Resin Print Cost Calculator
This resin print cost calculator works out the true cost of an SLA or MSLA print, resin, electricity, FEP film wear, consumables, and a failure buffer, then gives you a suggested price.
Resin pricing works differently from FDM filament. For a filament print instead, use the price calculator or the filament cost calculator.
Calculator
Estimates only. Actual costs vary by resin brand, printer, and how you maintain your FEP and vat.
How it works
- Enter your resin price and the volume your slicer reports. Resin is priced and sold by volume (mL/L), not by weight, so this calculator works in milliliters throughout.
- Add electricity, FEP wear, printer depreciation, and consumables. These are real, recurring costs specific to resin printing that a filament-only calculator won't capture.
- Set a failure buffer. Resin failures are usually supports or adhesion issues rather than the extrusion problems FDM printers see, but the buffer works the same way, spreading the cost of the occasional bad print across the successful ones.
- Read your suggested price. True cost plus your markup, with the full breakdown underneath.
Worked example
A 65 mL miniature print at $30/L resin costs $1.95 in resin alone. Add 3 hours at 50W ($0.027 electricity), a $18 FEP film good for 40 prints ($0.45/print), and $3.00 for depreciation on a $300 printer with a 5,000-hour expected lifespan ($0.18 for this print), plus $1.00 in consumables, and the subtotal is $3.61. A 10% failure buffer, dividing by a 90% success rate rather than just adding 10%, adds $0.40, for a true cost of about $4.01. At a 40% markup, that's a suggested price of $5.61.
Filler primer is the single line item most people underestimate. It's what buries the layer lines that give a print away, and getting a smooth, paintable surface usually takes two to three coats with a light sanding pass between each one, not one quick spray.
Related guides
How Much Does Resin 3D Printing Cost?
A full breakdown of resin, electricity, FEP wear, and hidden costs per print.
GuideHow to Calculate Your 3D Printer's Failure Rate
How to measure your real failure rate, and what's normal by experience level.
ToolFilament Cost Calculator
Material cost, multi-color waste, and cost per gram, all in one calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Why does resin use volume (mL) instead of weight (grams)?
Resin is sold and priced by volume, and every resin slicer (Chitubox, Lychee, UVtools) reports the model's volume in milliliters, not a weight. Working in mL avoids an extra, error-prone density conversion.
What's FEP film, and why does it wear out?
FEP is the thin, clear film at the bottom of the resin vat that light passes through during each layer cure. It clouds and pits with use, commonly lasting 20–60 prints, and needs replacing to keep prints coming out clean.
Does this work for LCD/MSLA and laser SLA printers?
Yes. The cost math is the same regardless of how the resin is cured, resin volume, electricity, vat film wear, and consumables. Laser SLA machines don't use FEP film the same way, so set that field to 0 if it doesn't apply to your printer.
Why does the failure buffer divide instead of just adding a percentage?
If 10% of your prints fail, you need to produce about 1.11 attempts on average to get one success, not just 1.10. Dividing the subtotal by your success rate (90% at a 10% failure rate) captures that correctly; simply adding 10% on top understates the real cost, and the gap gets much larger at higher failure rates.
Why is the failure buffer separate from consumables?
Consumables (IPA, gloves, filters) get used on every print, successful or not. The failure buffer spreads the cost of the occasional ruined print, wasted resin and all, across your successful ones, so your price still covers your real average cost.
This calculator is built and maintained by Cedrick Reese. It uses the same failure-rate and depreciation formulas verified on this site's other calculators, applied to resin printing's own cost structure, resin volume, FEP film wear, and post-processing consumables, rather than treating resin as filament with different numbers.
This calculator provides cost estimates for informational purposes and isn't a substitute for your own bookkeeping. Some links on this site may be affiliate links; see our affiliate disclosure.