3D Printing Calculators
Transparent tools for estimating 3D-printing material, electricity, machine-time, overhead, and pricing.
Build a print quote from visible costs
A useful 3D-print estimate separates material, electricity, machine time, hands-on labor, overhead, and profit. Combining everything into a single price per gram can underprice long prints and overprice short, dense parts. CalcCaddy exposes each input so makers can adapt the formula to their own equipment and workflow.
Slicer estimates are a starting point. Add support, purge material, test pieces, and a measured failure allowance where appropriate. Track actual consumption and time after completed jobs so future estimates use evidence from the shop.
Costs outside the physical print
- Design or file-repair time
- Licensing and commercial-use permissions
- Post-processing, assembly, packing, and shipping
- Marketplace, payment, tax, and customer-service costs
- Minimum charges for setup and one-off work
These items belong in the quote even when they are not calculated from filament weight.
Worked pricing guidance
The 3D-print pricing guide walks through the same cost categories with a worked example and explains why markup and margin are not interchangeable.
From slicer estimate to real job record
A slicer can estimate grams and print time, but it does not know every business cost. Record the final filament consumed, machine hours, failed attempts, hands-on minutes, post-processing supplies, and packaging for completed work. Comparing the estimate with those records creates a feedback loop that improves future quotes.
Different processes should use different assumptions. Resin, filament, multicolor purge, abrasive materials, soluble support, and long unattended jobs have distinct consumables and risks. A transparent worksheet is more defensible than one universal price-per-gram rule.