3D Print Filament Usage Calculator

Work out 3d print filament usage instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About 3D Print Filament Usage Calculator

Printed volume is the solid shell plus the infill share of the interior, converted to grams by filament density and to length using the 1.75 mm filament cross section. Infill above about 30% adds weight and time with almost no strength gain, because most stiffness comes from the shell rather than the lattice.

Formulas

Material volume

volume = model volume x shell share + model volume x (1 - shell share) x infill density

Filament length

length mm = volume mm3 / (pi x (1.75 / 2)^2)

Worked example

With the default values below, 3D Print Filament Usage Calculator returns Filament used of 24.55. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Model solid volumeminimum 0.01 cm3: 45 cm3
Infill densityaccepts 0–100 %: 20 %
Share of volume that is shellaccepts 0–100 %: 30 %
Filament densityminimum 0.1 g/cm3: 1.24 g/cm3

Results

Filament used: 24.55 g
Length of 1.75 mm filament: 8.23 m
Material volume printed: 19.800 cm3
Share of a 1 kg spool: 2.46%

Step by step

1Values used
2Material volume
3Filament length
4Filament used= 24.55 g
5Length of 1.75 mm filament= 8.23 m
6Material volume printed= 19.800 cm3
7Share of a 1 kg spool= 2.46

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the 3D Print Filament Usage figure worked out?

volume = model volume x shell share + model volume x (1 - shell share) x infill density. Printed volume is the solid shell plus the infill share of the interior, converted to grams by filament density and to length using the 1.75 mm filament cross section.

Why does this matter?

Infill above about 30% adds weight and time with almost no strength gain, because most stiffness comes from the shell rather than the lattice.

What do I need to enter?

Enter model solid volume, infill density, share of volume that is shell, filament density. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.