ForgeA quote is not a price sent in a chat message. It is the document that says what you will make, for how much, by when, and what you won't do. Done well, it gets signed quickly, and it protects you the day the customer changes their mind. Here is how I build one, with a complete template.
Before pricing: seven questions for the customer
A wrong quote almost always comes from a question nobody asked.
1. The file. Supplied, found online, or to be created? A supplied file gets checked (€2 to €4); a part reproduced to a model is counted at €21/h, modelling from scratch at €23/h.
2. The material. Required by the customer, or chosen from the part's use.
3. The quantity. Post-processing is counted for the batch, and the file check is paid only once.
4. The finish. Straight off the plate, supports removed, sanded, painted? Every level is time at €20/h.
5. The deadline. When they really need it. Twelve parts of 2.12 h each is more than 25 hours of machine time.
6. The use. Outdoors, in the sun, under load, near heat? This is the question that saves you reprinting the batch at your own cost.
7. The tolerances. Which dimensions really matter: a hole that takes a screw, a snap fit? They go on the quote.
What a quote that gets signed contains
A number and a date. A continuous sequence (D2026-0036), so the quote can be traced from the invoice.
A validity period. Spool prices move, and so does your schedule. A quote with no end date can resurface six months later.
Item-by-item detail, with the calculation. A customer who reads “2.12 h × 12 × €2.00/h” argues far less than one who reads “€111”.
The planned prototypes. How many are included, and what one more attempt costs.
The lead time, and when it starts. Signature, deposit received, or prototype approved: those are not the same date.
Payment terms. The deposit amount, when the balance is due, and how.
What is not included. Shipping, painting, changes after approval. Whatever isn't written down will be taken as included.
The complete template
The reference job: twelve PETG parts for a patio awning, reproduced from the customer's model, 33.53 g and 2.12 h of printing each. At the top of the quote: your name or business name, your address and registration details; the customer's name and address; the number, the date and the validity period. Then the table:
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| File analysis | flat fee | €4.00 |
| Material (PETG) | 33.53 g × 12 × €0.04/g | €16.09 |
| Machine wear | 2.12 h × 12 × €0.15/h | €3.82 |
| Printing | 2.12 h × 12 × €2.00/h | €50.88 |
| Post-processing | 0.25 h × €20/h | €5.00 |
| Part made to model | 1.5 h × €21/h | €31.50 |
| Total | €111.29 |
Below the table, what the customer signs along with the price:
Prototype. The first part is the prototype: the customer approves it before I print the other eleven. Each extra attempt requested after a change: €5.90 (33.53 g × €0.04/g + 2.12 h × €2.00/h + 2.12 h × €0.15/h).
Lead time. Delivery within ten working days of prototype approval.
Payment. 30% deposit on signature, i.e. €33.39; balance of €77.90 on delivery. State whether the deposit is refundable if the customer cancels.
Not included. Shipping, painting, and any change to the model after prototype approval, which will get a separate quote.
Validity. Quote valid for 30 days. Date, signature and “accepted”.
These amounts come from my rates, explained item by item in the guide “How much to charge for a 3D print”. The lead time, deposit and validity are template choices, to set for your own workshop.
What the law says: general principles
The detail depends on your country, so take this as principles, with the UK as the example, checked in November 2026 on Citizens Advice and legislation.gov.uk.
A signed quote is the contract. Almost everywhere, once the customer accepts your written quote, its content, price and lead time bind you both. You can't raise the price on your own, and extra work the customer asks for needs their agreement, ideally a second signed quote.
Quote or estimate: pick the word on purpose. In the UK, Citizens Advice describes a quote as a promise to do the work at an agreed price: the trader can't charge more unless extra work was agreed or the price contained an obvious mistake, and rising costs are not a valid reason. An estimate is only a best guess, and the final bill must stay reasonable. If you mean a fixed price, write “Quote”.
What you write counts. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, what a trader tells a consumer about a service, when the consumer relies on it, becomes a term of the contract (section 50). And where no price was fixed, the consumer owes only a reasonable price (section 51): a vague quote is an invitation to argue.
Deposit and VAT. The rules on deposits and on VAT differ from one country to the next. Write down what the deposit covers and what happens to it on cancellation, and show VAT the way your tax status requires.
These rules move, and your situation matters: check with your accountant or adviser.
Prototypes and failures: what gets written, what doesn't
Failed prints are your business, not the customer's. They are already in the material rate (€0.04/g for PETG, failures included) and have no place as a line on a quote. Prototypes, on the other hand, concern the customer: they exist because the part is new, because the model is incomplete, or because they want to see it before the batch. They are announced beforehand, with a number and a price. “One prototype included, €5.90 per further attempt” protects you better than “prototypes if needed”.
When the customer changes their mind after signing
It happens. The mistake is starting the change on a “yes” over the phone. I issue a supplementary quote, numbered next in sequence, that refers to the first one, prices the change with the same calculation and gives the new lead time. Nothing gets printed until it is signed. And if parts were already printed, they are charged: it was written under “not included”, and the customer knew.
From signed quote to invoice
The invoice repeats the lines of the signed quote with the same figures, cites its number, adds any accepted supplementary quotes and deducts the deposit already paid. It has its own number and its own mandatory details: that is the subject of the guide “Invoicing as a small business”.
The mistakes I see most often
A quote with no validity period, resurfacing six months later at the old price. A lump-sum price with no detail, negotiated down because there is no line to defend. No deposit on a custom part that nobody else will buy if the customer disappears. Prototypes forgotten, then given away. “Estimate” written where “quote” was meant. And a quote sent by message, with no number and no signature, which proves nothing.
Read also: How much to charge for a 3D print · Invoicing as a small business · the online calculator
These rates are mine; yours depend on your machine, your region and your experience. ForgeCalc calculates, it doesn't set any price: it reads your sliced file, applies your rates, produces the detailed PDF quote item by item, then turns it into an invoice once signed. You can see the job above as it priced it.