.75 | 708 g 35h 31m | 35h 31m | $23.75 | $43.00 |
| Life-size figure3D scan of David with Goliath's head by SMK, National Gallery of Denmark. Scaled to the plaster cast's catalogued 160 cm and sliced in one piece with a 0.6 mm nozzle at 0.30 mm layers and no supports. For real it would be cut into bed-sized parts, laid flat to avoid supportsDIY $411.40 | 16.74 kg 283h 12 days | 283h 12 days | $411.40 | $685.00 |
Click a shop price to open that print in the calculator with its weight and time filled in. The life-size figure is past the calculator's limit of 168 hours and 10 kg a job, so its price is shown here only.
What each print costs
One answer for each of the 9 prints, priced at the rates listed below.
How much does it cost to 3D print a keychain?
Printing a keychain (5.5 g, 31 minutes) costs about $0.25 in filament, electricity and machine wear, or $5.00 from a print shop. The shop price is the $5.00 minimum; the filament itself costs $0.11.
How much does it cost to 3D print a 3DBenchy?
Printing a 3DBenchy (11.4 g, 50 minutes) costs about $0.46 in filament, electricity and machine wear, or $5.00 from a print shop. The shop price is the $5.00 minimum; the filament itself costs $0.23.
How much does it cost to 3D print a phone stand?
Printing a phone stand (26.7 g, 1.4 hours) costs about $0.91 in filament, electricity and machine wear, or $5.00 from a print shop. The shop price is the $5.00 minimum; the filament itself costs $0.53. Printed on its side, as its designer recommends.
How much does it cost to 3D print an articulated dragon?
Printing an articulated dragon (65.9 g, 5.7 hours) costs about $2.85 in filament, electricity and machine wear, or $8.50 from a print shop. Filament makes up $1.32 of the $2.85.
How much does it cost to 3D print a book stand?
Printing a book stand (91.6 g, 2.6 hours) costs about $2.54 in filament, electricity and machine wear, or $7.50 from a print shop. Filament makes up $1.83 of the $2.54. Two halves, one plate each.
How much does it cost to 3D print a magazine holder?
Printing a magazine holder (232 g, 7.9 hours) costs about $6.79 in filament, electricity and machine wear, or $15.00 from a print shop. Filament makes up $4.65 of the $6.79.
How much does it cost to 3D print a 30 cm LEGO-style figure?
Printing a 30 cm LEGO-style figure (529 g, 21.5 hours) costs about $16.41 in filament, electricity and machine wear, or $31.00 from a print shop. Filament makes up $10.59 of the $16.41. Scaled to 75% for 30 cm, nine plates, with supports on the legs, head and hands as its designer specifies.
How much does it cost to 3D print a cosplay helmet?
Printing a cosplay helmet (708 g, 35.5 hours) costs about $23.75 in filament, electricity and machine wear, or $43.00 from a print shop. Filament makes up $14.15 of the $23.75. All 29 printed parts on six plates, with supports wherever a part overhangs.
How much does it cost to 3D print a life-size figure?
Printing a life-size figure (16.74 kg, 12 days) costs about $411.40 in filament, electricity and machine wear, or $685.00 from a print shop. Filament makes up $334.86 of the $411.40. Scaled to the plaster cast's catalogued 160 cm and sliced in one piece with a 0.6 mm nozzle at 0.30 mm layers and no supports. For real it would be cut into bed-sized parts, laid flat to avoid supports.
What the numbers show
- The plastic is the cheap part of a small print. The keychain's filament costs $0.11; on a job that small, your time and the machine's are most of what you pay for.
- 3 of these 9 prints would be charged the $5.00 minimum. That floor, not the filament, is what sets the price of small prints.
- On a big print the filament adds up. The life-size figure takes 16.74 kg of it, $334.86 of the $411.40 it costs to print yourself, and keeps the printer busy for 12 days.
How these numbers were made
Each model was sliced in OrcaSlicer 2.4.2 for a Bambu Lab A1 with a 0.4 mm nozzle, using the stock 0.20 mm Standard profile (2 walls, 15% infill) and Bambu PLA Basic. Unless its row says otherwise, each is at the size and in the orientation its designer intended, with supports where the designer calls for them and, where the designer is silent, wherever the slicer finds an overhang. The weight and time are the slicer's own totals across every plate, including the printer's start-up routine on each, on 28 September 2026.
Prices use the calculator's default rates: PLA at $20.00 a kg, electricity at $0.17 a kWh for a 120 W printer, $0.25 an hour of machine wear, a $2.00 handling fee per job, a 10% failure buffer and a 50% margin, with a $5.00 minimum, rounded up. DIY cost is the filament, electricity and wear alone; shop price is the full quote. Change a rate under User Setting in the calculator and this page follows.
To turn these figures into prices of your own, how to price 3D prints walks through the same formula step by step. About PrintCost.site says who builds this and where its assumptions come from.