🛠️ Workshop
Hobbyist Material Estimators
Four workshop estimators in one place: 3D-printing filament, resin casting, paint coverage and tabletop terrain flock. Choose a material, enter your measurements and press Calculate.
About the Hobbyist Material Estimators
Hobby estimators trade precision for speed. You do not need a laboratory to decide whether a spool will finish a print or whether one bag of flock will cover a table. A few measurements and a sensible waste allowance get you close enough to buy the right amount, which is usually the real question.
The 3D-printing model estimates material from model volume, shell share and infill. It treats the outer shell as solid and applies infill only to the interior, then converts that material volume into filament length and mass using the filament diameter and material density. Print time is an optimistic lower bound based on volumetric flow; real prints spend time accelerating, retracting and travelling.
The resin estimator works from mould volume and the Part A : Part B ratio, then adds a waste allowance for mixing cups and stirring sticks. The paint estimator divides area by coverage, multiplies by the number of coats and rounds up to whole cans. The flock estimator converts table area and a grams-per-area rate into bags, with a separate waste allowance.
Each estimator reports the amount you need, the amount you must buy and an estimated cost. Batch tables show how the numbers scale, so you can compare a small test piece with a full production run. Always check the material's technical data sheet for density and coverage; the defaults are typical hobby values, not guarantees.
How the calculation works
- 3D print: material volume = model volume × (shell share + (1 − shell share) × infill share).
- 3D print: filament length = material volume ÷ cross-section area; mass = material volume × density.
- 3D print: time ≈ model volume ÷ volumetric flow; cost = mass ÷ 1,000 × price per kg.
- Resin: total = mould volume × (1 + waste%); Part A = total × A ÷ (A + B); mass = total × density.
- Paint: litres = area × coats ÷ coverage × (1 + waste%); cans = ceiling(litres ÷ can size).
- Flock: grams = area ÷ 100 × rate × (1 + waste%); bags = ceiling(grams ÷ bag size).
Reference values
| Material | Typical default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PLA density | 1.24 g/cm³ | ABS about 1.04, PETG about 1.27 |
| Filament diameter | 1.75 mm | Also available in 2.85 mm |
| Typical infill | 15–25% | 30%+ for functional parts |
| Resin density | 1.05–1.15 g/mL | Check the data sheet |
| Paint coverage | 8–12 m²/L | Less on bare or textured surfaces |
| Flock rate | 3–5 g per 100 cm² | 8–12 g for dense coverage |
| Waste allowance | 5–10% | Higher for small batches |