3D Printing Waste Calculator
Estimate filament waste, total material use and the cost of supports, purge material and expected failed 3D prints.
Overview
Use this 3D Printing Waste Calculator to estimate the filament needed for a print run, including supports, purge material, brims, skirts and likely failed prints. Enter your model weight, number of completed copies, waste estimates and filament price to see the expected material waste and its cost.
How it works
The calculator starts with the material retained in your finished models. It adds planned support and setup waste for each completed print. It then estimates the extra material needed for failed attempts using your failure rate, so the result represents the amount expected to achieve your requested number of successful copies. Waste is everything used that is not retained in the finished models.
How to use this calculator
- 1Enter the sliced weight of one finished model without supports or purge material.
- 2Add the number of successful copies you need.
- 3Estimate support material as a percentage of the model weight.
- 4Enter planned purge, brim and skirt waste per print.
- 5Set an expected failure rate based on your printer and material.
- 6Review total filament required, expected waste and waste cost.
Example Calculation
Model weight per successful print
100
Number of successful copies needed
5
Support material
15%
Purge, brim and skirt waste per print
5
Expected print failure rate
10%
Filament cost per kg
$25
Total filament required
666.7 g
For five 100 g finished models, 15% supports, 5 g of setup waste per print and a 10% failure rate, the estimate is about 667 g of filament in total. About 167 g is expected to become waste, worth roughly 4.17 at a filament price of 25 per kg.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as 3D printing waste?
Waste can include supports, brims, skirts, purge lines, color-transition purge material, failed prints and unusable test pieces. The calculator treats material not retained in the requested finished models as waste.
How do I estimate support material percentage?
Check your slicer's filament estimate with and without supports if possible. Divide the support weight by the model weight and multiply by 100. If you cannot check, start with a conservative estimate and adjust it after a test print.
Why does the calculator increase material for failed prints?
If some attempts fail, additional attempts are needed to obtain the number of successful copies you requested. The failure-rate input estimates the material consumed by those additional attempts.
Does this include infill?
Yes, if the model weight entered comes from your slicer, it should already reflect your chosen infill, wall count, layer height and other model settings. Enter the finished-model portion only, excluding support and setup material.
Does this calculate electricity costs?
No. This calculator estimates filament use and the value of wasted filament only. Electricity, labor, maintenance and printer depreciation are not included.
How can I reduce filament waste?
Optimize part orientation and supports, use the smallest effective brim or skirt, tune retraction and flow, maintain a clean build plate, and run small test prints before starting a large batch.
Explore Related Calculators
Assumptions and warnings
Assumptions
- Support material is estimated as a percentage of the finished model weight.
- Purge, brim and skirt waste is assumed to occur once for each successful print and proportionally for expected reprints.
- The failure rate represents the expected proportion of all print attempts that fail.
- Filament cost is based only on the material price per kilogram and excludes electricity, labor, machine wear and shipping.
- Results are planning estimates; actual material use varies with slicer settings, infill, nozzle priming and printer calibration.
Warnings
- This calculator estimates filament use only; actual waste can differ substantially between printers, materials and slicer profiles.
- A high failure rate can increase expected material use quickly, so check printer setup and first-layer performance before large print runs.