3D Printing Profit Formula
Learn how to calculate estimated revenue, production costs, profit per item and profit margin for 3D printed products.
The 3D Printing Profit Calculator estimates what remains from sales after material, electricity, hands-on labour and percentage-based selling fees. Breaking each cost into a separate part helps you test prices and identify which part of production has the biggest effect on profitability.
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Estimated Profit
Where:
First calculate sales revenue. Then subtract the filament, electricity, hands-on labour and selling fees for all items sold.
Variables Explained
| Variable | What It Means | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| salePrice - Sale price per item | The amount charged for one finished printed item before costs and percentage-based fees are deducted. | currency |
| unitsSold - Number of items sold | The number of identical items expected to be sold. | number |
| filamentGramsPerItem - Filament used per item | Filament used for one item, including supports, brims and expected waste if applicable. | weight |
| filamentCostPerKg - Filament cost per kilogram | The purchase cost of one kilogram of filament. | currency |
| printHoursPerItem - Print time per item | Estimated printer running time needed to make one item. | hours |
| printerPowerKw - Average printer power draw | Average electrical power used by the printer while printing. | kw |
| electricityRate - Electricity rate | The cost paid for one kilowatt-hour of electricity. | currency |
| laborMinutesPerItem - Hands-on time per item | Manual time for setup, post-processing, packing and customer handling for one item. | minutes |
| laborRate - Labour rate | The hourly value assigned to hands-on work. | currency |
| sellingFeeRate - Selling fee rate | Combined percentage-based marketplace, payment and selling fees. | percent |
Step-by-Step Calculation
Calculate total revenue
Revenue is the sale price of one item multiplied by the number of items sold.
revenue = salePrice * unitsSold
Calculate material cost
Convert total filament from grams to kilograms, then multiply by the filament price per kilogram.
materialCost = unitsSold * filamentGramsPerItem / 1000 * filamentCostPerKg
Calculate energy cost
Electricity use is print time multiplied by power draw; multiplying by the electricity rate gives its cost.
energyCost = unitsSold * printHoursPerItem * printerPowerKw * electricityRate
Calculate labour cost
Convert total hands-on minutes to hours and multiply by the hourly labour rate.
laborCost = unitsSold * laborMinutesPerItem / 60 * laborRate
Calculate selling fees
Percentage-based fees are applied to total revenue.
sellingFees = revenue * sellingFeeRate / 100
Calculate total cost and profit
All included costs are added together and deducted from revenue.
totalCost = materialCost + energyCost + laborCost + sellingFees; profit = revenue - totalCost
Calculate per-item profit and margin
These outputs show the estimated earnings per sale and the share of revenue remaining after included costs.
profitPerItem = profit / unitsSold; profitMargin = profit / revenue * 100
Example: Selling 10 printed desk organisers
Revenue
$25.00 * 10
$250.00
Material cost
10 * 120 / 1000 * $20.00
$24.00
Energy cost
10 * 6 * 0.12 * $0.20
$1.44
Labour cost
10 * 20 / 60 * $15.00
$50.00
Selling fees
$250.00 * 10 / 100
$25.00
Total cost
$24.00 + $1.44 + $50.00 + $25.00
$100.44
Profit and margin
$250.00 - $100.44; $149.56 / $250.00 * 100
$149.56 profit; 59.8% margin
Final Result
For 10 items, estimated profit is $149.56, equal to $14.96 per item and a 59.8% profit margin.
Assumptions
- ✓Every item uses the same filament quantity, print time and hands-on labour.
- ✓The filament amount entered includes supports, brims and routine waste where relevant.
- ✓Average printer power draw is representative of the printing process, including heated components if appropriate.
- ✓Selling fees are represented by one percentage of revenue.
- ✓The listed costs are variable costs rather than a full business cost statement.
Limitations
- !The formula does not automatically include packaging, postage, refunds, taxes or discounts.
- !Failed prints, reprints, filament purge and unusual waste can make actual material costs higher.
- !Printer maintenance, depreciation, software subscriptions and workspace costs are not included.
- !Power draw can vary with printer model, material, bed temperature, enclosure use and print settings.
- !Actual marketplace and payment fees may include fixed charges or fee rules not represented by one percentage.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Entering filament cost per spool rather than converting it to a cost per kilogram.
Using the model's filament weight but excluding support material and expected waste.
Treating total printer runtime as hands-on labour time.
Applying selling fees to profit or cost instead of to revenue.
Leaving out packing, shipping supplies, maintenance or failed-print allowances when setting a final price.
Related Formulas
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the formula for 3D printing profit?
Estimated profit equals revenue minus material cost, energy cost, labour cost and percentage-based selling fees.
How is filament cost calculated for a 3D print?
Multiply filament grams per item by items sold, divide by 1,000, then multiply by the filament cost per kilogram.
How do I calculate 3D printer electricity cost?
Multiply total print hours by average power draw in kW and the electricity rate per kWh.
How is 3D print profit margin calculated?
Divide estimated profit by total revenue and multiply by 100.
Does print time count as labour time?
Not necessarily. Print time is used for energy cost, while labour time represents the manual work you choose to value.
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