Resin Print Cost Calculator
Resin prints cost more than the resin. This adds the alcohol you wash with, the FEP film you wear out, the electricity and the gloves, and gives you a per-print and per-part figure you can actually price from.
Why resin prints cost more than the resin
Filament printing has one consumable. Resin printing has four, and only one of them shows up in the slicer. The calculator adds them together:
washing = IPA replaced per print (ml) ÷ 1000 × price per liter
FEP wear = sheet cost ÷ prints per sheet
electricity = watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh
total = resin + washing + FEP wear + electricity + consumables
Worked example
A plate of four 25 ml miniatures (100 ml total) in $30/L resin, three hours on a 60 W printer.
- Resin: 100 ml × 1.10 × $0.03 = $3.30
- Washing: 30 ml IPA at $8/L = $0.24
- FEP: $8 ÷ 60 prints = $0.13
- Electricity: 0.06 kW × 3 h × $0.15 = $0.03
- Consumables: $0.15
Total $3.85, or about $0.96 per miniature. Resin is 86% of it — but if you'd quoted on the slicer's 100 ml alone you'd have said $3.00 and been 28% under.
Getting the inputs right
Waste
Resin that clings to the model and supports and washes off in the IPA is the biggest item — a heavily supported miniature can carry 10% of its own volume in uncured resin. Add what's left in the vat when you pour back through a filter, the occasional print stuck to the FEP, and a failure now and then. 10% is honest for a careful workflow; 15–20% if you're still learning.
IPA
The bucket volume is irrelevant; what matters is how much you replace and how often. If you dump 500 ml every 15 prints, enter 33 ml. Two-stage washing (dirty then clean) stretches alcohol a long way. If you use water-washable resin, set the IPA line to a few cents for water and disposal — but note water-washable resin usually costs more per liter.
FEP film
A standard FEP sheet lasts 20 to 100+ prints depending on how well it's treated. Big flat plates, heavy supports and failures shorten it; nFEP and PFA release films often go longer. If you replace the film every couple of months, count the prints between changes.
Power
MSLA printers are frugal: 40–80 W is typical for a 4K–14K desktop machine, with larger 10-inch-plus printers around 80–120 W. Electricity ends up being a few cents per print. The curing station and wash station are similarly small; fold them into consumables unless you run them for long stretches.
From cost to price
This page costs the print. To turn it into a selling price — machine depreciation, your time cleaning and curing, a failure allowance, markup and marketplace fees — take the total into the 3D print pricing calculator and enter it as material cost. Resin post-processing is labor-intensive, so be honest about the minutes: washing, support removal, curing and the inevitable sanding of support nubs is rarely under ten minutes a plate.
Frequently asked questions
How much does resin cost per print?
Standard resin runs $20–40 per liter, so $0.02–0.04 per ml. A 25 ml miniature costs $0.50–1.00 in resin, but after waste, IPA, FEP wear and power the real figure is usually 30–60% higher. That's what this calculator adds in.
How much resin is wasted on a print?
Between 5% and 15% typically: resin that clings to the part and supports and is washed away, resin left in the vat after a session, cured-on-FEP failures, and the filter you pour through. Ten percent is a fair default for a tidy workflow.
How do I cost the IPA?
Don't count the volume in the wash bucket — count what you replace. If you top up or change 500 ml every 15 prints, that's about 33 ml per print. At $8 per liter that's under 30 cents. Water-washable resin replaces this with a smaller water-and-disposal cost.
How many prints does an FEP film last?
Anywhere from 20 to 100+ depending on care, resin and how much of the plate you cover. 50–60 is a reasonable middle for standard FEP; nFEP and PFA films often last longer. Failures and heavy supports shorten it.
Should I include the curing station?
It's usually small — a UV curing station draws 20–40 W for a few minutes. If you want it in, add its watts × hours to the electricity line, or just add a few cents under consumables.
Last reviewed September 7, 2026. Spotted an error or want another calculator? Tell us.