How to calculate the cost of a 3D-printed part (with formulas)

Quoting an additive manufacturing part is not like quoting injection moulding. There is no tooling amortisation spread over millions of parts, and the cost doesn't drop steeply with volume — at least not until you fill the build plate. Understanding the cost model from first principles lets you quote accurately, identify where to reduce cost, and explain your pricing to customers who compare you to an online service-bureau widget.

This article walks through the complete bottom-up formula, then works two examples: a 316L LPBF bracket and an FDM polymer enclosure bracket.

The four cost buckets

Every AM part cost falls into four buckets:

The total per-part cost before margin is:

C_part = C_machine + C_material + C_labor + C_post

And the sell price is:

price = C_part / (1 - margin_fraction)

Step 1 — the machine hourly rate

The machine hourly rate is not a property of the machine. It is a function of how many hours per year the machine runs. The formula:

rate_$/h = (D + M + F + C) / H_yr  +  P_kW × cost_$/kWh

D = (purchase − residual) / depreciation_years      [annual depreciation]
M = purchase × maintenance_fraction                  [annual maintenance]
F = annual facility cost (rent, climate, inert gas supply)
C = annual consumables (filters, wiper blades, recoater arms, gas)
H_yr = productive build hours per year
P_kW × cost_$/kWh = marginal power per hour

Example — LPBF M290-class machine:

• Purchase price: $500,000 | Residual: $50,000 | Depreciation: 7 years
• Maintenance: 8 % of purchase = $40,000/yr
• Facility: $12,000/yr | Consumables: $25,000/yr
• Power: 8 kW × $0.15/kWh = $1.20/h
• At 4,000 h/yr (two-shift service bureau): ≈ $36.50/h
• At 2,000 h/yr (one-shift R&D): ≈ $72/h
• At 8,000 h/yr (lights-out production): ≈ $19/h

The utilization leverage is enormous. A machine running at 2,000 h/yr costs nearly 4× as much per part as the same machine at 8,000 h/yr. Use the TCO — Machine Hourly Rate calculator to derive your own rate.

Step 2 — material cost

C_material = mass_kg × (1 + waste_fraction) × material_$/kg

For LPBF:

• Part volume from your CAD or slicer
• Support volume — typically 5–20 % of part volume for well-oriented LPBF parts, higher for unsupported overhangs
• Waste fraction — powder spillage, unused satellite powder, sieve losses. Industry figure: 5–10 %
• Recycled powder discount — most LPBF shops blend fresh and recycled powder. Track oxygen content / rheology to justify a refreshing ratio; many shops use 50/50 blends.

For FDM:

• Slicer reports net filament mass directly.
• Add 3–8 % for raft, brim, purge lines.
• Soluble support (PVA, HIPS) adds cost; factor it separately.

Step 3 — build machine cost per part

C_machine = rate_$/h × build_time_h / parts_per_build

This is where nesting matters. If you fill an EOS M290 (250×250×325 mm) with 40 parts instead of 1, the machine cost per part drops by 40×. Material cost doesn't change, but the machine cost is amortised across the whole plate.

Use the Build Time Estimator to convert layer count and machine throughput into build hours.

Rule of thumb for LPBF at 4,000 h/yr:

Step 4 — labor and post-processing

These are the line items most quotes undercount:

For FDM polymer prototypes, post-processing is often just support removal and sanding: 5–20 min.

Worked example 1 — LPBF 316L bracket

Material cost:

mass = (18 + 3) cm³ × 7.99 g/cm³ = 167.8 g = 0.168 kg
C_material = 0.168 × 1.08 × $65 = $11.79

Machine cost per part:

C_machine = $36.50 × 4.2 h / 12 = $12.78

Labor + post (estimate):

Depowdering + support removal: 20 min × $60/h labor = $20
HIP: $8 | Heat treat: $5
C_post = $33

Total before margin:

C_part = $11.79 + $12.78 + $33 = $57.57

Sell price at 30 % margin:

price = $57.57 / 0.70 = $82.24

Use the Cost-Per-Part Estimator to reproduce this and explore sensitivities.

Worked example 2 — FDM PETG enclosure bracket

Material:

C_material = 0.042 × $35 × 1.05 + 0.004 × $60 = $1.78

Machine per part:

C_machine = $8 × 1.8 h / 3 = $4.80

Labor: soluble support dissolves overnight, minimal handling: $2

Total: $8.58 → sell at 30 % margin: $12.26

Where cost hides

1. Utilization — the single biggest lever. A half-empty machine is an expensive machine.
2. Support volume — good DfAM orientation and support strategy can cut material and labor costs by 20–40 %.
3. Nesting — especially for small LPBF parts. A plate of 40 parts is 40× cheaper in machine cost than building one at a time.
4. Post-processing — often exceeds machine + material combined for certified metal parts. Quote post carefully.
5. Scrap rate — a 5 % first-pass yield failure means 5 % cost overhead. Track it.

Related tools

• Cost-Per-Part Estimator — bottom-up unit cost with breakdown panel
• TCO — Machine Hourly Rate — derive your machine rate from first principles
• Build Time Estimator — layer count × throughput → build hours
• DfAM Design Rules Checklist — check your design before you build to reduce support volume