How to price SLS and MJF 3D prints

Short answer: Charge per gram of powder: effective powder cost times a markup that rises with the build space a part takes. Effective cost adds the fresh powder each build needs, so it usually runs well above the part's own powder. Loose powder holds parts up, so there's no support charge. Bead blasting is in the base price; dyeing, vapor smoothing, and polishing are add-ons. Add a setup charge per order, sized to your per-build fixed costs, or a minimum, because one part can't carry a whole build.

This is part 3 of our series on pricing 3D prints, after the pillar guide, part 1 on FDM, and part 2 on SLA and resin. It covers powder-bed nylon and TPU on laser SLS (Formlabs Fuse, EOS) and HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF), with prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, or any other AI assistant. Fill in the [bracketed] parts and check the AI's math before quoting.

Numbers marked illustrative are example inputs, not market data. Every other figure links to its source. Prices were checked October 23 and 24, 2026, and change often.

The simple method, adapted for powder bed

The simple method (material times a markup, finishing priced separately) still works, but two terms shift meaning.

"Material" means effective material, not the part's weight. Most powder never becomes a part, and a share of it, the refresh rate, is replaced every build. In a sparse build, that fresh powder can cost several times the part. Formlabs shows one 40 g part costing $22.61, $53.41, $80.91, or $117.50 in powder depending only on orientation and build fullness, at $99.90/kg and a 30% refresh rate (Formlabs). Its own 40 g is worth about $4.00 at list.

"Complexity" means build space, not detail. Detail is free; bulk and height aren't. Protolabs says volume and build height drive powder-bed cost (Protolabs), and practitioners add that tubes, bottles, and other O-shapes nest badly (r/AdditiveManufacturing, anecdotal).

Complexity can even lower the price. In Formlabs' cube example at $99/kg, a solid cube costs $1.57, a hollowed one $0.80, and a latticed one $0.50 (Formlabs). Protolabs says hollowing one block cut its volume by 36% and its cost by 26% (Protolabs).

The SLS and MJF formula

Effective powder cost per g = powder cost per g × waste multiplier
  waste multiplier = refresh rate ÷ packing density by mass (never less than 1)

Part price = part weight (g) × effective powder cost per g × nesting markup
           + finishing add-ons (dyeing, vapor smoothing, polishing: per part, % of part price, or by surface area)

Order price = sum of parts
            + setup charge per order, sized to your per-build fixed costs (or raise the total to your minimum)
            − quantity discount
            × rush multiplier (if any)

No packing-density data? Measure the multiplier directly: fresh powder added per build ÷ weight of parts out.

Effective powder cost: start from what you actually pay

Powder prices

Formlabs Fuse powders (US list prices) (Formlabs):

Refresh rates are from Formlabs' powder guide (Formlabs). Bulk discounts start at 20% for 50 kg, and prices "can reach as low as $45 per kilogram" (Formlabs).

HP MJF powders (US reseller listings). HP doesn't publish powder prices. One reseller lists HP 3D High Reusability PA 12 at $6,050 to $8,315 per 130 kg ($46.54–63.96/kg) or $20,790 per 600 kg ($34.65/kg), PA 12 Glass Beads at $32.44–54.67/kg, and PA 11 at $47.37–71.57/kg (Impac Systems). Small 30-liter cartridges run about $100/kg or more (Aztek Computers). Listings disagree, so get a quote from your HP partner, and use the label's kilograms, not container liters.

EOS powders are quote-only (EOS); the last public US price list we found is from 2014.

Refresh rates and reuse

Reuse is refresh's flip side (80% reuse is a 20% refresh):

• HP: PA 12 up to 80% reuse, PA 12 S up to 90%, PA 11 and PA 12 Glass Beads up to 70% (HP); the PA 12 data sheet gives a 20% refresh "for stable performance" (HP PA 12 datasheet).
• Formlabs: 20% to 50% (Nylon 12's 30% means 70% reuse).
• EOS: PA 2220 HighReuse: "a reusability rate of 70%" on the EOS P3 NEXT (EOS).

Turn refresh into a waste multiplier

When packing density by mass is below the refresh rate, you pay for the refresh share of the whole bed: refresh rate ÷ packing density by mass is how many times the part's own powder you buy. At or above it (20% for HP PA 12, 30% for Formlabs Nylon 12), the multiplier is 1. That's our reading of Formlabs' worked examples, which follow this rule rather than its printed formula (Formlabs).

Formlabs' drone frames at $99/kg show the effect: sixty at 8% packing density used $130.96 of powder (about $354 per kg of parts); auto-packed to 17%, $63.64 (about $172 per kg) (Formlabs).

