OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
3D Print Cost Calculator
STL Volume, Filament Weight and Price Estimate
OneTask is free, with no sign-up, and built by one person.
If this tool saved you time, a coffee helps keep new ones coming.
How the 3D Print Cost Calculator works
This 3D print cost calculator prices a print from the model file. Before you commit a printer to a twelve-hour job, it helps to know what it will weigh and cost. Drop a model here to see it in the viewport with its print dimensions, the solid volume of the mesh, its surface area, and then an estimate of the material actually used at your infill setting, converted to grams, filament length and money from the density and price you enter. STL, OBJ, GLB and PLY all load, and nothing is sent anywhere.
3D print cost calculator: measuring the mesh
Volume is computed exactly from the triangles using the signed-tetrahedron method: every face forms a tetrahedron with the origin, the signed volumes are summed, and for a closed, correctly oriented mesh the result is the enclosed volume. Surface area is the sum of the triangle areas. Both are reported in cubic and square centimetres after the file units and scale are applied, and the print size line shows the bounding box in millimetres, which is what you compare against your build plate.
From volume to filament
A print is not solid. The slicer lays down walls and top and bottom layers as a shell, then fills the interior with a sparse pattern. This tool assumes a shell 1.2 mm thick, roughly three 0.4 mm perimeters, spread over the whole surface area, and applies your infill percentage to whatever is left inside. Very thin parts are all shell, so infill barely matters for them; a chunky block at 20% infill uses far less than its solid volume suggests. The Material line shows the resulting cubic centimetres, and Weight multiplies that by the density of the chosen material. The filament length assumes 1.75 mm filament.
Materials and density
The densities are typical published values: PLA 1.24, PETG 1.27, ABS 1.04, ASA 1.07, TPU 1.21 and nylon 1.14 g/cm³. Resin is included at 1.10 for SLA parts, where the same solid-volume figure applies but the shell and infill model does not, so treat resin weights as solid unless you hollow the part in your slicer. Fills and blends vary by a few percent, which is well within the uncertainty of the infill estimate anyway.
Units and scale
STL and OBJ files carry no unit. Nearly all are in millimetres, but CAD exports in inches and glTF files in metres are common, so pick the unit the file was authored in and the size line will confirm it looks right. Scale applies on top, so 50% halves every dimension and cuts the volume to an eighth.
Reading the cost
Material cost is weight times price per kilo, in whatever currency you typed the price in. It is the raw plastic only; electricity, wear, failed prints and your time are not included, so shops usually multiply by two to four for a quoted price.
FAQ
Why is the volume wrong or zero?
The signed-volume method needs a closed mesh with consistently oriented faces. Open shells, missing faces or flipped normals produce a volume that is too small, negative parts that cancel out, or zero for a single surface. Run the model through a mesh repair tool, then measure again. Surface area and bounding box are unaffected.
How accurate is the weight?
Typically within 10 to 20% of what a slicer reports, because the shell model is a simplification: real wall counts, top and bottom layer counts, supports, brims and infill patterns all shift the figure. For a firm number, slice the file; for a quick quote or a sanity check, this is enough.
Does it include support material?
No. Supports depend entirely on orientation and slicer settings. Add 10 to 30% for parts with large overhangs, or orient the model to avoid them.
See also: all 3D Model Viewers tools, Images, Audio, Video & Screen, PDF, SVG, Simulations & Screensavers, Generative Art, Chart Makers, Drawing Pads, Mockups & 3D Making, Diagram Makers, 3D Science, Tracker Music.
Related tools
STL Viewer
Drop an STL, orbit it, read its size and triangle count, save a PNG.
STL To GLB
Convert STL to GLB in the browser with colour and up-axis fixed.
OBJ To GLB
Convert OBJ, MTL and textures into one GLB file in the browser.
3D Text Generator
Extrude text into 3D and download it as a PNG.
3MF Viewer
Open a 3MF print file, orbit it and check its parts and size.