Resin print cost calculator for SLA and MSLA prints

What this calculator does

A slicer gives you the resin volume for the model, which is the smallest of the three numbers that decide what a print costs. A 45 ml model with a quarter again in supports and raft, and a 10 per cent allowance for the ones that fail, uses 61.9 ml. At $45 a litre that is $2.78, and a bottle covers 16 prints rather than the 22 the model volume alone suggests.

The part people leave out is the failure allowance. A resin print that fails usually fails late, after the resin is already cured onto the plate, so a 10 per cent failure rate costs a full 10 per cent of the material and not a tenth of it. Build the allowance into the quote rather than absorbing it, because on supported, angled parts the supports and the failures together are more than a quarter of everything you pour.

The formula

Formularesin used = model volume × (1 + support %) × (1 + failure allowance) × prints; cost = resin used × bottle price ÷ bottle size

Resin per print is model volume × (1 + support %) × (1 + failure allowance), and the cost follows from the price of a millilitre, bottle price ÷ bottle size. The cost per 100 ml is shown instead of the cost per millilitre because a per-millilitre figure rounds to a cent and stops being useful. Prints per bottle divides the bottle by the resin one print actually consumes, supports and allowance included.

Term	Meaning
Model volume	Resin in the part itself, which is the figure the slicer reports.
Supports and raft	Extra resin added as a percentage on top of the model. Angled and hollow parts need more.
Failure allowance	A percentage for prints that will not finish. Charged in full, since a failed print is wasted entirely.
Cost per 100 ml	Bottle price scaled to 100 ml, which is a readable unit for resin.

The inputs explained

Field	What to enter
Model volume (ml)	Resin volume for the model from your slicer, before supports.
Supports and raft (% on top)	Supports and raft as a percentage on top of the model volume. Twenty to thirty per cent is typical, more on a heavily angled part.
Failure and reprint allowance (%)	Share of prints you expect to lose. Start from what your own log says rather than from zero.
Prints wanted	How many copies you are pricing.
Bottle size (ml)	Bottle size in millilitres. A litre is the usual unit.
Bottle price ($)	What you pay for that bottle, including delivery if you want the real figure.

When to use it

Quoting a commission

Enter the model volume, your usual support percentage and your real failure rate. The cost per print is the material floor, and the time and post-processing go on top of it.

Pricing a batch

Set the number of prints and read the resin used, which tells you whether the batch finishes inside the bottle you have open.

Comparing two orientations

Run the same model volume at two support percentages. On a part that can be laid flatter, the support saving often outweighs the extra layers.

Worked examples

Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.

What does a resin print cost by model size?

Only the model volume changes.

25% supports, 10% failure allowance, $45 a litre

Model volume	Resin cost	Resin per print	Prints per bottle
10 ml	$0.62	13.8 ml	72.7
25 ml	$1.55	34.4 ml	29.1
45 ml	$2.78	61.9 ml	16.2
80 ml	$4.95	110.0 ml	9.1
150 ml	$9.28	206.3 ml	4.8

Cost scales straight off volume, from 62 cents for a 10 ml miniature to $9.28 for a 150 ml bust. The last column is the one worth watching, because it tells you when to order: at 45 ml a litre covers 16 prints, and at 150 ml it covers fewer than five. Resin is cheap per print and expensive per bottle, which is why the running cost surprises people who price by the part.

How much do supports add to the cost?

The model is fixed and only the support percentage changes.

45 ml model, 10% failure allowance, $45 a litre

Supports and raft	Resin cost	Resin per print	Share that is supports and waste
0% on top	$2.23	49.5 ml	9.09%
10% on top	$2.45	54.5 ml	17.4%
25% on top	$2.78	61.9 ml	27.3%
50% on top	$3.34	74.3 ml	39.4%
100% on top	$4.46	99.0 ml	54.5%

Supports are the swing factor on an angled part. With none at all the 45 ml model costs $2.23, and at 100 per cent, which a steeply angled figure on a dense raft can reach, it costs $4.46. The last column counts the failure allowance as well, which is why it still reads 9.09 per cent in the no-support row: that row is not waste-free, it just has no supports in it.

Questions

Does this cover the cost of a failed print?

Yes, through the failure allowance, and it charges the full material cost of the failure rather than a share of it. That is the right treatment, because a resin print that fails has usually already used all its resin.

What is not included?

Isopropyl alcohol for washing, replacement FEP film or screens, electricity, and your time. On small parts those together can cost more than the resin, so the figure here is a floor rather than a price.

Should I hollow the model?

If the part allows it, hollowing cuts the volume sharply and the saving comes straight off the first column. Add drain holes and expect a little more support, and check the hollowed volume in the slicer rather than estimating it.

How do I find my real failure rate?

Count finished prints against started prints over a month. Most people guess low. Anything under five per cent is a well-tuned printer with settled settings.

Why show cost per 100 ml rather than per millilitre?

Because a per-millilitre figure for a $45 litre is 4.5 cents, which rounds badly and reads as noise. Per 100 ml it is $4.50, which is a number you can hold in your head.

For the filament side there is filament weight and cost, and infill volume covers where FDM material actually goes. Shrinkage compensation handles parts that have to come out to size.