The sticker price of 3D printing filament — around $20–$25 per kilogram — makes it look like an incredibly cheap manufacturing method. But material cost is only one of four cost components. When you include electricity, machine depreciation, and the statistical cost of failed prints, the real cost per part is often 2–4× the raw material figure alone.
The Four Cost Components
Every 3D print has four cost drivers:
- Material cost — filament or resin consumed by the print
- Electricity cost — power draw of the printer over print duration
- Machine depreciation — spreading the printer's purchase price over its lifespan
- Failed print factor — statistical cost of prints that don't complete successfully
Total Print Cost = Material + Electricity + Depreciation + Failure Overhead
Material Cost: Filament vs Resin
Material consumption depends on part volume and infill percentage. Solid parts use significantly more material than parts with 15–20% infill.
| Material | Cost per kg/L | Density | Cost per cm³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | $20/kg | 1.24 g/cm³ | $0.025 |
| ABS | $22/kg | 1.04 g/cm³ | $0.023 |
| PETG | $25/kg | 1.27 g/cm³ | $0.032 |
| TPU (flexible) | $28/kg | 1.21 g/cm³ | $0.034 |
| Standard resin | $35/L | — | $0.035 |
| Engineering resin | $65/L | — | $0.065 |
Example — a 50cm³ part at 20% infill (effective volume ~15cm³):
Material cost (PLA) = 15 cm³ × $0.025 = $0.38
Material cost (standard resin) = 15 cm³ × $0.035 = $0.53
Slicer software (Cura, PrusaSlicer) shows exact material weight in grams — divide by 1,000 to get kg, multiply by price per kg for precise material cost.
Electricity Cost Per Print
Most FDM printers draw 80–200W during active printing. Resin printers use less (30–60W) but require UV curing stations (20–40W for 5–15 minutes per print).
Electricity Cost = (Printer Wattage / 1000) × Print Hours × Electricity Rate
Example — 8-hour print at 150W, electricity at $0.14/kWh:
Electricity = (150/1000) × 8 × $0.14 = $0.17
This is typically the smallest cost component for home printers in moderate-cost electricity regions.
| Printer Type | Typical Draw | 8-hr Cost ($0.14/kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry FDM (Ender 3) | 80W | $0.09 |
| Mid-range FDM (Bambu X1C) | 200W | $0.22 |
| MSLA Resin (Anycubic Photon) | 40W | $0.04 |
| Large format FDM | 350W | $0.39 |
Machine Depreciation
Printers wear out. Nozzles, PTFE tubes, build plates, and belts all require periodic replacement. The full machine cost (purchase + consumables over lifespan) should be spread across total print hours.
Depreciation per Hour = (Machine Cost + Consumables over Life) ÷ Total Print Hours in Lifespan
Example — $300 entry FDM printer:
- Consumables over 3 years: ~$120 (nozzles, tubes, build plate)
- Estimated total print hours: 3,000 hours
Depreciation = ($300 + $120) ÷ 3,000 = $0.14/hour
For an 8-hour print: $1.12 in machine depreciation.
| Printer Price | Est. Life Hours | Hourly Depreciation |
|---|---|---|
| $200 entry FDM | 2,000 hrs | $0.10/hr |
| $500 mid-range FDM | 4,000 hrs | $0.13/hr |
| $800 resin printer | 2,000 hrs | $0.40/hr |
| $1,500 CoreXY | 5,000 hrs | $0.30/hr |
Resin printers have higher depreciation per hour due to FEP film replacement and VAT (resin tank) costs.
Accounting for Failed Prints
No printer succeeds 100% of the time. First-layer adhesion failures, stringing, warping, and power outages cause failed prints that consume material, electricity, and time without producing a usable part.
Failure-Adjusted Cost = Base Print Cost ÷ (1 - Failure Rate)
If your failure rate is 15%:
Adjusted Cost = Base Cost ÷ 0.85 = Base Cost × 1.18
Typical failure rates by experience level and printer type:
| Scenario | Failure Rate |
|---|---|
| Experienced user, tuned FDM | 5–10% |
| New user, FDM | 15–25% |
| Resin, well-maintained | 8–15% |
| Large complex prints | 15–30% |
Real-World Cost Examples
Putting it all together with a calibrated mid-range FDM printer ($500), 15% failure rate, PLA at $22/kg:
Small phone stand (20g, 3 hours):
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Material (20g PLA) | $0.44 |
| Electricity (3h × $0.022) | $0.07 |
| Depreciation (3h × $0.13) | $0.39 |
| Subtotal | $0.90 |
| Failure overhead (÷ 0.85) | $1.06 |
| Total cost | $1.06 |
Large functional part (250g, 18 hours):
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Material (250g PLA) | $5.50 |
| Electricity (18h × $0.022) | $0.40 |
| Depreciation (18h × $0.13) | $2.34 |
| Subtotal | $8.24 |
| Failure overhead (÷ 0.85) | $9.69 |
| Total cost | $9.69 |
For the large part, material is only 57% of total cost — machine depreciation contributes a meaningful 24%.
When pricing prints for others, add at least 50–100% markup over these calculated costs to cover setup time, design work, post-processing, and your margin. The material cost alone is never the right basis for pricing a print service.