The four cost lines
A per-print estimate needs four inputs: filament used including waste, electricity, a wear allowance for consumable parts, and an allowance for prints that fail. The first two can be anchored to published figures. The last two depend on how you print, so we treat them as labelled assumptions rather than facts.
Filament cost is grams used divided by 1,000, multiplied by the price per kilogram. Electricity is hours multiplied by average watts divided by 1,000, multiplied by your price per kWh. Wear and failure allowances are your own estimates. The downloadable CSV applies exactly these formulas and shows them in a final note row.
Use measured averages, not maximum power
Printer power labels are peak figures for heating, not what a print draws on average. Bambu’s power page lists maximum power at 110 V of 150 W for the A1 mini, 350 W for the A1 and the X1C/P1P/P1S group, and 1,000 W for the P2S [1]. The same page publishes measured averages that are far lower once the printer is up to temperature.
There is one inconsistency in Bambu’s own documentation. The power page lists 80 W for the A1 mini on PLA, while the A1 mini FAQ says it averages 57 W when printing and about 6 W idle [1][7]. We use the higher 80 W figure so the example errs on the expensive side.
Worked example (fictional part, published inputs)
Fictional example: a PLA desk organiser weighs 120 g, with 8 g of brim and purge line, and takes five hours on an A1 mini. Filament at the $14.99 Bambu PLA refill listing [3] costs about $1.92. Electricity at 80 W for five hours is 0.4 kWh, or about $0.07 at the EIA August 2026 US residential average of 18.16 cents per kWh (released 23 October 2026) [1][2]. A placeholder wear allowance of $1.00 per kilogram adds about $0.13, and a 5% failure allowance adds about $0.11, for a total near $2.23. Filament price was listed on 29 October 2026; confirm checkout.
Even at Hawaii’s August 2026 residential average of 47.18 cents per kWh, the highest state figure in the same EIA table [2], electricity for that print rises only to about $0.19. Electricity matters more for long prints on larger, hotter machines: a 10-hour job on a P2S at its published 200 W steady-state figure [1] uses 2 kWh, about $0.36 at the national average.
| Fictional example | Filament | Electricity | Wear + failure allowance | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small PLA bracket, 45 g used, 2 h, A1 mini | $0.67 | $0.03 | $0.08 | $0.78 |
| PLA desk organiser, 128 g used, 5 h, A1 mini | $1.92 | $0.07 | $0.24 | $2.23 |
| Four-colour 11 g cube with 83 g purge waste, 3 h, A1 mini Combo | $1.41 | $0.04 | $0.17 | $1.62 |
| PETG planter, 160 g used at $18.99/kg PETG HF [4], 6 h, A1 mini | $3.04 | $0.08 | $0.49 | $3.61 |
| Large PLA part, 312 g used, 10 h, P2S | $4.68 | $0.36 | $0.58 | $5.62 |
Waste and failures move the number most
The cube row shows why multicolour work changes the picture. Bambu’s own example of an 11 g four-colour cube produced 83 g of purge waste at a 0.2 mm layer height [5], so the waste costs several times more than the part. Bambu documents ways to reduce it, including fewer layers, better orientation and printing several copies on one plate [5].
Failed prints are the other large unknown. A spaghetti failure halfway through a 300 g job wastes 150 g and half the print time. We cannot give a failure rate because we have not measured one, which is why the CSV uses a percentage you set yourself. Raise it while you are learning a new material.
Wear parts: budget by rolls, not by hours
Bambu does not publish a cost per print for wear, but its maintenance pages give check intervals in rolls of filament. The P1 series guide says to check the filament cutter blade every 3–5 rolls of PLA, PETG, ABS or PC and after 1–2 rolls of abrasive fibre-filled filament, and to check PTFE tubes after about 10 rolls of regular material or about 5 rolls of abrasive material [6]. The A1 mini guide asks for monthly rail cleaning and lubrication and lead-screw greasing every three months [8].
That is why the calculator expresses wear as dollars per kilogram. We did not verify current US prices for replacement nozzles, hotends or plates, so the $1.00 per kilogram in the examples is a fictional placeholder. Replace it with your own estimate once you have priced the parts your printer uses.
Who can skip this calculation, and pitfalls
If you print a few small PLA parts a month, the exact figure hardly matters: a roll of filament is the cost to watch. The calculation earns its place when you sell prints, run long jobs on a large enclosed printer, print a lot of multicolour work or are comparing a printer-only package against a Combo.
- Multiplying peak wattage by print time, which overstates electricity several-fold [1].
- Leaving out brims, supports, purge lines and prime towers from the grams used.
- Using a national average when your utility bill shows a different rate; use your own bill.
- Treating the fictional rows in the CSV as test results; they are examples only.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Bambu Lab Wiki: printer and AMS power parameters Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- US EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: average price of electricity by state, August 2026 Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab US store: PLA Basic filament Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab US store: PETG HF filament Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab Wiki: reducing waste during filament changes Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab Wiki: P1 series periodic maintenance Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab Wiki: A1 mini FAQ Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab Wiki: A1 mini maintenance recommendations Accessed 13 Oct 2026
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