Production cost
Material cost = total grams ÷ 1,000 × price per kilogram. In separate mode, total grams include parts, supports and additional purge. In total mode, purge is already included and is not added again.
Electricity = average watts ÷ 1,000 × plate hours × price per kWh. Machine wear = plate hours × entered hourly wear allocation. Setup = setup minutes ÷ 60 × hourly labor. Finishing = finishing minutes per good part ÷ 60 × hourly labor × part count. Packaging is per good part.
Retry allowance
Let f be the whole-plate failure probability and u be the share of resources consumed by a failed attempt. Expected failed attempts = f ÷ (1 − f). Retry cost = expected failed attempts × [u × (material + electricity + wear) + full setup labor].
Add retry cost to a successful plate’s base cost and divide by successful part count. This assumes independent whole-plate failures until success. Partial failures and changing failure probabilities need a different model.
Price and margin
Let C be production cost per part, Q quantity, D one-off design or project work, S shipping, F fixed transaction fee, r percentage sales fee and m target margin. Cost-and-margin revenue = (C × Q + D + S + F) ÷ (1 − r − m). Set D to zero when it does not apply.
An optional minimum order total is a selling-price floor, not another cost. Required order revenue is the greater of that floor and the cost-and-margin result. The calculator then rounds the per-part price upward to cents for USD/EUR or whole won for KRW and multiplies it by quantity, so the displayed order total can be slightly above the floor.
Profit = order revenue − production − project work − shipping − fixed fee − percentage fee. Actual margin = profit ÷ revenue. A minimum floor can make actual margin higher than the target. Currency labels do not perform foreign-exchange conversion.
Validation and limitations
Arithmetic checks cover independently worked examples, zero and invalid inputs, total-material mode, retries, margin versus markup, one-off project work, minimum-order floors, per-order fees and currency rounding. They verify implementation, not market demand or the accuracy of a visitor’s estimates.
Sample values are hypothetical. All colors use one average filament price. Taxes, unsold inventory, discounts, returns and unentered overhead are excluded. Batch rankings compare supplied costs; they do not optimize demand, scheduling or delivery promises.
Sources and editorial policy
Our formulas and examples are explained above so they can be reproduced. For a separate manufacturer reference on cost categories, see Prusa’s cost guide, which discusses design and print-preparation labor. We have no affiliation with Prusa or any printer manufacturer.
Guides are prepared with AI assistance, checked for formula consistency and dated when reviewed. We do not claim hands-on tests we have not performed. Material corrections change the affected page and its review date.