3D print or buy: what a part costs to print and when the printer pays back
Enter the shop price, a material, the weight, the print time and a printer, and get the cost to print (material, electricity and depreciation), the saving in euro and percent, and the months until the printer pays for itself.
Opens without an account, with no daily limit.
- Cost to printmaterial, electricity and depreciation
- 9 materialsfrom PLA to Tough resin
- 5 printersfrom the Ender 3 V3 to the Form 3+
- Payback in monthswith your own upkeep
What a print or buy calculation is
This calculator answers whether 3D printing is cheaper than buying for your part: it compares the shop price of a ready-made part with the cost of printing it yourself (material, electricity and depreciation).
The calculation is for one part. You get the saving in euro and percent and see in how many months the printer pays for itself at your number of prints and upkeep.
Is 3D printing cheaper than buying? What it works out
Compares the shop price with the cost to print
Material, electricity (0.12 €/kWh unless you change it in advanced settings) and depreciation add up to a print cost shown beside the shop price.
Says whether printing wins and by how much
The screen reads "Printing works out cheaper by" or "Printing works out more expensive by", with an amount in euro and a percent, and after how many prints the printer's price is recovered.
Works out how many months the printer takes to pay back
You set the prints per month (10 by default) and the upkeep (5 € a month) and get the months to payback. If upkeep eats the saving, it gives no term and says how many prints a month you need to break even.
Adds labour, scrap and supports in realistic mode
The "Realistic mode" box adds labour at 15 €/hour (0.5 hours by default), 5% scrap and 15% more material for supports. Basic mode skips them.
When to print a part and when to buy it
The calculator helps when you wonder whether to print a part instead of buying it, or whether to get a printer.
A spare part for an appliance or furniture
A ready-made part at 17 € against a print at 1.43 € (50 g of PLA, 3 hours, Ender 3 V3).
Deciding whether to buy a printer
Enter a part you would print often and see in how many months the printer pays for itself.
Comparing materials
Switch PLA to PETG, ABS, TPU, Nylon PA12, PC or resin and see the cost of the same part.
Comparing printers
Switch the printer and see how depreciation and payback change.
How the print cost and the payback are calculated
Four calculations, each feeding the next, all in euro.
Material
The weight in kilograms times the price per kilogram built into the calculator: PLA 22 €/kg (hobby, decor, prototypes), PETG 25 €/kg, Standard resin 40 €/kg.
Electricity
The printer's power times the hours and the price per kWh: 350 W for the three filament printers, 60 W for the Mars 4, 65 W for the Form 3+.
Depreciation
The printer's built-in price (Ender 3 V3 200 €, Bambu X1C 1449 €) over 1000 print hours a year for its lifetime: the Ender 3 V3 comes to 0.067 €/h, the Bambu X1C to 0.29 €/h.
Saving and payback
The saving is the shop price minus the print cost. The printer pays back after as many prints as the saving fits into its price.
| Applies to | Formula | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Print cost | total = g/1000 · €/kg + kW · h · €/kWh + €/h · h | 50 g PLA, 3 h, Ender 3 V3: 1.10 + 0.13 + 0.20 = 1.43 € |
| Saving | saved = shop price − total | 17 − 1.43 = 15.57 € (91.6% of the price) |
| Months to payback | months = round up(printer price / (saved · prints − upkeep)) | 200 / (15.57 · 10 − 5) → 2 months |
| Realistic mode | total = (material + supports + electricity + depreciation) / 0.95 + labour · 15 | supports are +15% material but off by default; 0.5 hours of labour without supports give a total of 9.01 € (labour 7.50 €), with supports 9.18 € |
Payback with upkeep, not just price
The saving in euro and percent
With the defaults a 17 € part costs 1.43 € to print: +15.57 € and 91.6%.
Payback accounts for upkeep
The term is in months, not only in prints. If upkeep eats the saving, the calculator says so.
It says what is not counted
Basic mode leaves out labour, scrap and supports. Under the result the screen says that labour, post-processing, maintenance and failed attempts are not included.
The calculator handles one part at a time with built-in prices: nine materials and five printers with a fixed price and lifetime. You cannot set your own printer or material price; you can change the electricity price, the labour hours, the prints per month and the upkeep.
A resin printer with filament, or the reverse, gets a warning, but the calculation still runs. Shipping, VAT and the price of the model are not included, and it does not check whether the part will stand a load or heat. Amounts are in euro, with an approximate value in leva beside them.
Questions about 3D printing cost and payback
Is 3D printing cheaper than buying?
Only for some parts. With the defaults the print costs 1.43 € against 17 € in the shop, and a 200 € printer pays back after 13 prints. For a cheap part, printing can cost more.
Is it cheaper to 3D print parts or buy them?
It depends on the part, and the calculator compares both for yours. With half an hour of labour in realistic mode and no supports, the same print costs 9.01 €.
Does a 3D printer save money?
Only when the saving per print outweighs the upkeep. At 10 prints a month, 15.57 € saved per print and 5 € upkeep, a 200 € printer pays for itself in 2 months.
How long for a 3D printer to pay for itself?
It depends on prints per month and upkeep: in the default case it is 2 months. If upkeep eats the saving, the calculator gives no term and says how many prints a month you need to break even.
Is my own time included in the cost?
Not in basic mode. Realistic mode adds labour at 15 €/hour for the hours you enter, 5% scrap and 15% more material for supports.
Which materials and printers does it cover?
Nine materials (PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU, ASA, Nylon PA12, PC and two resins) and five printers (Ender 3 V3, Prusa MK4, Bambu X1C, Mars 4, Form 3+), with built-in prices.
Is the 3D print or buy calculator free?
Yes, with no account and no daily limit.
The 3D print or buy calculator is free. Pro opens the rest
Pro costs 15 EUR a month and opens 45 Pro tools.
In the Cost & planning group:
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