How to Price Your 3D Prints Accurately
Pricing 3D prints can be tricky. Underprice, and you lose money. Overprice, and you lose customers. A good pricing strategy covers your costs and ensures a healthy profit. Our calculator automates this, but here’s the breakdown of what really goes into a 3D print quote.
1. Material (Filament) Cost
This is the most obvious cost. To calculate it, you need to find your cost per gram of filament ($/g). The formula is: (Cost of Spool) / (Weight of Spool in grams). Then, multiply that by the weight of your print (which you get from your slicer software like Cura or PrusaSlicer).
2. Electricity Cost
3D printers use electricity, and this cost adds up over long prints. You need your printer's power consumption (in Watts) and your local electricity rate (in $/kWh). The formula is: (Printer Wattage / 1000) x (Print Time in Hours) x (Cost per kWh).
3. Labor & Handling
Your time is valuable! You should always factor in the time it takes to prepare the printer, remove the print, clean it up, perform post-processing (like sanding or painting), and package it. Decide on an hourly rate for your work and multiply it by the time spent.
4. Profit Margin
This is the markup you add on top of your total costs to make a profit. A common starting point for a business is a 50-200% markup, depending on the complexity and uniqueness of the print. This covers your business overhead, failed prints, and ultimately, pays you.