Know exactly what each print costs you — filament or resin, with electricity, failure rate and machine wear included. Then see suggested sale prices at 2× and 3× markup.
Density is used for custom spool weights & volume checks.
IPA for washing + gloves + paper filters. $0.10–0.50 typical.
Well-tuned FDM: 2–5% PLA/PETG, 5–15% ABS/TPU. Resin: 5–10%.
Depreciation & maintenance. $500 printer ÷ 2,000 hrs ≈ $0.25/hr.
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Add up four parts: material cost (spool price ÷ spool weight × print weight, then grossed up for failed prints), electricity (watts × hours ÷ 1,000 × your $/kWh rate), machine hourly rate (printer price ÷ expected lifetime hours — covers depreciation and wear), and any extras like supports or glue. Divide the whole thing by (1 − failure rate) so failed prints are paid for by the successful ones.
2–5% is typical for a well-tuned FDM printer running PLA or PETG. ABS and TPU fail more often — budget 5–15%. Resin printing sits around 5–10%. If you're regularly above 15–20%, fix bed adhesion, cooling, or filament moisture before selling prints, or your margins disappear.
For PLA, only a little: a printer drawing 60–150 W for 5 hours uses 0.3–0.75 kWh — roughly 5–12 cents at $0.15/kWh. It matters more for ABS or enclosed high-temp printers (200–500 W), resin printers with heated vats, multi-day prints, and expensive electricity ($0.30+/kWh). Including it keeps your pricing honest even when the number is small.
Common rule of thumb: 2–3× your true cost per print. If you designed the model or spent time on supports, sanding and cleanup, use 3–5× or charge an hourly rate for your time on top of material cost. Also check what comparable items sell locally — the market sets a ceiling, your cost sets the floor.
Resin sells per liter — $25–$40 per 1,000 ml is typical. Cost = bottle price ÷ bottle size × print volume in ml. Then add wash/cure consumables (IPA, gloves, filters — usually $0.10–$0.50 per print) and a failure buffer. This calculator's resin mode does all of it for you.