Short answer
A typical print costs 3–15 kronor. Filament is almost the whole cost: a 120-gram storage box takes about 13.80 kr in material and 1.36 kr in electricity. Count on 0.115 kr per gram for ordinary PLA or PETG.
What does 3D printing cost? The short answer
A typical print costs 3–15 kronor. Filament is almost the whole cost: a 120-gram storage box takes about 13.80 kr in material and 1.36 kr in electricity. Electricity is therefore roughly a tenth of the material cost, so that is not where you save money.
Count on 0.115 kr per gram for ordinary PLA or PETG. Multiply by the weight of the model in the slicer and you have your cost.
Filament is nearly the whole cost
The price per gram is the only figure you need to keep track of. This is how it looks for our 1 kg spools of PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU and Nylon, including VAT.
Electricity costs less than you think
A modern 3D printer draws considerably less power than most people guess. Measured values during printing:
Electricity price and consumption in detail
The heated bed draws the most at the start, up to 850–1,000 W during the first minute while the bed heats up. After that, consumption drops sharply. In standby the printer draws 8–10 W.
At a total price of about 1.70 kr per kWh (spot price plus energy tax, grid fee and VAT), ten hours of printing on a P1S costs about 1.70 kr in electricity.
The electricity price varies between price areas. The average for January–July 2026 was 50 öre/kWh in SE1 and SE2, 77 öre in SE3 and 95 öre in SE4, before tax and grid fee. The difference between northern and southern Sweden amounts to a few öre per print.
Calculate your own cost
Try it with your own model: choose a material, enter the weight from the slicer and the print time, and the cost is calculated instantly. The default values below are the same as in the worked examples above — 1.70 kr/kWh and a printer that draws 0.10 kWh per hour (the average for a Bambu Lab P1S).
Calculate your cost
Assumption: the printer draws an average of 0.10 kWh/hour while printing (like a Bambu Lab P1S). Change the material, weight, time or electricity price above — the cost is recalculated instantly.
Failed prints: the hidden cost
Nobody gets everything right every time. Over time, add 10–15 per cent to the material cost for prints that come loose, warp or have poor adhesion.
The most common cause of suddenly poor prints is damp filament. A spool that has been left out absorbs moisture and gives crackling sounds, rough surfaces and weak parts. You can dry the spool and save the material. Adhesion problems and warping have their own solutions in the guides on prints that won't stick and warping.
What does the printer cost per print?
If you want to include the purchase: a printer costing 3,000 kr that lasts 1,000 print hours works out at 3 kr per hour. That 8-hour storage box then carries 24 kr of depreciation on top of the material.
That is a theoretical figure. Most hobby printers last considerably longer than 1,000 hours, and if you count that way the depreciation quickly becomes negligible. Wear parts such as nozzles and build plates cost a few hundred kronor a year with regular use.
Resin and print services
Resin for SLA and LCD printers is clearly more expensive per kilo than filament, and on top of the material you need isopropanol for cleaning and UV curing afterwards. Resin gives finer detail, but for functional parts and everyday prints, filament is both cheaper and simpler.
A print service charges for material, machine time and labour, often a few hundred kronor for a model that costs you 15 kr in your own material. If you print regularly, the printer pays for itself quickly. If you need a single part in a material you do not have at home, a service can be more reasonable.
Frequently asked questions
What does 1 kg of filament cost?
From 115 kr including VAT for both PLA and PETG with us. Special variants such as matte, silk and carbon fibre cost more, as do materials like ASA and TPU.
How much electricity does a 3D printer use?
Roughly 0.07–0.10 kWh per hour while printing, with a short peak towards 1,000 W as the heated bed warms up. At 1.70 kr/kWh that is under 2 kr for ten hours of printing.
How do I work out the cost of my model?
Take the weight in grams from the slicer and multiply by the price per gram, 0.115 kr for PLA or PETG. Add a few öre for electricity. A 50-gram model costs about 5.75 kr in material.
Is it cheaper to print than to buy?
For plastic parts, holders, organisers and spare parts, almost always. A hook fitting or a custom holder that costs 150 kr in a shop costs under 10 kr to print.
Filament in 173+ shades, from 115 SEK
Varje färg provtryckt, vakuumpackad med silikagelpåse och skickad från Tibro inom 48 timmar.
