Product Pricing — Calculating Sale Price
This guide explains how to use the cost calculator to find the right sale price for 3D prints you sell.
Cost Overview
The cost of a 3D print consists of these components:
| Component | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Filament | Material cost based on weight and spool price | 100g × 0.25 kr/g = 25 kr |
| Waste | Material waste (purge, failed prints, support) | 10% extra = 2.50 kr |
| Electricity | Power consumption during printing | 3.5h × 150W × 1.50 kr/kWh = 0.79 kr |
| Wear | Nozzle + machine value over lifetime | 3.5h × 0.15 kr/h = 0.53 kr |
| Labor | Your time for setup, post-processing, packaging | 10 min × 200 kr/h = 33.33 kr |
| Markup | Profit margin | 20% = 12.43 kr |
Total production cost = sum of all components
Configuring Settings
Basic Settings
Go to Filament → ⚙ Settings and fill in:
- Electricity price (kr/kWh) — your electricity price. Check your electricity bill or use the Nordpool integration
- Printer power (W) — typically 150W for Bambu Lab printers
- Machine cost (kr) — what you paid for the printer
- Machine lifetime (hours) — expected lifetime (3000-8000 hours)
- Labor cost (kr/hour) — your hourly rate
- Setup time (min) — average time for filament change, plate check, packaging
- Markup (%) — profit margin you want
- Nozzle cost (kr/hour) — nozzle wear (HS01 ≈ 0.05 kr/h)
- Waste factor — material waste (1.1 = 10% extra, 1.15 = 15%)
Typical values for Bambu Lab
| Setting | Hobbyist | Semi-pro | Professional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity price | 1.50 kr/kWh | 1.50 kr/kWh | 1.00 kr/kWh |
| Printer power | 150W | 150W | 150W |
| Machine cost | 5 000 kr | 12 000 kr | 25 000 kr |
| Machine lifetime | 3 000h | 5 000h | 8 000h |
| Labor cost | 0 kr/h | 150 kr/h | 250 kr/h |
| Setup time | 5 min | 10 min | 15 min |
| Markup | 0% | 30% | 50% |
| Waste factor | 1.05 | 1.10 | 1.15 |
Calculating Cost
- Go to Cost Calculator (
https://localhost:3443/#costestimator) - Drag and drop a
.3mfor.gcodefile - The system automatically reads: filament weight, estimated time, colors
- Link spools — select which spools from inventory are used
- Click Calculate Cost
The result shows:
- Filament — material cost per color
- Waste/scrap — based on the waste factor
- Electricity — uses live spot price from Nordpool if available
- Wear — nozzle + machine value
- Labor — hourly rate + setup time
- Production cost — sum of everything above
- Markup — your profit margin
- Total cost — what you should charge as a minimum
- Suggested sale prices — 2×, 2.5×, 3× margin
Pricing Strategies
2× margin (recommended minimum)
Covers production cost + unforeseen expenses. Use for friends/family and simple geometry.
2.5× margin (standard)
Good balance between price and value. Works for most products.
3× margin (premium)
For complex models, multicolor, high quality, or niche markets.
Don't forget hidden costs
- Failed prints (5-15% of all prints fail)
- Filament that isn't used up (the last 50g is often difficult)
- Time spent on customer service
- Packaging and shipping
- Printer maintenance
Example: Pricing a Phone Holder
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Filament weight | 45g PLA |
| Print time | 2 hours |
| Spot price | 1.20 kr/kWh |
Calculation:
- Filament: 45g × 0.25 kr/g = 11.25 kr
- Waste (10%): 1.13 kr
- Electricity: 2h × 0.15kW × 1.20 = 0.36 kr
- Wear: 2h × 0.15 = 0.30 kr
- Labor: (2h + 10min) × 200 kr/h = 433 kr (or 0 for hobby)
- Production cost (hobby): ~13 kr
- Sale price 2.5×: ~33 kr
Save Estimate
Click Save Estimate to archive the calculation. Saved estimates can be found under the Saved tab in the cost calculator.
E-commerce
If you use the e-commerce module, you can link cost estimates directly to orders for automatic price calculation.