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3D Print Calculator

Cost and carbon footprint - pick your calculator below.

1
Step 1
Printer & Power Draw
🔍
-

Enter your printer's wattage manually. Usually on the label on the back of the printer or in its spec sheet.

W
Average watts while actively printing
W
Overhead when not moving (fans, board, screen)
2
Step 2
How Long Is the Print?
3
Step 3
Filament Cost
$
Cost of the full spool (usually 1 kg)
g
Check your slicer's estimate
g
Usually 1000 g (1 kg)
4
Step 4
Your Electricity Rate
$
US avg ~$0.13 · CA ~$0.18 · UK ~$0.28
Your FDM Print Cost Breakdown
Total Estimated Cost
$ -
Electricity
$ -
Filament
$ -
Print Time
-
Electricity
0%
Filament
0%
Printer model -
Power draw (printing) -
Total energy used -
Electricity rate -
1
Step 1
Printer Cost
Enter the purchase price of your resin printer.
$
What you paid (or plan to pay)
kW/h
Usually 0.05–0.15 kW/h. Check spec sheet.
2
Step 2
Wash & Cure Station
Technically optional, but pretty much required for good results.
$
Cost of your wash & cure unit
3
Step 3
Resin
Enter the cost of the bottle and how much you're using.
$
Price for the whole bottle
ml
Usually 1000 ml (1 litre)
ml
Your slicer's estimate for this print
4
Step 4
Electricity Cost
Covers your printer's power draw during this specific print.
$
US avg ~$0.13 · CA ~$0.18 · UK ~$0.28
hrs
Total print time in hours (e.g. 3.5 for 3h 30m)
5
Step 5
Safety Gear
Edit names or prices, uncheck items you already own, or add your own.
Heads up: Resin is a skin irritant and the fumes aren't something to ignore. If you're printing regularly, this gear pays for itself.
6
Step 6
Ventilation
Resin fumes aren't something you want to breathe long-term. Edit, remove, or add items below.
7
Step 7
Ongoing Costs (Most People Forget This)
Monthly estimates. Edit, remove, or add your own.
Your Resin Cost Breakdown
Total Startup Investment
$ -
Includes hardware, safety gear, ventilation & this print's materials
Hardware
This Print
Safety Gear
Ventilation
Cost Distribution
1
Step 1
Filament Type
Each material has a different CO2 cost to manufacture per kg.
CO2 estimates cover material production only - your electricity grid adds on top.
2
Step 2
Material Used
g
From your slicer - the actual weight printed
%
Material wasted on average per session - 10% is a fair starting point
3
Step 3
Electricity & Grid
Your electricity grid carbon intensity varies massively by country - this is the biggest variable.
Select your country/region or enter a custom value
4
Step 4
Printer Power & Print Time
W
Total watts while printing (see FDM tab for presets)
hrs
Total print time
x
Optional - used to show yearly impact
Carbon Footprint Breakdown
Total CO2 - This Print
-
Material Production
-
Electricity
-
Failed Prints
-
Distribution
What does that equal?
Yearly Estimate
Ways to reduce it
Offset your footprint

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Reading Your Results

How to Interpret the Calculator Output

The numbers the calculator returns are estimates, not invoices. Here's what each figure actually means and where it comes from.

Electricity Cost

Calculated from your printer's wattage, the print duration, and your electricity rate. Wattage varies during a print - the figure you enter is an average, so the result is an approximation. If you're unsure of your printer's wattage, check the label on the back of the unit or the manufacturer's spec sheet. The Bambu Lab presets are pulled from real-world measurements and are a reasonable starting point.

Filament Cost

Based on the price per gram of your spool and the weight of filament your slicer estimates for the print. The slicer figure is usually accurate within a few grams for simple prints - more complex geometries with lots of supports or infill can vary more. If you're running a spool you've already partially used, adjust the spool weight down to match what's left rather than using the full 1 kg default.

Resin Startup Cost

The resin tab includes hardware, safety gear, and ventilation in the total because most people printing resin for the first time underestimate what it actually costs to do it properly. The breakdown separates one-time hardware costs from per-print material costs - once you own the equipment, only the material figure repeats. Uncheck any safety or ventilation items you already own to get an accurate ongoing cost.

Carbon Footprint

Split into two parts: material production (the CO2 cost of manufacturing the filament or resin) and electricity (based on your grid's carbon intensity). The electricity portion varies massively by country - Norway's hydro-heavy grid produces about 31g CO2 per kWh while Australia's coal-heavy grid sits around 670g. If your country isn't listed, enter a custom value from electricitymap.org for the most accurate result.

Failed Print Rate

The carbon calculator includes a failed print rate field because wasted material is wasted CO2. The default 10% is a reasonable average for an experienced user on a well-tuned printer - beginners or users printing complex geometries may be closer to 20–30%. Adjust it to match your actual experience for a more honest estimate.

Yearly Estimate

The yearly figure on the carbon tab multiplies your per-print result by the number of prints per month you enter. It's a rough projection - useful for understanding your cumulative impact over time, not for precise accounting. If you print at very different volumes month to month, use an average rather than your busiest month.

Common Questions

Calculator FAQ

Answers to the questions that come up most often when running the numbers.

What's a kWh and where do I find my rate?

A kilowatt-hour is the unit your electricity provider bills you in - it's the amount of energy used by a 1,000-watt device running for one hour. Your rate is on your electricity bill, usually listed as a price per kWh. In the US the average is around $0.13, in the UK around $0.28. If you pay a flat rate, use that figure - if you're on a time-of-use plan, use the rate that applies when you usually print.

Why does PETG have a higher CO2 score than ABS?

It comes down to how each material is manufactured. PETG is derived from PET plastic and requires more energy-intensive processing steps than ABS, which is produced from styrene and acrylonitrile. The CO2 figures used in the calculator are per-kilogram production estimates - they reflect the manufacturing footprint of the raw material, not how the print behaves once it's made.

How do I find my filament weight from my slicer?

Most slicers show the estimated filament usage in grams after slicing - in Bambu Studio it appears in the bottom bar after the slice completes. In PrusaSlicer it's shown in the print info panel on the right. If your slicer only shows length in meters, multiply by the filament's density per meter (roughly 2.6g/m for 1.75mm PLA) to get an approximate gram weight.

Why is the resin calculator so much more detailed?

Because resin printing has a lot of hidden costs that FDM doesn't. A wash and cure station is effectively required for good results, nitrile gloves and respiratory protection are strongly recommended for regular use, and ventilation matters more than most beginners expect. The calculator includes all of these by default so the total reflects what you'd actually spend to get set up properly - not just the printer and the bottle of resin.

Are these numbers exact?

No - they're estimates. Wattage fluctuates during a print, slicer filament estimates aren't always precise, and electricity rates can vary by time of day. The calculator is designed to give you a realistic ballpark, not an exact invoice. For most users the figures are accurate enough to make meaningful comparisons between materials, print settings, or printer choices.

Can I use this to compare two printers' running costs?

Yes - run the FDM calculator twice with the same print time and filament settings but different wattage figures for each printer. The electricity cost difference between two runs gives you a direct cost-per-print comparison. Over hundreds of prints, even a 20-watt difference in average draw adds up to a meaningful saving, especially in countries with higher electricity rates.

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