3D printing prices

How much does 3D printing cost?

At our workshop most small parts cost $10, a phone stand about $20, and a full-size cosplay helmet about $85. The price comes from four things: how much plastic the part uses, how long it prints, the material, and how many separate prints it takes. Every order has a $10 minimum.

Prices are set against what US print services charge for the same job, and sit about a quarter below them. US import duty is paid by us, so there is nothing more to pay on delivery.

Estimate your part

Give the size of the box your part fits in and how solid it is. For an exact figure, upload the file itself.

Units

Length (in)Width (in)Height (in)

How solid is it?

Mostly solidA knob, a block, a thick bracketTypicalA stand, a holder, an enclosureThin or hollowA cover, a shell, a vase, a helmet

MaterialCopies

Estimated price

$13–$15

for 1 copy

≈ 61 g of PLA
≈ 3.8 h on the printer

An estimate from size alone. The ballpark for your actual file, from its real volume and print time, appears the moment you upload it.

Upload your file for an exact price →

What common prints cost

Priced by the same model as every quote on this site, at 15% infill.

Keychain tag

50 × 30 × 4 mm (2.0 × 1.2 × 0.2 in) · PLA

$10

Cable clips · 10 pcs

25 × 15 × 10 mm (1.0 × 0.6 × 0.4 in) · PETG

$10

Replacement knob

40 × 40 × 25 mm (1.6 × 1.6 × 1.0 in) · PETG

$10

Wall bracket

120 × 40 × 40 mm (4.7 × 1.6 × 1.6 in) · PETG

$10–$11

Wall bracket, carbon nylon

120 × 40 × 40 mm (4.7 × 1.6 × 1.6 in) · PA-CF

$12–$14

Flexible phone case

160 × 80 × 12 mm (6.3 × 3.1 × 0.5 in) · TPU

$10–$11

Board game insert tray

140 × 90 × 30 mm (5.5 × 3.5 × 1.2 in) · PLA

$10–$12

Planter

120 × 120 × 120 mm (4.7 × 4.7 × 4.7 in) · PETG

$17–$18

Phone stand

90 × 80 × 110 mm (3.5 × 3.1 × 4.3 in) · PLA

$19–$21

Full-size cosplay helmet

300 × 250 × 280 mm (11.8 × 9.8 × 11.0 in) · PLA

$81–$90

What goes into the price

Plastic

Grams of filament, priced by the material. PLA and PETG are the cheapest; carbon-fibre nylon costs several times more per gram.

Printer time

A bigger or more solid part prints for longer. Most small parts take under an hour; a helmet takes more than a day.

Setup

Every print is prepared, the plate cleaned, the first layer watched, the part removed, checked and packed. That work is the same for a keyring and a bracket, which is why there is a minimum.

Separate prints

Each material and each colour is its own print: its own plate, its own filament change and its own setup. Three identical parts in one colour print together; in three colours they are three prints, and cost close to three times the setup.

Copies

Copies of one part share a plate and a setup, so ten cost far less than ten times one.

Size

Our bed is 256 mm (10.1 in). Anything larger is cut into pieces, printed separately and glued flush, which adds hand work.

Why there is a $10 minimum

A small part costs pennies in plastic, but it still has to be prepared for printing, set up, watched, checked and packed by hand. That takes the same time whatever the size, and $10 is what it costs. The minimum is per order, not per part: a few small parts together often still come to $10.

Questions about price

01How much does it cost to 3D print something small?

Most small parts, up to a few centimetres across, cost $10, which is our minimum order. A part the size of a phone stand is about $20.

02Is it cheaper to print several copies?

Yes, per copy. Copies share the plate and the setup, so the price grows much more slowly than the number of copies.

03Why does a part in two colours or two materials cost more?

Each colour and each material is printed separately, with its own setup. Two colours are two prints, not one.

04Do I pay import duty on delivery in the US?

No. We pay the US import duty when we ship, so the price at checkout plus shipping is the whole cost.

05How long does it take?

A firm quote within 24 hours. Prints ship in 1–2 days and reach the US in about 7–14 business days.

06How do I get an exact price?

Upload your STL, OBJ, 3MF or STEP file. You see a ballpark straight away, and a person sends a firm quote within 24 hours.

Got a file? See its real price.

Upload an STL, OBJ, 3MF or STEP. The ballpark appears the moment it uploads, and a person sends a firm quote within 24 hours.

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