3D printed keychain cost
and what to charge
A 3D printed name keychain costs about $0.20 in filament and power, but $2 to $3 once you count the keyring, packaging and five minutes of your time. Enter your numbers below and the calculator adds marketplace fees and your margin to suggest a price.
By Philipp Baldauf · Updated September 29, 2026
Keychain price calculator
Defaults are typical values for a one-colour PLA name keychain on a Bambu Lab A1 mini, sold on Etsy in the US. Change any field; results update as you type.
Cost and price per keychain
Suggested price for one keychain
$7.12
In a batch of 10: $6.56 each · total $65.65
| Per keychain | Single | Batch of 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Filament | $0.16 | $0.16 |
| Electricity | $0.01 | $0.01 |
| Keyring and packaging | $0.60 | $0.60 |
| Your time | $1.67 | $1.67 |
| File | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Unit cost | $2.43 | $2.43 |
| Marketplace fees | $1.13 | $0.85 |
| Profit | $3.56 | $3.28 |
| Suggested price | $7.12 | $6.56 |
Shipping, taxes, failed prints and printer wear are not included. Round the result to a price that fits your shop.
How each cost is estimated
The calculator splits the cost of one keychain into five parts. Here is where each number comes from and how to find your own.
| Cost | How it is calculated | Where to find your number |
|---|---|---|
| Filament | grams × price per kg ÷ 1000 | Slicer summary after slicing. A name keychain is usually 5 to 10 g. Add 5% for purge and failed prints if you print two colours. |
| Electricity | watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh | A1 mini class printers average about 80 to 120 W while printing PLA. Your power bill shows the price per kWh. |
| Keyring and packaging | fixed amount per keychain | Split rings bought in packs of 100 cost about $0.10 to $0.20 each. A small bag, card and sticker add $0.20 to $0.50. |
| Your time | post-processing minutes ÷ 60 × hourly rate | Time one full order: remove from the plate, fit the ring, check the name, pack. 3 to 6 minutes is typical. |
| File | cost per design | 0 if you design it yourself. With a paid plan, spread the monthly price over the keychains you sell that month. |
Printer wear, failed prints and shipping are not in the unit cost. Add a few percent to your margin to cover them, and charge shipping separately.
Worked example with the default numbers
One keychain, "Noah" in a block font, printed in PLA and sold on Etsy in the US.
- 1
Material: $0.16
8 g at $20 per kg. Electricity is under a cent: 100 W for 25 minutes is 0.042 kWh, which costs $0.007 at $0.17 per kWh.
- 2
Keyring and bag: $0.60
A split ring, a small bag and a thank-you card.
- 3
Your time: $1.67
5 minutes of finishing and packing at $20 an hour. This is the biggest cost, which is why batching matters.
- 4
Unit cost: $2.43
Filament, power, hardware and time added up. The file costs 0 here because it is counted as monthly overhead.
- 5
Suggested price: $7.12
Fees of 9.5% plus $0.20 per item and $0.25 per order, and a 50% margin on the sale price. Etsy keeps about $1.13, you keep $3.56 profit on top of paying yourself for the 5 minutes.
- 6
Batch of 10: $6.56 each
The $0.25 order fee is shared by 10 keychains, so the price per piece drops. The whole class set comes to $65.65.
Etsy fees for 3D print sellers
Etsy charges three fees on every sale. These are the US rates; other countries have different processing rates.
| Fee | Amount (US) | Charged on |
|---|---|---|
| Listing fee | $0.20 | Each listing for 4 months, and again each time an item sells (auto-renew per unit sold) |
| Transaction fee | 6.5% | Item price plus shipping and gift wrap |
| Payment processing | 3% + $0.25 | Order total, per order |
| Offsite Ads (only when an ad brought the sale) | 12% or 15% | Order total of the attributed sale |
Checked on 2026-09-29 against Etsy's published seller fees. Etsy changes fees now and then, so check your shop's fee page before you set prices.
What to charge for 3D printed keychains
Start from the calculator, then look at the market. Etsy listings for single personalised name keychains mostly sit between $6 and $15, and multi-packs for party favours go down to $2 to $4 per piece. If your suggested price is far below the market, raise it. Buyers of personalised gifts rarely pick the cheapest listing.
If your price is above the market, don't cut your hourly rate first. Cut minutes: print a full plate of names at once, pre-open the split rings, and design every name in one go. With bulk export on Unlimited a class list of 25 names becomes 25 files in one ZIP, so the file side of a batch takes a minute.
Keep two prices: a single price and a set price. A set of 10 at 10 to 20% off per piece is still more profit per hour, because setup, plate prep and packing are shared.
Ways to raise your margin
Sell two colours
A second colour adds 10 to 20 minutes of print time and a few grams, but buyers pay a few dollars more. Without an AMS, use a filament change at a layer.
Add a minimum order
A $0.25 order fee and your packing time hit single cheap items hardest. A minimum of two keychains or a free shipping threshold fixes that.
Print full plates
An A1 mini plate fits 10 to 16 name keychains. One plate change instead of ten cuts your minutes per piece.
Pick the right size
A 50 to 60 mm keychain uses less filament and posts in a letter. The keychain size guide has ring hole and thickness numbers.
Selling needs a commercial licence
NameSTL single downloads ($4.99) are for personal use only. To sell prints you need Unlimited: $9.99 a month or $89.99 a year, commercial use included. At 100 keychains a month, $9.99 adds about $0.10 per piece, which you can enter as the file cost or treat as overhead.
The calculator gives a floor, not a guarantee. It does not know your local taxes, shipping costs or how much buyers in your niche will pay. For product ideas beyond keychains, see 3D prints that sell.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to 3D print a keychain?
The filament and electricity for a name keychain cost about $0.10 to $0.25. With a keyring and packaging it is closer to $0.60 to $0.90. Your finishing and packing time is usually the biggest cost, $1 to $2 per piece at a modest hourly rate.
How much should I charge for 3D printed keychains?
Add up your unit cost, then divide by one minus your fee rate and your margin. With typical numbers that gives about $7 for a single keychain on Etsy and a bit less per piece in a set. Check the market: single personalised keychains on Etsy mostly sell between $6 and $15.
How do I price 3D prints for Etsy?
Include all three Etsy fees: $0.20 listing fee per item sold, 6.5% transaction fee on price plus shipping, and 3% + $0.25 payment processing in the US (checked on 2026-09-29). Enter them as a combined percentage plus fixed fees in the calculator above, and set your margin as a share of the sale price.
Is there a 3D print price calculator for other items?
This calculator is built for keychains, but the same inputs work for pet tags, place names and small plates. Enter the grams and print time from your slicer and change the keyring cost to whatever hardware the item needs.
Should I count my time when pricing prints?
Yes. Print time is cheap because the printer works alone, but removing parts, fitting rings and packing is your time. Leave it out and you can sell a lot while earning almost nothing per hour.
Do I need a licence to sell keychains made with NameSTL?
Yes, selling prints needs the Unlimited plan, which includes commercial use. Single downloads are for personal use. The licence guide also covers MakerWorld, Printables and font licences.