How much does 3D printing cost in Australia?
Most small custom parts cost between $25 and $60 to have printed. This page shows exactly how the price is worked out, so you can check any quote, including ours.
The formula
A printed part costs the plastic that goes into it, the time the machine runs, and the time someone spends setting it up. Our formula, in full:
| Material: PLA or PETG | $0.08 per gram |
| Material: ASA or TPU | $0.12 per gram |
| Material: carbon-fibre filled | $0.20 per gram |
| Machine time | $4 per hour |
| Set-up, once per job | $12 |
| Minimum order | $25 |
Price = grams × material rate + hours × $4 + $12. Prices in Australian dollars; no GST is charged.
Worked examples
| Part | Plastic | Print time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small bracket or clip | 30 g | 1.5 hours | $25 (minimum) |
| Replacement knob or cap | 50 g | 3 hours | $28 |
| Enclosure or housing | 150 g | 8 hours | $56 |
| Large part, near the size limit | 400 g | 20 hours | $124 |
| 20 identical clips | 15 g each | 40 minutes each | $78 ($3.90 each) |
Examples use PLA or PETG. The batch of 20 includes the 15% discount for 10 or more identical parts.
What changes the price
Size and how solid it is
Weight drives the price more than outside dimensions. Most parts are printed with a solid skin and a light honeycomb inside, so a part the size of your fist may weigh only 40–60 g.
Material
PLA and PETG cost the same. ASA, for parts that live in the sun or a hot car, and flexible TPU cost half as much again. Carbon-fibre filled plastics cost the most.
Quantity
The $12 set-up is charged once per job, so the second part is always cheaper than the first. Ten or more of the same part take 15% off material and machine time; fifty or more take 25% off.
Design work
If you have a 3D file, there is no design charge. If we model the part from a photo, a sketch or the broken original, simple parts cost $35–70 to design, quoted as a fixed price first.
Speed
Standard turnaround is 48 hours from the time you approve the design. Next-day is 30% more when the machine is free.
Delivery
Pickup in Perth is free. A small parcel anywhere in Australia is about $10 by tracked post.
How to get an exact figure
- Have an STL file? Drop it into the instant estimate. It measures the part in your browser and shows the price. The file is not uploaded.
- Have a slicer? Slice the part and enter the weight and time it reports.
- Have only the broken part? Send photos next to a ruler and we reply with a fixed price within one business day.
Questions about price
Why is there a minimum order?
Every job needs the file checked, the machine prepared and the part cleaned up and packed, however small it is. The $25 minimum covers that.
Is 3D printing cheaper than buying the part?
For a part still sold in shops, usually not. Printing wins when the part is discontinued, slow to arrive, sold only as part of an expensive assembly, or does not exist yet.
Why do quotes for the same part differ so much?
Print services set their own minimums, hourly rates and design charges, and many do not publish them. Asking for the weight and print time behind a quote lets you compare like with like.
Do you charge GST?
No. Westlayer is not registered for GST, so the price shown is the price you pay.