Print time estimate
Quick answer
A 100 cm3 part at 0.2 mm layers, 0.45 mm line width and 150 mm/s extrudes 13.5 mm3/s, which is 2 hours 3 minutes of pure extrusion and about 3 hours 26 minutes of real print time at the typical 60 percent efficiency. Thicker 0.28 mm layers cut the same part to about 2 hours 27 minutes.
Time equals volume divided by flow rate, which is physics. The efficiency factor that accounts for travel, acceleration and layer changes is a convention.
Check this flow against your hotend limit with the flow rate calculator.
Efficiency covers travel moves, acceleration, layer changes and cooling holds. A tall thin part is far less efficient than a solid block.
| Part volume | Layer height | Speed | Flow | Estimated print time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 cm3 | 0.20 mm | 100 mm/s | 9.0 mm3/s | 1 h 2 min |
| 50 cm3 | 0.20 mm | 150 mm/s | 13.5 mm3/s | 1 h 43 min |
| 100 cm3 | 0.20 mm | 150 mm/s | 13.5 mm3/s | 3 h 26 min |
| 100 cm3 | 0.28 mm | 150 mm/s | 18.9 mm3/s | 2 h 27 min |
| 250 cm3 | 0.20 mm | 150 mm/s | 13.5 mm3/s | 8 h 34 min |
| 250 cm3 | 0.20 mm | 250 mm/s | 22.5 mm3/s | 5 h 9 min |
Method: time equals volume divided by volumetric flow (layer height x line width x speed), divided by an efficiency factor for travel, acceleration and layer changes. The flow formula is standard extrusion geometry; the 42, 60 and 75 percent efficiency figures are a planning convention. Your slicer estimate for the real file is more accurate.
Printers built for speed
- Creality
Creality Ender 3 V3 SE 3D Printer with 2kg PLA Filament Bundle
Under $250 Check priceBudget range; the button shows the current price - Creality
Creality Ender 3 V3 SE Beginner-Friendly 3D Printer with Auto Leveling
Under $250 Check priceBudget range; the button shows the current price - Creality
Creality Ender 3 V3 SE 3D Printer Bundle with PLA Filament 4 Packs (Black+White+Red+Blue)
Under $250 Check priceBudget range; the button shows the current price - BAMBULAB
Bambu Lab A1 mini 3D Printer + LED Lamp Kit, Ready-to-Use for Beginners
Under $250 Check priceBudget range; the button shows the current price
Common questions
How long does a 3D print take?
Anywhere from about 30 minutes for a small calibration part to more than a day for a large one. As a rule of thumb at 0.2 mm layers and 150 mm/s, a typical part takes a little over 2 hours per 100 cm3 of pure extrusion and about 3.4 hours once travel, acceleration and layer changes are included. The table above works through common sizes.
Why is my slicer estimate different from this one?
Your slicer knows the actual toolpath, including every travel move, acceleration profile and minimum layer time, so it will always be more accurate for a specific file. This calculator is for planning before a model exists, or for asking what happens if you double the layer height. Treat it as a figure that is normally within about 20 percent.
Does doubling the layer height halve the print time?
Close to it for the solid body of a part, because you extrude the same volume in half as many layers. It does not halve the total, because travel moves, perimeters and the fixed overhead per layer do not scale the same way, and surface finish degrades noticeably. Going from 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm is usually a better trade than going to 0.4 mm.
What efficiency figure should I pick?
Choose by geometry rather than by hope. A solid chunky bracket with few travel moves runs near 75 percent of theoretical. A typical functional part with holes and perimeters lands near 60 percent. A tall thin model, a miniature, or anything where each layer is small and the head spends its time travelling and waiting for cooling can fall to 40 percent or below.
Will a faster printer actually print this faster?
Only if the hotend can melt plastic fast enough to feed the speed. Print speed and volumetric flow are two different limits, and above roughly 20 mm3/s a stock hotend becomes the bottleneck no matter what the motion system can do. Run the numbers through the flow rate calculator before buying speed you cannot use.
