Nozzle Size Calculator — Choose the Right Nozzle

0.4mm is the standard default on almost all consumer 3D printers. It offers a good balance of detail and speed for most prints.

As a rule of thumb the smallest XY feature you can reliably print is about twice the nozzle diameter, so a 0.4mm nozzle resolves roughly 0.8mm details and a 0.25mm nozzle around 0.5mm. To clean-print a 0.5mm wall or pin you therefore need a 0.25mm nozzle, not a 0.4mm one. This calculator works backwards from your smallest feature using the 2x rule.

Use 0.6-1.0mm nozzles for large functional parts, vases, or draft prints where speed matters more than fine detail. Larger nozzles can print much faster.

Use 0.2-0.3mm nozzles for miniatures, fine text, and parts requiring sharp detail. Print times increase significantly with smaller nozzles.

Keep layer height between roughly 25% and 75% of the nozzle diameter (80% is the absolute maximum). For a 0.4mm nozzle that is about 0.10-0.30mm, with 50% (0.20mm) a good general-purpose starting point. Below 25% you get over-squish and extrusion issues; above 80% the layers cannot bond properly.