## How many grams will be used in a print

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I have an STL file and I would like to know how many grams would this print consume. Is there a software so I can get it or an online link that can say me that?

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You can not tell this by looking at the STL file alone, because how much material will be used depends on the print settings (obviously, printing at 100% infill will consume much more material than 10%).

The best way to check the material usage is to load the model into a slicer and slice it using your preferred settings. Most slicers will report the projected material usage, often in grams but sometimes in meters of filament (but the two figures are easily converted between each other if you know the density and diameter of your material).

Here is an example in the Cura slicer:

Simplify3D (after you click "prepare to print!") also shows you the projected print time and material usage and even the cost of the material (if you have previously entered the material cost per kilogram):

This is a good answer, but I'd add text to the bottom (in bold, no less) that the amounts and times you see in the slicer are *estimates*, and actual numbers can and will vary from what the slicer shows. – Joel Coehoorn – 2019-08-12T18:30:36.727

Hi, I installed cura and imported and STL file but I dont have a printer connected to my computer (it's still being shippped), so how do I see the amount of material the will be used (aproximatelly yof course)? – Samul – 2017-03-15T13:24:45.350

Have you checked to see how accurate are Cura's estimates? I use makerware and I've found their estimates to be fairly wrong. In excess of 15% error. Just wondering if Cura would be any better. – Diesel – 2017-03-15T13:25:06.980

2@Samul You don't need a printer connected to your computer. Just load a model and slice it. – Tom van der Zanden – 2017-03-15T13:46:21.997

@Diesel I don't think the (in)accuracy of the estimates is due to the slicer. It should give a 100% accurate value; any deviation is due to (1) the printer not extruding as much as the slicer tells it to (2) the filament having a different diameter than configured (3) the filament having a different density than configured. – Tom van der Zanden – 2017-03-15T13:49:32.323

@Tom van der Zanden I opened cura -> OPEN FILE -> selected STL file and it says it will use only 5g! It's certainly wrong. Would you mind checking in your Cura if it is really 5g? The STL file is here -> https://ufile.io/fc80e

– Samul – 2017-03-15T16:55:21.117

@Samul The .STL file only defines the surface geometry of the part. The slicer has many settings that will affect the amount of material used. The infill is usually not solid, but a pattern that is still fairly string but mostly air, and uses FAR less filament and time. There are also settings for the external shell thickness. You can also resize the object in the slicer. If the STL was created in inches, it may be opened by the slicer expecting mm, and cone out tiny. If the object is bigger than your print volume, it might be automatically shrunk to fit. – mbmcavoy – 2017-03-15T17:08:39.767

@Samul That file comes out to around 100g for me. – Tom van der Zanden – 2017-03-15T17:35:46.813

Thanks man, I have no idea why it came out 5g to me! I used 80% infill. But I thank you so much! – Samul – 2017-03-15T19:28:50.060

@Tom van der Zanden I hadn't considered the density being off. I'll have to check that out. Thanks – Diesel – 2017-03-16T20:33:52.320

@TomvanderZanden do you know if its possible to determine the weight of filament left to print from a specific layer? Ie assuming there are 200 layers on your model, how would you know how much material was required to print from layer 150 -> 200? – Hans Rudel – 2018-02-15T10:34:30.090

1@HansRudel That's a new, separate question. As a side note, in some slicers you can indicate you want to start printing from a given layer - the slicer would probably give you an estimate then. – Tom van der Zanden – 2018-02-15T12:32:53.060

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Slic3r will calculate the weight after you have exported the G-Code.

Normally, you'll only see the "Info" box. But after saving as G-Code, there's a "Sliced Info" which mentions the weight according to the settings you made (filament type and infill).

That's how it looks like:

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Some slicing programs will give this information. Here is the first comment at the end of the print, which gives volume and length of material used, from gcode generated by Slic3r:

 ; filament used = 388.6mm (0.9cm3)


According to ToyBuilder Labs, ABS is 1.04 g/cm3, so 0.9 * 1.04 = 0.936, or just under one gram.

In the G-code file produced by the slicer, search for "filament" or "M30" - it's right after the M30. You might need to use the verbose G-code option.

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This is a link I found that analyzes your G-code ( filament usage, time, etc.): gCodeViewer

From the description (emphasis is mine):

• Analyze GCode
• Print time, amount of plastic used, layer height, etc. for whole file and for single layer

Here is a screenshot: