📐 E-Steps Calculator
Enter your current E-steps and how much filament actually extruded from a 100 mm test to get the corrected value.
New E-steps value
97.89 steps/mm
Your extruder under-extruded by 5.0%. Set this value with M92 E97.89, then M500 to save.
How to measure:
- Heat the nozzle to printing temperature and mark the filament 120 mm above the extruder inlet.
- Extrude 100 mm slowly (e.g. G1 E100 F50).
- Measure the gap that's left: 100 − gap = the amount actually extruded. Enter it above.
New E-steps = current × (requested ÷ actually extruded). Extrude slowly and at temperature, and don't force the filament, or the measurement will be off. Save with M500 or the value resets on reboot. 🔒 In your browser.
How the e-steps calculator works
A printer's E-steps value tells it how many motor steps push 1 mm of filament. If it's off, every print is over- or under-extruded. You calibrate by asking the printer to extrude a known amount (usually 100 mm), measuring what actually came out, and correcting: new E-steps = current × (requested ÷ actually extruded). The tool computes the new value and gives the G-code to set and save it.
Extrude slowly (for example G1 E100 F50) with the nozzle at printing temperature, and don't tug or force the filament, or the measurement will be wrong. After setting the value with M92, save it with M500 — otherwise it resets when the printer restarts. Calibrate E-steps before flow/extrusion multiplier.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calibrate E-steps?
Mark the filament 120 mm above the extruder, tell the printer to extrude 100 mm slowly at temperature, then measure the gap left. The amount extruded is 100 − gap. Enter your current E-steps and that measured amount for the corrected value.
What is the E-steps formula?
New E-steps = current E-steps × (requested length ÷ actually extruded length). For the standard test that's current × (100 ÷ measured). Set it with M92 E<value> and save with M500.
Why is my printer over- or under-extruding?
Often the E-steps are miscalibrated, so the requested and actual filament amounts don't match. Calibrating E-steps fixes the baseline; if extrusion is still slightly off after that, fine-tune with the flow/extrusion-multiplier calibration.
Do I need to redo E-steps after changing the extruder?
Yes — a new extruder, gears or a different drive ratio changes the steps needed per millimetre, so recalibrate. It's also worth checking after a firmware reset, which can restore default values.
What's the difference between E-steps and flow rate?
E-steps is a hardware calibration of how much filament the motor moves; flow (extrusion multiplier) is a software fine-tune of how much plastic ends up in the wall. Calibrate E-steps first, then adjust flow.