Use packing density by mass, never volume. Sintered parts are denser than loose powder, so a build scores higher by mass. PreForm reports mass; other tools may use volume (Formlabs). With only a volume figure, weigh parts and fresh powder instead.

Waste averages out ("the average excess powder used across jobs printed" is what matters), so price from your average (Formlabs). Some Fuse users keep filler parts like clips and discs for sparse builds (Formlabs).

Help me set selling prices per gram for my SLS or MJF powders.

My nesting markup tiers (multiplier on effective powder cost):
- Nests well: [markup multiplier]
- Average: [markup multiplier]
- Bulky, tall, or hard to nest: [markup multiplier]

My powders (one per line):
- [powder and brand] | [price I pay] for [kg on label] | [refresh rate, % fresh] | [average packing density BY MASS, or "unknown"] | [or: average fresh powder and part weight per build, kg]

Instructions:
1. Cost per gram = price ÷ kg on the label (not container liters).
2. Waste multiplier = refresh rate ÷ packing density by mass, or fresh powder ÷ part weight; minimum 1. Show your math.
3. If I gave packing density by volume, stop and tell me. Don't convert it.
4. Multiply cost per gram by the waste multiplier, then by each tier's markup.
5. Output a table: Powder | Cost per g | Multiplier | Effective cost per g | Nests well | Average | Hard to nest.
6. If anything is missing, ask me. Don't make up numbers.

Markup tiers by how a part nests

Give height extra weight: a tall part sets the whole build's height, and Protolabs names recoat time, which depends on height, as one of its two cost drivers (Protolabs).

Reward hollow and latticed parts. Per-gram pricing already does (hollowing can cut a price by a quarter or more), so tell customers. They need powder escape holes; Protolabs advises avoiding sealed cavities (Protolabs).

Another way: price by bounding box. phas.io's reference model charges per cm³ of shrink-wrap volume plus a per-build setup fee split across the quantity, with bands from ×0.97 at 5 parts to ×0.78 at 100 per its band table (phas.io, a pricing-software vendor, example in euros). DigiFabster's MJF 4200 example blends $0.01 per cm³ of bounding box, $0.08 per gram of nylon, and $0.02 per cm² of surface area (DigiFabster, a quoting-software vendor). That handles bulky parts without tiers but stops rewarding hollowing: one UK bureau found hollowing and lattices weren't cost-effective on SLS this way (3D People, 2022). Start per gram with tiers; add a bounding-box charge later for space-hungry parts.

Help me put SLS or MJF parts into nesting tiers before I quote them.

My tiers: nests well, average, hard to nest.
My printer's build volume: [X × Y × Z in mm]

Parts (one per line):
- [part] | [bounding box X × Y × Z, mm] | [volume, cm³] | [weight, g, if known] | [solid, hollow, latticed, tube or ring, flat panel] | [quantity]

Instructions:
1. Work out each part's volume as a share of its bounding box, and the build height it uses standing and lying flat. Show your math.
2. Tier each part with a one-line reason. Tall parts, flat panels, tubes, rings, and solid blocks lean "hard to nest"; compact, cored, or C-shaped parts lean "nests well."
3. Flag solid parts that could be hollowed or latticed, and remind me they need powder escape holes.
4. Use only my numbers. If something is missing, ask me.

Finishing: no supports, blasting included, the rest add-ons

No support line. Loose powder holds the parts up, so there are no supports to charge for or remove (Xometry).

Included: depowdering and bead blasting. One UK bureau lists its natural finish as free (3DPRINTUK), another includes shot blasting and black dye (RYSE 3D). Formlabs puts hands-on unpacking and sifting at 10–20 minutes per build (Formlabs); cover it in your per-gram rate.

Add-ons:

• Black dye. Xometry says its gray MJF parts "can only accept black dye" (Xometry); Protolabs includes black in its standard MJF finish (Protolabs). 3DChimera in Miami dyes SLS, MJF, and SAF parts black for $5 each, up to 6 inches, in prepaid batches of 20 or more (3DChimera).
• Vapor smoothing. Protolabs Network (formerly Hubs) calls it "the most expensive operation," raising part cost "by about 30%" (Protolabs Network). A Colorado bureau quoted by Formlabs charged $0.49 to $0.98 per part on runs of 50 to 80 (Formlabs); one UK bureau charges +25% (RYSE 3D).
• Tumbling or vibratory polishing. UK bureaus charge +2% (3DPRINTUK) or from +10% (RYSE 3D). With no US price found, quote it from your own time.

