3D-Printed Coasters to Sell: Sets, Holders and the Hot-Mug Rule
Three coasters and a holder, sliced in three filaments: what a set costs, what is left at your price, and why hot mugs need PETG.
Coasters are easy to print and easy to sell, and they are bought as sets: four or six that match, often with a holder. That set is the product. A 100 mm hexagon coaster is 18 grams and half an hour on the printer, $1.80 to make in PLA, and a set of four with its holder is $11.58. One thing decides the plastic before anything else: a hot mug. We modelled three coasters and a holder, sliced them in three filaments on our production printers, and priced the sets.
Design
Filament
Set
PETG keeps its shape at higher temperatures than PLA (Bambu Lab lists PETG Translucent at 74°C, PLA Basic at 57°C), which suits hot mugs.
The set, one order in your store
$12.29
- 4 × $1.90 (31 min, 17 g each)
- $7.60
- Holder (73 min)
- $4.69
3.3 print-hours for the set.
$6.46left, 23%
After the set, about $6.14 of postage and $3.11 of Etsy fees.
Reference coasters modelled for this page and sliced in each filament on our production profile (2026-11-08). Filament at its cheapest in-stock price per gram ($0.02), print time at today’s rate. Etsy fees for a US seller with no sales tax; real postage depends on the box and the address.
Hot mugs
PLA for cold drinks and decor. PETG for coffee.
Bambu Lab’s dataHeat deflection under load: PLA Basic 57°C, PETG Translucent 74°C. A freshly poured hot drink is hotter than PLA’s figure.
Three coasters and a holder
- Hexagon, with a drip lip
- 100 mm corner to corner, 18 g, 29 minutes. $1.80 in PLA, $1.90 in PETG. The cheapest of the three, and the shapes tile on a table.
- Round, with a drip lip
- 100 mm across, 21 g, 32 minutes. $2.02 in PLA, $2.14 in PETG. A 3 mm lip a little proud of the floor keeps condensation off the table.
- Concentric rings
- 100 mm with four raised rings on top for grip and texture, 21 g, 35 minutes. $2.14 in PLA.
- Holder for six
- An open tray 106 mm square and 32 mm tall with a finger notch. 52 g and just over an hour: $4.40 in PLA, $4.69 in PETG.
Translucent PETG looks beautiful in a window, and it prints far slower on its profile: 50 minutes for the hexagon against 31 in PETG Basic, and over two hours for the holder. A translucent hex set of four with a holder costs $20.17 to make, so at a $28 price with free shipping it loses money. Keep translucent for a higher price or a single statement piece.
Designing coasters that work
- A lip for drips
- A 3 mm rim 1.6 mm above the floor holds condensation from a cold glass. Without one, the water runs off the edge.
- Printed flat
- The underside comes off the build plate perfectly flat, so the coaster sits without rocking. Put the texture on top.
- Wide enough
- 100 mm takes a large mug with room around it. Smaller coasters suit glasses and look neater in a stack.
- Not a trivet
- A coaster is for cups. Hot pans are far hotter than either plastic’s limit, so never sell printed coasters as pot stands.
What is left from a set
With free shipping on Etsy, a PLA hexagon set of four with its holder at $28 leaves $7.17 after making, about $6.14 of postage and Etsy’s fees. In PETG, the version for coffee drinkers, it leaves $6.46. A set of six with the holder at $34 leaves $9.01 in PLA. A coaster set is one order and one parcel, so the holder and the extra two coasters add value in the same parcel.
Personalised sets, with initials or a family name, are the natural upgrade; see personalised products. Coasters sit beside desk accessories and planters in a home range. Every rate is on our price list.
FAQ
On PETG, yes. PLA softens at 57°C under load in Bambu Lab’s data, which a freshly poured hot drink exceeds, so use PLA for cold drinks and decor and PETG for coffee and tea.
With us a 100 mm hexagon coaster is $1.80 to make in PLA. A set of four with a holder is $11.58 as one order, or $12.29 in PETG, before shipping.
PETG for hot drinks, PLA for cold drinks and decorative sets. Translucent PETG looks striking but prints much slower, which raises the cost of a set by about two thirds over PETG Basic.
Yes, as sets. Four or six matching coasters with a holder make a gift-sized product; a single coaster is a small sale that costs the same postage.
No. A pan is far hotter than either PLA or PETG can take. Sell coasters for cups only.
Your coaster sets, printed when they sell.
List the sets in your store, and each order is printed, checked by hand and shipped under your brand.
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