How much does 3D printing cost in Australia?
Most small parts cost less than people expect. A phone stand in PLA is a couple of dollars of print. What catches people out is the fixed costs around it, so here's the whole picture.
The short answer
For a typical small part printed in PLA or PETG you're paying a few dollars for the print itself. Add a one-off setup or handling fee (ours is $16.50 per order) and postage, and a single small part usually lands somewhere around $25 to $35 delivered. Bigger, denser or engineering-grade parts cost more because they use more plastic and keep a printer busy for longer.
The only way to get an exact number is to price the actual file, because two parts the same size can use very different amounts of plastic. That's why our quote tool slices your file the same way the printer will and prices it from the result.
What goes into the price
Every filament 3D printing service in Australia is charging for roughly the same four things, whether they show them or not.
1. Plastic
The filament your part uses, by weight. PLA, PETG and ABS are the cheapest materials. Flexible TPU, carbon and glass fibre grades and nylons cost more per kilo, some a lot more. A part that weighs 30 g in PLA uses about the same volume in PETG, so the price difference between the two is small.
2. Printer time
This is often the bigger number, especially on longer prints. A printer that's busy for four hours on your part can't print anything else, and the cost of the machine, its wear parts and the power it draws has to be covered. Print time goes up with size, with finer layers and with a more solid inside. Flexible TPU prints slowly, which is a big part of why it costs more.
3. Setup and handling
Someone has to check the file, set the printer up, take the part off, clean off supports, pack it and label it. That's much the same work for one part or ten, which is why most services charge it per order. Some roll it into a minimum order instead. We charge $16.50 per order and have no minimum.
4. Postage
Australia Post or a courier, priced on the box size and where it's going. A small part in a satchel is the cheap end. We show live postage for your postcode before you pay, and offer direct delivery across much of Sydney.
Real example prices
Here's what four common parts cost to print with us, per part, before the setup fee and postage. They're worked out with the same pricing our quote tool uses.
| Part | Plastic used | PLA | PETG | ASA | TPU 95A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keyring or small clip | about 5 g | $0.43 | $0.44 | $0.47 | $0.81 |
| Phone stand | about 30 g | $2.40 | $2.47 | $2.69 | $4.79 |
| Wall bracket | about 70 g | $5.70 | $5.86 | $6.38 | $11.42 |
| Electronics enclosure | about 180 g | $14.18 | $14.57 | $15.87 | $28.47 |
Per part, Standard finish and strength, Standard dispatch, including GST, worked out with our pricing in October 2026. Add the $16.50 setup fee once per order, plus postage. Your own part will be priced on its real shape, so upload it for the exact figure.
So a single PLA phone stand comes to $2.40 plus the $16.50 setup fee, plus postage. Order four phone stands at once and it's 4 × $2.40 plus one $16.50 fee. That's the main reason ordering parts together saves money.
Why quotes vary so much between services
- Industrial bureaus run expensive machines and staff for engineering work. Many have project minimums in the hundreds of dollars. Great for big jobs, poor value for one bracket.
- Marketplaces pass your file to a maker who sets their own price. Prices swing a lot and you often wait for a quote.
- Online print services like us price from the file straight away. You see the number before you hand over any details.
- Process matters too. Resin, nylon powder (SLS) and metal printing cost more than filament (FDM). Most everyday parts don't need them.
How to pay less
- Use Light or Standard strength. Most of a part's strength comes from its walls. Going to Strong or Solid mostly adds plastic and hours.
- Pick Fast finish for hidden parts. It has less detail and a lower price. Test fits and brackets nobody sees don't need fine layers.
- Order parts together. One setup fee covers the lot.
- Start with PLA or PETG. Only step up to ASA, TPU or fibre grades when the part needs it. Our PLA vs PETG vs ASA guide helps you pick.
- Let the part lie flat. Our quote tool turns parts the cheapest way up automatically, which often cuts out supports.
- Choose Standard dispatch. Express adds 50% to the parts.
Get your exact price
Drop your STL, STEP, OBJ or 3MF into the quote tool. It slices the file, shows the price with postage and lets you change material, strength and finish to see what each costs. No account, nothing to pay unless you want to. The full breakdown of how we price is on the pricing page.