Per part, percentage, or surface area? A percentage is simple but tracks powder price, not finishing work, so it can overcharge a dense part in expensive powder. Flat fees suit small batched parts (the $0.49–0.98 smoothing example); surface area suits large ones (DigiFabster's $0.02 per cm²).

If you finish in-house, spread equipment over parts. AMT vapor smoothers run $22,900 (desktop SFX) to $154,900 (SF100) (AMT). Formlabs puts pot dyeing under $50 and a DyeMansion DM60 at $50,000 or more (Formlabs), and vibratory tumblers under $1,000 (entry), $1,000 to $5,000 (mid-volume), or above $5,000 (industrial) (Formlabs). DyeMansion itself is quote-only.

Help me price finishing add-ons for SLS and MJF parts. For each service, recommend a basis: flat per part, percentage of part price, or by surface area (per cm²). Then work out the price.

My labor rate: [labor rate per hour]
Technology: [SLS, MJF, or both] (gray MJF PA 12 parts usually take black dye only; tell me if you print white PA 12 W)

Services (one per line):
- [service, such as black dye, vapor smoothing, or tumbling] | [batch size] | [hands-on minutes per batch] | [consumables per batch] | [equipment cost per batch, if I own the machine]

Example parts (one per line):
- [part] | [part price before finishing] | [surface area in cm²] | [quantity]

Instructions:
1. Work out my cost per part for each service. Show your math.
2. Pick a basis per service with a one-line reason. Flag where a percentage would overcharge a heavy or expensive part, or undercharge a large, light one.
3. Output a table: Service | Basis | Price on each example part | Math.
4. If a time or cost is missing, ask me. Don't guess.

The floor: setup charge, minimums, and quantity breaks

Every build needs setup, depowdering, sieving, and refresh, whatever it holds (phas.io), so powder-bed shops put a floor under each order:

• Minimum production charge. A sample US Craftcloud quote added a $2.20 "Minimum production cost difference" to a $26.33 SLS PA12 part to reach a $28.53 minimum (Craftcloud).
• A setup charge sized to per-build costs. DigiFabster's MJF example works out a fixed cost of $410 per batch (DigiFabster). Charge it per order, so orders sharing a build each pay their own.
• Quantity breaks. Steeper than in FDM, since copies fill the build. Xometry's example drops from $101.64 for one SLS part to $40.93 each at 100 (Xometry); phas.io's band table runs from 3% off at 5 parts to 22% off at 100.

A one-off part alone in a build is the worst case (Formlabs' 40 g part at up to $117.50 of powder). Your minimum covers it, or offer a fuller build later.

SLS and MJF: where they differ

Same method, different inputs:

• Packing. HP calls "a packing density range between 8% and 12%" a good compromise between throughput and part quality (HP, 2021) without saying by volume or mass, so keep it out of the multiplier. Formlabs claims 30% or more by volume on its Fuse X1 (Formlabs). Go by your own logs.
• A second consumable on MJF. HP doesn't publish fusing and detailing agent prices, and sources disagree on how agents scale. A UK bureau says agent use is proportional to part volume (3D People), and US bureau Stratasys Direct says MJF "material costs are associated with part volumes, not part extents volumes" (Stratasys Direct). Formlabs, an HP competitor, says agents cost per build however full it is, about $20–30/kg with printheads (Formlabs). Use your own invoices.
• Machine cost. A Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W lists at $24,649, or $57,617 as a complete package (Formlabs). Two US resellers list the HP Jet Fusion 5200 printer alone at $249,700 and $264,913 (Digital Media Warehouse; Aztek Computers). A full 5200 setup adds a processing station, build units, and service: Formlabs, a competitor, says over $450,000 with all post-processing equipment (Formlabs) and $600,000 or more for the 5200, 5400, and 5600 series (Formlabs).
• Color. Standard MJF PA 12 comes out gray, and Xometry, a US bureau, offers black dye only on it (Xometry). HP's PA 12 W on the Jet Fusion 5420W prints white parts HP markets for white or color applications (HP; HP 5420W), but few bureaus run it. SLS can print white in Formlabs Nylon 12 White (Formlabs), and one UK bureau offers standard and custom dye colors (3DPRINTUK).

Which is cheaper depends on the part (see the FAQ); if you run both, price each from its own inputs and quote the cheaper.

Worked example: a PA12 housing on SLS (illustrative numbers)

A 50 g Nylon 12 housing (illustrative) runs on a Fuse-type SLS printer in Formlabs Nylon 12 at $99.90/kg ($0.0999/g) with the recommended 30% refresh. At an illustrative 15% packing density by mass (between Formlabs' 8% and 17% drone-frame builds), the waste multiplier is 0.30 ÷ 0.15 = 2.0, so effective powder cost is $0.1998/g.

