Bambu Lab X1 Carbon power consumption: watts, kWh and cost

The Bambu Lab X1 Carbon draws about 105 W printing PLA. That is 0.105 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per hour, or 1.9 cents at the US average of $0.179 per kWh. ABS pushes the average to 150 W, and the printer is rated for a 350 W maximum on 110 V.

How much power does the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon use?

Bambu Lab measured its X1 Carbon at an average of 105 W printing PLA, 150 W printing ABS and 135 W printing polycarbonate (PC). The printer is rated for a 350 W maximum on 110 V and idles at 8.7 to 9.9 W on Wi-Fi. An hour of PLA printing uses 0.105 kWh, or 1.9 cents at US rates.

State	Average watts	kWh per hour	Cost per hour at $0.179
Printing PLA	105 W	0.105	$0.019
Printing ABS	150 W	0.150	$0.027
Printing PC	135 W	0.135	$0.024
Standby, Wi-Fi on	8.7 to 9.9 W	0.009 to 0.010	$0.002
Rated maximum, 110 V	350 W	0.350	$0.063

Bambu Lab’s wiki took these averages from short test prints: 0.023 to 0.031 kWh over 15 minutes 24 seconds of PLA, and 0.034 to 0.048 kWh over 17 minutes 24 seconds of ABS. It does not name the part or the room temperature. The $0.179 rate is the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s residential average for the 12 months ending June 2026, so swap in the rate from your own bill.

The X1E, the other X1 Series printer in the same table, runs much hotter on the meter: 185 W on PLA, 260 W on ABS and a 600 W maximum on 110 V.

What is the X1 Carbon’s maximum wattage?

Bambu Lab’s specification sheet rates the X1 Carbon at 350 W on 110 V and 1,000 W on 220 V, from a 100 to 240 V AC, 50 to 60 Hz input. The rating is the most the outlet must supply. Your bill sees far less: the PLA average is 30 percent of that ceiling. Bambu Lab publishes no measured warm-up peak, so size circuits on 350 W.

How many amps does the X1 Carbon draw at 120 V?

At its 350 W maximum the X1 Carbon draws 2.9 A on a 120 V outlet, or 3.2 A at the 110 V in the rating. Printing PLA it averages 0.9 A, and ABS 1.25 A.

A clamp meter may read higher. Bambu Lab lists a power factor (real watts divided by volts times amps) of 0.45 to 0.63. At 0.45, the 150 W ABS average pulls 2.8 A instead of 1.25 A.

The National Electrical Code (NEC) treats a load running 3 hours or more as continuous, which caps it at 80 percent of the breaker: 12 A on a 15 A circuit. One X1 Carbon at peak takes 24 percent of the 12 A limit. To add more printers, a dryer or a heater on one breaker, use the circuit capacity calculator.

How much electricity does an X1 Carbon print cost?

Turn the average watts into kWh, then multiply by your rate:

kWh  = average watts × print hours ÷ 1000
cost = kWh × price per kWh

4-hour PLA print: 105 W × 4 h ÷ 1000 = 0.42 kWh  →  0.42 × $0.179 = $0.075
8-hour ABS print: 150 W × 8 h ÷ 1000 = 1.20 kWh  →  1.20 × $0.179 = $0.21

A 4-hour PLA print costs 7.5 cents and an 8-hour ABS print 21 cents. The electricity cost calculator runs the same math with your rate or a smart plug reading.

How much power does the X1 Carbon use on standby?

Idle, the X1 Carbon draws 8.5 to 9.7 W offline and 8.7 to 9.9 W on Wi-Fi. Left on Wi-Fi standby for a 30-day month, it uses 6.3 to 7.1 kWh, or $1.12 to $1.28.

How much power does the AMS add?

Almost nothing. Bambu Lab lists the AMS (Automatic Material System) filament changer at 0.96 W on standby and 5.78 W while working. Over a 4-hour print it uses 0.023 kWh, less than half a cent.