Tiny PLA part
£9.60
About 10g and 1 hour of printer time
- Printing
- £5.00
- Estimated delivery
- £3.05
- PartPact service fee
- £1.00
- Payment-processing reserve
- £0.55
3D printing prices
How much does 3D printing cost in the UK?
There is no single fixed price for every model. Your estimate depends on the geometry inside the STL, expected printer time, material, settings, quantity and tracked delivery. Upload the actual file for a more useful figure than a generic price list.
Illustrative PartPact estimates
These examples use PartPact's pricing calculation for one model, quantity one, and the weight and printer time shown below. They are illustrations, not quotes from uploaded STLs or completed orders. Delivery uses a size-based allowance; your actual file, print settings and delivery address determine your estimate.
Small PLA part
£13.70
About 30g and 3 hours of printer time
- Printing
- £8.25
- Estimated delivery
- £3.80
- PartPact service fee
- £1.00
- Payment-processing reserve
- £0.65
Medium PETG part
£21.40
About 80g and 6 hours of printer time
- Printing
- £14.75
- Estimated delivery
- £4.25
- PartPact service fee
- £1.50
- Payment-processing reserve
- £0.90
No account needed to check your file. Delivery is supported in England, Scotland and Wales. Read the steps from estimate to delivery.
A real STL estimate: a 20 mm cube
On 5 October 2026, our public quote returned £10.35 for a 20 × 20 × 20 mm test cube: one PLA model, quantity one, 0.20 mm layers, 15% infill and no colour preference. It estimated 2.0 g of material and 30 minutes of printing.
The total was £5.00 printing, £3.80 estimated tracked delivery, £1.00 service fee and £0.55 payment-processing reserve. No delivery address was supplied. This is a dated estimate for a simple test model, not a completed order or a fixed price for other parts.
Download the test STL and try your own estimateThe six main cost factors
Material used
A larger or denser model needs more PLA or PETG. PETG also costs slightly more to handle than standard PLA.
Printer time
Long prints occupy a machine for more hours and carry more risk if something fails near the end.
Layer height
Finer layers can improve visible detail but normally take longer than a standard 0.20 mm print.
Infill
More infill increases material and time. High infill is not automatically the best way to make every model useful.
Quantity
Repeating a set increases total material and machine time, although setup work can be shared across the batch.
Delivery and fees
The final checkout includes tracked UK postage, PartPact's platform fee and payment-processing allowance.
Why an STL gives a better estimate
A photograph cannot tell a quote tool the true volume, dimensions or print geometry. PartPact reads the STL temporarily, estimates the model and shows a practical price before you decide to create a job.
What the estimate includes
The breakdown covers helper print earnings, the customer shipping reserve, PartPact's platform fee and a payment-processing reserve. The final amount is shown before Stripe checkout.
Ways to keep a print affordable
- Use standard 0.20 mm quality unless the model needs finer detail.
- Choose sensible infill instead of assuming 100% is strongest.
- Remove unused duplicate or hidden geometry from the STL.
- Choose PLA or PETG based on the real use, not just the name.
Prices for the job you have in mind
The same cost factors apply to one-off parts, prototypes and repeated sets, but each route has different checks worth making before you upload the STL.
Check your own model
Upload up to 12 STL files for a quick estimate.