Why the multiplier matters. At list price, 50 g of Nylon 12 is $5.00 of powder, or $14.99 after the same 3× markup: $14.98 short before finishing and setup, about half the right part price.

If the customer wants it vapor smoothed. An illustrative 30% of the $29.97 part price adds $8.99 as its own line, for $51.96.

The same part on MJF. With HP PA 12 at the top of the reseller range ($63.96/kg), HP's 20% refresh, and an illustrative 16% packing density by mass, the multiplier is 1.25 and effective powder cost is $79.95/kg, so 50 g is $4.00 of powder before agents. But the printer alone costs about ten times more, so in our reading most of the markup goes to paying off the machine: check it against machine cost (next section), and note that a bounding-box charge or a machine-time line often fits better than a bigger powder multiple.

Check this SLS or MJF quote before I send it. Don't change my prices. Point out problems and explain them.

The part: [SLS or MJF, printer] | [powder] | [weight, g] | [bounding box X × Y × Z, mm] | [solid, hollow, latticed, tube or ring, flat panel] | [quantity]

My rates:
- Powder cost per g: [cost] | Refresh rate: [% fresh] | Packing density by mass: [%, or "unknown"]
- Nesting tier and markup: [tier, multiplier]
- Finishing add-ons: [each service and its price or %]
- Setup charge per order, or minimum: [amount]
- Quantity discount: [bands]

My quote lines:
[paste each line: description, quantity, unit price, line total]

Instructions:
1. Check every line and the total. Show your math.
2. Check the powder line uses effective powder cost (refresh rate ÷ packing density by mass, at least 1×), not list price.
3. Check the tier against the bounding box and shape. Flag tall parts, tubes, rings, and flat panels in a low tier.
4. Make sure there's no support charge and no separate bead-blasting charge.
5. Flag anything missing (requested finishing, setup charge or minimum, quantity discount, rush) and any part that would run nearly alone in a build.
6. If you need a number I haven't given, ask. Don't assume one.

Optional depth: machine share and a margin check

You don't need a full cost model to quote, but check your tiers against real costs now and then (the pillar guide covers the method). Powder bed adds two things:

• Machine cost per build. Formlabs' scenario puts a Fuse 1+ 30W complete package plus two extra build chambers at $65,440, or $43.63 per working day over five years of 1,500 working days, plus about $1.12 per day of electricity (Formlabs). It assumes "nearly 100% utilization," so yours is likely higher. A five-year Fuse Series service plan adds $13,500 (Formlabs).
• Parts per build. Everything in a build shares its machine cost, so sparse builds raise both the powder multiplier and the machine share.

Checking the housing (illustrative). Say a day-long build holds 10 housings: machine $43.63 ÷ 10 = $4.36 a part, electricity $1.12 ÷ 10 = $0.11, 12 minutes of hands-on time at $30/h ($6.00) for prep, depowdering, blasting, dyeing, and packing, $0.50 of dye, and $9.99 of effective powder, for $20.96. With a 5% failure allowance, true cost is $20.96 ÷ 0.95 ≈ $22.06, so the $42.97 quote earns about 48.7% if each housing is a separate order paying its own $10.00 setup charge. If one customer orders all 10, setup is $1.00 a part, the quote $33.97, and the margin about 35.1%. Both depend on 10 parts sharing the build; a part that runs nearly alone carries all of it, which is what the setup charge or minimum is for.

Help me check whether my SLS or MJF prices cover my real costs, using my build logs.

My printer: [model] | [price paid, with build units and post-processing] | [years of use] | [service per year]
Working days per year: [number] | Builds per day: [number] | Electricity per build: [cost, if known]
Labor rate: [per hour] | Failure rate: [%]

Recent builds (one per line):
- [build ID] | [powder] | [fresh powder added, kg] | [part weight, kg] | [parts] | [hands-on minutes] | [total price charged]

Instructions:
1. Work out my machine cost per build. Show your math.
2. Per build: powder (fresh powder × cost per kg) + machine + electricity + labor, grossed up as cost ÷ (1 − failure rate).
3. Per build: waste multiplier (fresh powder ÷ part weight) and margin (profit ÷ price). Give my averages.
4. Point out the weakest builds and what they share (few parts, tall parts, one powder).
5. Suggest whether to adjust my tiers, per-gram rates, or setup charge or minimum, with the trade-off.
6. Use only my numbers. If something is missing, ask me.

