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3D printing price per gram
Filament alone costs $0.02 to $0.06 per gram at the example prices here. A finished-part selling price is much higher and depends on part size: across the 8 example parts, the calculator suggests $0.2652 to $3.94 per gram, because print time, finishing labor, and fixed fulfillment costs do not scale with grams.
Price per gram by filament (120 g, 6 hr part)
| Filament | Material only | Full production cost | Suggested price (40% margin) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | $0.02 | $0.2694 | $0.449 |
| PETG | $0.024 | $0.2738 | $0.4564 |
| ABS | $0.022 | $0.2716 | $0.4528 |
| ASA | $0.028 | $0.2783 | $0.4638 |
| TPU (95A) | $0.03 | $0.2805 | $0.4675 |
| Nylon (PA12) | $0.045 | $0.2972 | $0.4953 |
| Polycarbonate (PC) | $0.042 | $0.2938 | $0.4898 |
| PVA | $0.06 | $0.3138 | $0.5231 |
Price per gram by part type (PLA at $24.00/kg)
| Part | Weight | Suggested price | Per gram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone stand | 45 g | $35.17 | $0.7816 |
| Tabletop miniature | 12 g | $38.94 | $3.24 |
| Cosplay helmet panel | 340 g | $90.18 | $0.2652 |
| Drone frame | 85 g | $42.02 | $0.4944 |
| Replacement gear | 20 g | $35.13 | $1.76 |
| Electronics enclosure | 110 g | $47.06 | $0.4278 |
| Vase-mode vase | 60 g | $35.30 | $0.5883 |
| Keychain | 8 g | $31.49 | $3.94 |
Small parts cost more per gram because setup, packaging, and finishing time are spread over fewer grams.
How it is calculated
Material only = price per kg ÷ 1,000. Full production cost and suggested price come from the calculator's quote engine at its defaults ($30.00/hr labor, 10% failure allowance, 40% target margin, no marketplace fees), divided by the part's grams.
When a per-gram rate becomes misleading
Two parts can weigh the same but have different print hours, finishing work, or delivery costs. The table's per-gram selling price is the completed order quote divided by weight, not a reusable material tariff. Recalculate the order before using that rate on a different shape or quantity.
For a 120 g default part, adding ten finishing minutes changes the suggested price from $54.77 to $63.10, while the grams stay unchanged. That alone changes the effective price per gram from $0.4564 to $0.5258. Both examples use 40% margin and no payment fees.
If you publish a per-gram offer, state what is included and check a minimum order price against setup and fulfillment. For custom work, quote the actual job and use its per-gram result only as a comparison.
Page reviewed 2026-10-05. Data source: Filament prices, grams, and hours are example values entered by us, not vendor data; verify with your supplier. All other figures are computed by the calculator's quote engine.
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