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Filament cost calculator
What does a 3D print actually cost? Take the slicer's weight estimate — it already includes supports and purge — multiply by your spool's price per gram, and add a failure allowance so the prints that end as spaghetti still get paid for. This filament cost calculator does that arithmetic and tells you the other number everyone forgets: prints per spool, so a 50-gram mini on a $20 spool runs about $1.10 with a 10% allowance and one kilogram covers roughly 18 of them. Electricity is in the note too, because it barely matters — desktop printers draw 50–150 W and a typical print consumes around 0.4 kWh, a few cents at U.S. rates.
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Filament dry boxCost per print known — dry filament is the cheapest way to protect it.Check current price ↗As an Amazon Associate, CalcForged earns from qualifying purchases.The math, plainly
How it works
- 01
Cost per gram is spool price divided by spool weight; a print's share is that number times the slicer's weight estimate.
- 02
The failure allowance inflates each print's cost and deflates prints-per-spool by the same factor, so the math absorbs the spaghetti you know is coming.
- 03
Electricity barely registers — desktop printers draw 50–150 W, and a typical print consumes around 0.4 kWh, a few cents at most.
Try a real scenario
50 g mini on a $20 spool
Inputs50 g model, $20 per 1,000 g spool, 10% failure allowance
Result$1.10 per print at $0.02 per gram — about 18 prints from one spool.
Gear for the job
Tools & materials people actually buy
Filament dry box
Dry filament is the cheapest failure-rate reduction you can buy.
Digital caliper
Measure filament diameter to calibrate flow — 1.75 mm varies by brand.
PLA filament spool
The workhorse material — dimensionally stable and forgiving on open printers.
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