How Much Should You Charge for 3D Printing? (2026 Pricing Guide)
Most 3D print sellers underprice by 40–60% because they only count filament. The real cost of a print includes electricity, machine wear, your time, packaging, and platform fees. This guide gives you the exact formula to set a price that covers everything — with worked examples across five common product types. Use the free calculator to run the numbers for your specific prints.
The Short Answer
- • Minimum viable price = (material + electricity + packaging) × 3
- • Sustainable price = full cost (inc. labour + depreciation) × 2–2.5
- • Etsy/marketplace price = sustainable price ÷ (1 − platform fee %)
- • Most hobby sellers should be charging 2–4× what they currently charge
The Pricing Formula
Total Cost = Material + Electricity + Depreciation + Labour + Overhead Minimum Price = Total Cost × 2 Marketplace Price = Minimum Price ÷ (1 − platform_fee)
Example: "For a 80g PLA print taking 4 hours on a £300 printer:"
| Cost Layer | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Material cost | 80g × £0.025/g | £2.00 |
| Electricity | 4h × 0.2kW × £0.34/kWh | £0.27 |
| Depreciation | 4h × £0.06/hr | £0.24 |
| Labour (15 min) | 0.25h × £12/hr | £3.00 |
| Packaging | flat rate | £0.50 |
| Total cost | £6.01 | |
| Minimum price (×2) | £12.02 | |
| Etsy price (÷0.87) | £13.82 |
Most sellers list this print for £4–6. That's why they're not profitable.
Real cost breakdowns using the formula above, at UK rates. Adjust for your region using the calculator.
| Item | Weight | Print Time | Total Cost | Min. Price | Etsy Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phone stand | 35g | 1.5h | £3.28 | £6.56 | £7.54 |
| Small vase | 80g | 3h | £5.51 | £11.02 | £12.66 |
| Miniature figure | 15g | 3h | £3.93 | £7.86 | £9.03 |
| Cable clip (×10) | 30g | 2h | £5.95 | £11.90 | £13.68 |
| Custom name sign | 120g | 5h | £9.25 | £18.50 | £21.26 |
Labour included at £12/hr for 15 min setup + post-processing per item.
Where you sell changes your effective fee — which changes your minimum list price.
| Channel | Fee | £10 cost needs list price of |
|---|---|---|
| Etsy | ~13% transaction + listing | £11.60 |
| eBay | ~12.9% final value fee | £11.49 |
| Shopify Basic | 2.9% + 30p per sale | £10.60 |
| Direct/Cash | 0% | £10.00 |
| Amazon | 15% referral | £11.76 |
Etsy Offsite Ads adds another 12–15% on referred sales — factor this in for high-volume shops.
The Most Common Pricing Mistakes
- Only counting filament weight — ignoring electricity, labour and packaging
- Using a flat per-gram rate without accounting for print time
- Pricing against Amazon/cheap imports instead of your actual market (custom, local, fast)
- Not including platform fees in the price — absorbing them as profit loss
- Charging less for small items — setup time is fixed regardless of print size
How to Check If Your Current Prices Are Profitable
Enter your most popular print into the free calculator below. Put in real numbers — your actual spool price, your electricity rate, 15 minutes labour minimum. If the calculator's suggested price is higher than what you're charging, you're subsidising your customers.
Check your prices now →Related tools & guides
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