Additive Manufacturing worked example

Filament Usage with filament consumption rate of 70 g / hr: a worked example

What does the result look like when filament consumption rate reaches 70 g / hr? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. a print technician or estimator needs filament grams before kitting spools or pricing an FDM job

The inputs for this scenario

  • Filament consumption rate: 70 g / hr (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 28)
  • Planned print time: 14 hr (unchanged)
  • Filament unit cost: 0.04 $ / g (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Filament used = filament consumption rate × planned print time) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 980 g for filament used, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 34.3 $ for filament run cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 14 hr for planned print time.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.04 $ / g for filament unit cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where filament consumption rate sits at 28 g / hr and the headline result is 392 g, this scenario comes in 150% above the baseline at 980 g.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when filament consumption rate is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes a constant consumption rate across the print; jobs with heavy infill changes or many supports will draw faster in some phases than the average implies.

Results at a glance

  • Filament used: 980 g (headline result)
  • Filament run cost: 34.3 $
  • Planned print time: 14 hr
  • Filament unit cost: 0.04 $ / g

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Filament Usage calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.