Home›Calibration›Shrinkage Compensation
Step 9 of 9 · Final Step

Shrinkage
Compensation

Compensate for material shrinkage and make your parts dimensionally accurate.

⏱
Time
20–40 min
📊
Difficulty
Intermediate
⚡
Impact
High
Typical shrinkage
~0.1–0.3%
Low shrinkage. Very stable.
① CAD Model
Designed size
100.00 mm
100.00 mm
② Printed Part
Actual size · shrunk
99.65 mm
99.65 mm-0.35mm (example)
③ Compensated
After compensation
100.00 mm
100.00 mm
ℹ️
Not every dimensional error is a Steps/mm issue. Materials shrink differently and require individual compensation — even on a perfectly calibrated printer.
Why this matters
Materials shrink during cooling. Even a perfectly calibrated printer can print undersized parts.
PLAPETGABSASAPA
...all produce different final dimensions.
⚠️ Misconception
Your printer can be perfectly square, perfectly calibrated, and still print undersized.
That is material shrinkage.
⭐ Pro Tip
Calibrate Flow Rate / EM before this step. EM affects your measured dimensions.
2
Enter Measurements
XY Combined (from 45° calibration bar)
Print the CN3D calibration bar (270 × 4 × 30mm) at 45° on the bed. Measure the length. At 45°, the measurement captures a combination of X and Y shrinkage simultaneously.
270mmX →Y ↑45°← Measure this length →
mm
Z (optional — measure a vertical dimension)
Measure any printed object of known Z height. Z shrinkage is usually smaller than XY.
3
Your Results
📦
Measure the calibration bar and click Calculate to see your compensation values.
Apply Scale in Your Slicer
Where to find the shrinkage settings
🟦OrcaSlicer
Calibration →
Shrinkage Compensation
XY Shrinkage (single field) Z Shrinkage (separate)
🟩Bambu Studio
Process →
Advanced →
Shrinkage Compensation
XY Shrinkage (single field) Z Shrinkage (separate)
🟧PrusaSlicer
Print Settings →
Advanced →
Dimensional adjustments
Scale X, Scale Y (same value) Scale Z (separate)
🔵Ultimaker Cura
Preferences → Machine Settings
Printers → Machine Settings
Horizontal Expansion Vertical Expansion
🎉 Calibration Complete!
All 9 calibration steps done. Re-calibrate when changing filament brand, color, or printing environment.
← Back to Calibration
← Back to Skew Correction
Calibration Complete ✓
📋Calibration Order
⊗Common Mistakes
⊗Trying to fix shrinkage with Flow Rate / EM
⊗Trying to fix shrinkage with Skew Correction
⊗Changing Steps/mm to compensate for shrinkage
⊗Applying one factor to every filament or every printer
⊗Printing the calibration model straight — print at 45° to get a true XY average
🎉 Final Step!
After this, your printer is fully calibrated. All 9 steps complete.