Print vs Mold Break-Even Calculator
Enter your own tooling cost and per-unit costs. See the FDM and mold totals side by side and the quantity where they cross, on your numbers only.
Your numbers
Nothing you type here is sent anywhere. The result below is arithmetic on these numbers, calculated in your browser.
The annual or total quantity you want to compare.
Your FDM price per part.
What the mold costs. Enter 0 if you have not been quoted one yet.
Your molded price per part once the tool exists.
Optional. Defaults to 0 if left blank.
Only used when revisions above is more than 0.
Optional. Defaults to $0 if left blank.
Enter your numbers to see a result
Quantity, printed unit cost, tooling cost and molded unit cost are required. Nothing computes until those four are filled in, because this tool has no default numbers to fall back on.
Published break-even ranges, for context
Published break-even estimates for injection molding against FDM printing run from about 130 units to about 14,000 units, a hundredfold spread, depending on mold cost, part size and labor. The only number that matters for your part is the one from your own quotes.
- Fictiv: about 130 units, one case study for a specific part.
- Xometry: 250 to 2,000 units, general guidance not tied to one part.
- Protolabs Network: a minimum of about 500 units, a rule of thumb.
- The Economics of Injection Molding vs 3D Printing, Fictiv
- Injection Molding vs 3D Printing, Xometry
- Injection Molding Guide, Protolabs Network
Ready to price the printed version?
Upload your STL. Made in the USA, shipped in days.