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3D printer power use by model, and what it costs you

Bambu Lab and Prusa publish what their printers draw on average while printing PLA: 80 W to 250 W, or about 1.5¢ to 4.6¢ an hour at the U.S. residential average of 18.31¢/kWh. Creality, Elegoo and Anycubic publish only a rated maximum, so this page lists those ratings but doesn't turn them into a bill.

Last updatedOct 17, 2026

DataEach maker's own pages, accessed Oct 17, 2026 × EIA state rates for July 2026

Your printer and rate

Values marked example are illustrative; replace them with your own numbers.

Printer
Electricity
Use

Electricity for this printer

Electricity calculation
Per month at your hours$0
Per print hour0¢
Other results
Per 100 print hours$0
Per year at your hours$0
Rated or maximum powern/a
Use in the hourly rateUse in the cost calculator

Every printer in the list

Costs use your rate and print hours above. Click a column heading to sort. Rows without a published average show the maker's rated power only.

"Rated or max" is the most the printer is designed to draw (Bambu Lab: maximum power at 110 V; Prusa: power supply rating; others: rated power). Use it to size circuits and power stations, not to estimate your bill.

How this is calculated

  1. Cost per print hour = average watts ÷ 1,000 × your rate. Per month = cost per hour × print hours per month. Standby power between prints isn't included here; the Bambu power benchmark adds it for Bambu models.
  2. Averages are the makers' own. Bambu Lab's test methods differ by model (16-18 minute PLA test prints, 1 hour of printing, or steady state); Prusa reports PLA and ABS averages for its printers. SpoolQuote did not measure any printer.
  3. Rated power isn't an average. When a maker publishes only a rated or maximum figure, the table shows it and leaves the cost blank. Bambu Lab's figures put maximum power at roughly 2 to 7 times the average.
  4. Rates are EIA averages (revenue ÷ kWh sold), a proxy for price. Your tariff, time-of-use rates and fixed charges will differ.

Hotter materials draw more: Prusa lists 120 W for ABS on the MK4S against 80 W for PLA. Enclosure heaters and AMS drying add more; see filament drying for dryer power.

Sources

    EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, residential, July 2026 (released Sep 24, 2026; accessed Oct 17, 2026).