3D Printing Price and Profit Calculator

1. Enter your print cost per item, from filament, power and failures.
2. Enter the markup percentage you want to add.
3. Add a flat labour or design fee for your time.
4. Read the selling price, your profit and the margin.

Pricing a 3D print means turning what it costs you into what you charge, in a way that covers your time and leaves a profit. The price is your cost plus a markup, plus a fee for the labour of designing, printing and finishing the item.

Markup and margin are easy to confuse. Markup is the percentage you add to the cost, while margin is the profit as a share of the final price. A 100 percent markup gives a 50 percent margin before labour, so it pays to know which one you are quoting. Getting this right is what separates a hobby that quietly loses money from a side business that pays for itself, because a price that only covers filament leaves nothing for the failed prints, the worn nozzles and the hours you spent at the screen.

1. Multiply the cost by the markup percentage for the markup amount.
2. Add the markup to the cost.
3. Add a flat labour or design fee.
4. Profit is the price minus your cost; margin is profit over price.

The labour fee is treated as a flat charge on top, so it flows straight into profit because it is your time, not an out-of-pocket cost.

A print costs you 2 in filament, power and failures. You add a 100 percent markup, which is another 2, and a 3 labour fee for your time. The selling price is 2 plus 2 plus 3, which is 7. Your profit is 5, since your only real cost was 2, and the margin is 5 divided by 7, about 71 percent. Drop the markup to 50 percent and the price falls to 6, with 4 profit.

Your Cost

A higher print cost raises the base the markup is applied to, so accurate costing comes first.

Markup

The markup percentage sets how much profit sits on top of the cost before labour.

Labour Fee

A flat design and print fee rewards your time and often makes up most of the profit on small items.

The Market

What customers will pay caps the price; markup is a starting point, not a guarantee of a sale.

Markup and the resulting margin, before any labour fee.

Adding a labour fee raises both the price and the margin, which is why time-heavy items should carry a clear labour charge.

Quoting a Commission

Turn a print cost into a fair, profitable price for a customer.

Selling on a Marketplace

Set list prices that cover cost, time and fees with room for profit.

Comparing Markups

See how different markups and labour fees change your take-home profit.

1. Confusing Markup and Margin

A 50 percent markup is not a 50 percent margin; know which you quote.

2. Forgetting Labour

Pricing only cost plus markup ignores your time, the most valuable input on small items.

3. Underpricing to Win Work

Racing to the bottom leaves nothing for failures, wear or your effort.

4. Ignoring Fees

Marketplace and payment fees eat into margin, so build them into the price.

The pricing maths is exact for the cost, markup and labour you enter. It does not judge whether the market will pay that price.

Add a markup to your print cost, then add a flat labour fee. A 2 cost with a 100 percent markup and a 3 labour fee sells for 7.

Markup is the percentage added to cost; margin is profit as a share of the selling price. A 100 percent markup is a 50 percent margin before labour.

Many makers use 100 to 300 percent on cost, plus a labour fee. The right figure depends on your market and how much your time is worth.

Yes. A flat labour or design fee is essential, since your time is often the biggest real input on small printed items.

Subtract your cost from the selling price. If a 7 item cost you 2, your profit is 5, a margin of about 71 percent.

No. Add platform and payment fees separately, since they reduce your margin on each sale.

Above 50 percent is healthy for handmade or printed items once labour is included, but the market and competition set the ceiling.

Add filament, electricity and a failure allowance. Our 3D printing cost calculator produces the cost figure to enter here.

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.

• Markup (business) (Wikipedia).
• Profit margin (Wikipedia).
• Pricing (Wikipedia).