The short answer
Most desktop FDM prints cost between $0.50 and $5 in material and electricity. A typical 100 g PLA print runs roughly $2–$3 once you add power and a little machine wear. The number climbs fast when you add your own time, failed prints, or switch to resin - which is where most people underestimate.
The five things you're actually paying for
Every print is the sum of five costs. The first two are obvious; the other three are the ones people forget - and they're the difference between a hobby number and a number you could quote a customer.
1 • Material
~$0.02 / g PLA
A 1 kg spool of decent PLA costs $20–$25, so filament works out to about 2–2.5 cents per gram. Weigh the part (or read the slicer estimate) and multiply. A 100 g print is roughly $2.00–$2.50 in plastic.
Specialty filaments cost more - PETG and TPU run $25–$35/kg, carbon-fibre and nylon blends $40–$70/kg. Always add a small waste / purge allowance (3–5%) for the skirt, priming and color changes.
2 • Electricity
~$0.02 / hr
Printers are rated 100–350 W, but the average draw is much lower - the heated bed and hotend cycle on and off. A typical FDM machine averages 70–120 W over a print. At the US average of ~$0.16/kWh, an 8-hour print uses around 0.8 kWh ≈ $0.13.
Electricity is almost always the smallest line on the bill. Resin printers draw even less - the LCD and a small heater - but UV curing and washing add a little back.
3 • Machine wear & maintenance
~$0.10–0.50 / print
Nozzles wear, belts stretch, build plates lose grip, FEP film and LCD panels on resin printers have a limited life. None of it is free. Spread the cost of consumables and the printer itself across the prints it makes and you get a small per-print amortization - usually 10–50 cents.
Rule of thumb: take your yearly spend on parts, maintenance and a slice of the printer's price, then divide by the prints you make in a year.
4 • Failed prints
add 5–15%
Some prints fail - a warped first layer, a knocked-loose part, a clog at hour seven. Every failure burns material, power and time with nothing to show for it. A healthy setup loses a few percent of prints; a tricky model or a new filament loses more. Adding a 5–15% failure allowance keeps the occasional scrap from quietly eating your budget.
5 • Your time
often the biggest
Modeling or sourcing the file, slicing, loading filament, removing supports, sanding, gluing, painting, packing. For a hobby print you might ignore it. The moment you're selling or taking commissions, your time is the cost - and usually the largest one.
Even at a modest $15–$20/hour, fifteen minutes of post-processing can cost more than all the plastic and power combined. If you sell prints, read the pricing guide
An example, added up
| Material - 100 g PLA @ $22/kg | $2.20 |
| Electricity - 0.8 kWh @ $0.16 | $0.13 |
| Machine wear & maintenance | $0.25 |
| Failure allowance - 10% | $0.26 |
| Cost to make (no labor) | $2.84 |
| + Your time - 15 min @ $20/hr | $5.00 |
| All-in cost | $7.84 |
Plug your own spool price, wattage and rate into the calculator for an exact figure - it does this math for you and saves your defaults.
How to print for less
Drop the infill
Most display models are fine at 10–15%. Going from 25% to 10% can cut material a third with no visible difference.
Buy spools in bulk
Multi-packs and sales routinely drop PLA below $18/kg - the single biggest lever on material cost.
Reduce supports
Re-orient the model so it needs fewer supports - less wasted plastic and far less cleanup time.
Dial in a reliable profile
A profile you trust is the cheapest upgrade there is - fewer failures means less wasted everything.
Common questions
How much does it cost to run a 3D printer per hour?
For a typical FDM printer, electricity is only 1–3 cents an hour. Add material, machine wear and your time and the real all-in cost is usually $0.50–$2 per hour of printing.
How much electricity does a 3D printer use?
Most desktop FDM printers average 70–120 W during a print - similar to a couple of light bulbs. A long 10-hour print uses about 1 kWh, or roughly 16 cents at US average rates.
Is resin more expensive than filament?
Usually, yes. Standard resin runs $30–$50 per litre versus $20–$25 per kg for PLA, and you also buy gloves, IPA for washing, and replace FEP film and LCD screens over time.
Is it cheaper to 3D print or buy something?
For mass-produced items, buying is almost always cheaper. 3D printing wins on custom, niche or out-of-production parts - and when you value the part being exactly what you need.