How much does resin printing cost per ml?

Standard resin costs approximately 2-4p per ml (£20-40 per litre). Premium resins (tough, flexible, castable) cost 4-8p per ml. Water-washable resin is typically 10-20% more expensive than standard.

Is resin printing more expensive than FDM?

Per volume, resin is typically 2-4x more expensive than FDM filament. However, resin prints are often smaller and more detailed. For miniatures and small detailed parts, the cost difference is often acceptable for the quality improvement.

Should I factor in failed prints?

Yes. A 5-10% failure rate is realistic for resin printing. Failed prints waste all the resin used plus the supports. Partially cured resin in the vat may also be wasted. Factor this into pricing for customer work.

How much electricity does a resin printer use?

Resin printers use 30-60W on average (much less than FDM printers at 150-300W). A 3-hour print at 50W costs about 4p at UK electricity rates. Electricity is a minor cost compared to resin.

3DPrintCalcs

Resin Cost Calculator — Cost Per Print

Work out the resin cost per print based on volume used and bottle price.

Resin Volume Used

From slicer estimate

Print Time

Estimated total print time

Bottle Price

Cost in your local currency

Bottle Size

Value for bottle size

Printer Wattage

Printer power consumption in watts

Electricity Rate

Speed or rate value

Failure Rate

Speed or rate value

How We Calculate This

Resin Cost Formulas

Resin cost = Volume (ml) x (Bottle price / Bottle size)
Electricity = (Wattage x Hours / 1000) x Rate per kWh
Failure buffer = (Resin + Electricity) x Failure rate %
Total = Resin + Electricity + Failure buffer

The failure rate adds a buffer for wasted material from failed prints. This is especially important when pricing work for customers to ensure profitability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Calculators

Resin Volume Calculator

Estimate how much resin a print will consume based on model volume and supports.

Exposure Time Calculator

Calculate layer exposure time based on resin type, layer height and UV power.

Vat Life Calculator

Estimate how many print hours remain before your FEP film needs replacing.

UV Curing Calculator

Calculate post-cure time based on UV wavelength, power and part thickness.

Layer Cure Calculator

Determine optimal cure depth and exposure energy for each resin layer.

Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are estimates. Always verify settings with test prints before committing to final prints.