Original Prusa CORE One: power use and running cost
Prusa's first enclosed CoreXY, passively heated to 55 C chamber; refreshed as CORE One+ in 2026. 250 × 220 × 270 mm build volume, enclosed.
Power figure: spec. Prusa's published typical consumption: 90 W PLA, 110 W ABS, 240 W PSU; idle assumed equal to the MK4 (~13 W).
Electricity cost for a print on the Original Prusa CORE One
Full cost of a print on the Original Prusa CORE One
Pre-set with this printer's wattage and price for depreciation. Enter grams and hours from your slicer.
Layer heights that suit the Original Prusa CORE One's Z axis
Z moves 0.0400 mm per full step (lead screw, 8 mm per motor revolution, 200 steps/rev, 400 steps/mm). Whole multiples of that are "magic" heights: every layer lands on a full step instead of a less accurate microstep.
| Layer height | 0.08 | 0.10 | 0.12 | 0.15 | 0.16 | 0.20 | 0.24 | 0.25 | 0.28 | 0.30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On a full step? | yes | no → 0.12 | yes | no → 0.16 | yes | yes | yes | no → 0.24 | yes | no → 0.32 |
Basis: firmware. Prusa-Firmware-Buddy Configuration_COREONE.h DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT_Z 400 with Z_MICROSTEPS 16 → three Tr8x8 lead screws (motors wired in parallel on one driver), 0.04 mm full step. Open in the magic layer height calculator.
Questions about the Original Prusa CORE One
How many watts does the Original Prusa CORE One use?
About 90 W on average while printing PLA, 13 W when idle and up to 300 W while heating. Prusa's published typical consumption: 90 W PLA, 110 W ABS, 240 W PSU; idle assumed equal to the MK4 (~13 W).
How much does it cost to run a Original Prusa CORE One for 24 hours?
2.2 kWh, which is $0.37 at $0.17/kWh (US average) or about £0.56 at UK rates.
Does the Original Prusa CORE One use a lot of electricity?
No. Running it 8 hours a day for a month costs roughly $3.67 at US rates — comparable to a desktop computer.
What are the best layer heights for the Original Prusa CORE One?
The Original Prusa CORE One's Z axis moves 0.0400 mm per full motor step (8 mm per revolution, 200 steps). Layer heights that are whole multiples of that — 0.08, 0.12, 0.16, 0.2, 0.24, 0.28, 0.32 mm — avoid microstep rounding. 0.1, 0.15, 0.25 mm are not exact multiples.