3D Print Filament Calculator
Find the weight and cost of the filament a print uses.
Result
How it is calculated
Filament is treated as a straight cylinder. Cross-section area is A = π × (d ÷ 2)² in mm², with d the diameter in mm. Volume is V = A × length where the length in metres is first converted to mm (× 1,000), then divided by 1,000 to get cm³. Weight is V × density with density in g/cm³; if you leave density empty or zero the tool uses 1.24 g/cm³. Cost is weight ÷ 1,000 × price per kg, shown only when you enter a price above zero. Results are rounded to two decimals. Spool weight and print waste are not included.
Worked example
100 m of 1.75 mm filament, density 1.24 g/cm³, priced at 20 per kg. Area: π × 0.875² = 2.4053 mm². Length: 100 m = 100,000 mm. Volume: 2.4053 × 100,000 = 240,528 mm³, or 240.53 cm³. Weight: 240.53 × 1.24 = 298.25 g. Cost: 0.29825 kg × 20 = $5.97. So this length weighs 298.25 g.
Common mistakes
- Typing the length in millimetres or the diameter in centimetres. Length is in metres and diameter in millimetres, so a length of 100,000 would make everything a thousand times too large.
- Leaving the density at the default for every material. 1.24 g/cm³ suits PLA, but other plastics are lighter or heavier, so enter the value from the spool label.
- Mixing up 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm filament. The diameter is squared, so the wrong one changes weight by more than 2.6 times.
- Entering the price of a spool instead of the price per kilogram. Divide by the spool's weight first, otherwise cost is wrong.
About this calculator
This calculator finds the weight, volume, and cost of 3D printer filament for a given length: volume = length × cross-sectional area (from the filament diameter, typically 1.75 mm or 2.85 mm), weight = volume × material density (e.g. ~1.24 g/cm³ for PLA, ~1.04 g/cm³ for ABS), and cost is derived from your filament's price per kilogram or per spool.
3D printing hobbyists and makers use it to estimate how much a print will cost before starting it, to check whether a partially used spool has enough filament left for a job, and to compare material costs across PLA, ABS, PETG and other filament types. Enter the length (or let your slicer's reported length feed in), diameter, and material to get weight, volume, and cost.
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