3DPrintCalcs
Filament Cost Calculator — Material Cost per Print
Work out the material cost of a print based on filament weight used and spool price.
How We Calculate This
Formula
- Cost per gram = Spool price / Spool weight
- Adjusted weight = (Print weight + Purge / waste) x (1 + Fail rate / 100)
- Print cost = Adjusted weight x Cost per gram
- Prints per spool = floor(Spool weight / Adjusted weight)
With the default advanced options (fail rate 0%, purge 0g) the adjusted weight equals the print weight, so the print cost is simply Print weight x Cost per gram and prints per spool is Spool weight / Print weight. Enter a fail rate or purge amount to fold failed prints and purge lines into the per-print cost.
This gives you the raw material cost only. For total print cost including electricity and wear, use our Print Cost Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Budget PLA costs around 1.5-2p per gram (about 15-20 pounds per kg), mid-range PLA 2-3p per gram, and premium brands such as Prusament around 3-4p per gram (about 30-40 pounds per kg). A typical 1kg spool costs between 15 and 25 pounds; only niche specialty or branded spools push past 4p per gram.
Yes. A reasonable estimate is 5-15% waste from failed prints, calibration prints and purge lines. Add this to your per-print cost for accurate pricing.
Your slicer software reports the estimated filament weight after slicing. Cura, PrusaSlicer and OrcaSlicer all show this in the print summary.
Related Calculators
Filament Length Calculator
Calculate the total length of filament on a spool from its weight and diameter.
Filament Weight Calculator
Estimate how much filament a print will use by weight from model volume.
Spool Life Calculator
Estimate how many prints you can get from one spool of filament.
Filament Comparison Calculator
Compare cost per gram and value across different filament brands and spool sizes.
Multi-Colour Print Calculator
Calculate total filament including waste for multi-colour 3D prints with purge tower waste and cost comparison.
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Last updated: February 2026
All calculations are estimates. Always verify settings with test prints before committing to final prints.