Putting it into a quoting tool

AutoQuote3D's powder-bed pricing follows a similar structure:

• SLS materials take sintered and unsintered powder density, a reclamation percentage, and a price per gram. The engine estimates packing efficiency, and reclaimable powder comes off the quote (SLS quoting).
• A startup cost for every job and a minimum job price, usable together (same post).
• Opt-in machine time for SLS and MJF printers: bed fill, hourly rate, warm-up, and a fixed cost per build. Each part pays the share of a full build its bounding box fills, and you can calibrate from past builds. Presets include the HP Jet Fusion 4200 and 5200, the Formlabs Fuse 1+, and the Sinterit Lisa X (powder-bed machine time).
• Bulk discounts (per material) and urgency percentages for rush work (tutorials).
• Finishing add-ons on the Service Bureau plan can be a flat fee or a percentage of the part price, charged per part or per order and limited to a technology or a material, so a $5 dye line and a 30% smoothing line both fit (pricing).

If you want to try it with your own powder rates, you can set up your shop free without a card. Plans start at $25/month, and new subscribers get a 14-day trial when they're ready to collect payments (pricing).

More in this series

• How to price 3D prints for a print shop (the overview)
• How to price FDM 3D prints (part 1)
• How to price SLA resin prints (part 2)
• How to price metal 3D printing (coming soon)

FAQ

How much does SLS or MJF 3D printing cost per part?

It depends on size, nesting, and quantity. Published US examples: a $28.53 minimum at one Craftcloud partner, and Xometry quotes of $101.64 for one SLS part and $45.13 for one MJF part, about $41 and $37 each at 100. Single parts cost most, since they carry a build's fixed costs alone.

Why is SLS printing so expensive?

Mostly unused powder and per-build costs. Formlabs shows one 40 g part using $22.61 to $117.50 of powder depending on the build, though its own 40 g is worth about $4.00. Machine time, setup, depowdering, and sieving also come per build, so a lone part carries them alone. Fuller builds and bigger quantities bring the price down.

How do service bureaus calculate SLS and MJF prices?

Most price build space, not just weight: a rate on bounding-box or shrink-wrap volume plus a per-build setup fee, a blend of volume, weight, and surface-area rates, or effective powder cost with a markup. All list finishing separately and discount quantities.

What is powder refresh rate, and how does it change cost?

It's the share of fresh powder mixed into each build, such as 20% for HP PA 12 or 30% for Formlabs Nylon 12. In a sparse build, that fresh powder is worth more than the parts. Refresh rate ÷ packing density by mass gives the multiplier on the part's own powder cost.

What packing density can SLS and MJF actually reach?

Published figures are vendor claims: HP recommends 8–12% for MJF without saying by volume or mass, and Formlabs claims 30% or more by volume on its Fuse X1. Density by mass runs higher than by volume, so never mix them, and price from your own logged average.

Is MJF cheaper than SLS?

Sometimes. In Xometry's example, one part cost $101.64 by SLS and $45.13 by MJF, narrowing to $40.93 vs. $37.12 each at 100 (Xometry doesn't describe the part). Sources disagree on part size: US bureau Forerunner 3D says MJF is most competitive on nylon parts 6 x 3 x 6 inches or smaller, while a UK bureau's 2022 rule of thumb is that sparse, large parts tend to be cheaper on MJF and small, compact ones on SLS. MJF powder is often cheaper and more reusable, but the printers cost far more.

How much does PA12 nylon powder cost per kg?

Formlabs Nylon 12 lists at $99.90/kg, with bulk prices as low as $45/kg according to Formlabs. HP doesn't publish prices; US reseller listings for HP PA 12 run about $35–64/kg in large containers and about $100/kg in small cartridges. EOS powder is quote-only.

How much does an SLS or MJF printer cost?

A Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W SLS printer lists at $24,649, or $57,617 as a complete package, plus $13,500 for a five-year service plan. HP doesn't publish prices. Two US resellers list the HP Jet Fusion 5200 printer alone at $249,700 and $264,913, and a complete MJF setup with post-processing and service costs well above that.

What does vapor smoothing or black dye add to the price?

Vapor smoothing adds about 30% at Protolabs Network, and one US bureau charged $0.49 to $0.98 per part on runs of 50 to 80. Black dye is in Protolabs' standard MJF finish, $5 per part at 3DChimera, and included or about 10% extra at UK bureaus. Price both as add-ons.

Should I price SLS and MJF parts as if every build will be full?

No. Price from your typical build. If you assume full builds, sparse ones lose money; if you assume empty ones, you lose customers on price. Set per-gram rates from your logged average packing density, and let a setup charge or minimum cover parts that run alone.