Support Material Calculator — Estimate Support Waste

This calculator estimates support material by calculating the volume of the support region based on model dimensions, overhang angle, support density, type and interface layers.

The formula

Support area = Footprint area x Overhang fraction (overhang fraction = (angle − 45) / 45, clamped 0–1: zero up to the 45° self-supporting threshold, rising to 1 at a 90° horizontal shelf)

Body volume = Support area x Height x Density x Type multiplier (Tree ≈ 0.55, Organic ≈ 0.50 of Linear)

Interface volume = Support area x (Interface layers x 0.2mm) x 90% (the dense roof layers touching the model)

Weight = (Body + Interface) volume x Material density (1.24 g/cm³ for PLA)

Removal time scales with volume and support type, and is adjusted by the support-model gap — a tighter gap fuses the interface to the part and slows removal.