Filament Weight & Gram Rates
Filament weight (measured in grams) is the exact total mass of thermoplastic filament extruded to produce a 3D model, including object perimeters, internal infill, support structures, and multi-color purge tower material.
Filament weight is the primary FDM cost driver: material cost equals grams × your per-gram rate, and weight correlates with print time too. A 10% heavier part adds 10% to the material line before anything else changes.
Estimate it in the 3D printing cost calculator →How Slicers Calculate Filament Mass
Slicers calculate filament weight by multiplying the total volume of extruded toolpaths ($V = \text{cross section} \times \text{length}$) by the material density (e.g. $\approx 1.24\text{ g/cm}^3$ for PLA, $\approx 1.27\text{ g/cm}^3$ for PETG, $\approx 1.04\text{ g/cm}^3$ for ABS).
Material Cost Calculation Formula
Raw material cost is computed as: Cost = Weight (g) × (Spool Price ÷ 1000g) × Markup Multiplier. For example, a 150g model using a $20/kg PLA spool costs $3.00 in raw filament.
Waste Accounting in Multi-Color Prints
In multi-color printing with systems like the AMS, purge waste (prime towers and poop purge) can add 20% to 150% additional filament weight beyond the model itself. Slicers report this total consumed weight for accurate billing.
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APA 7
TryAR Labs. (2026, August 25). Filament Weight & Gram Rates. MakerWorld Estimator. https://estimator.tryar.in/glossary/filament-weightBibTeX
@misc{tryarlabs2026filamentweight,
title = {{Filament Weight & Gram Rates}},
author = {{TryAR Labs}},
year = {2026},
month = {aug},
url = {https://estimator.tryar.in/glossary/filament-weight},
note = {MakerWorld Estimator}
}Calculate 3D Print Costs in Real Time
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