Esteps

Esteps, short for extrusion steps per millimeter, is the number of motor steps required to push one millimeter of filament into the hot end. It is determined by the combination of the step angle of the motor, the microstepping setting, any gearing between the motor and the drive gear, and the effective distance the filament advances per full rotation of the drive gear (its circumference). A general way to think about it is: the extrusion steps per millimeter equals (steps per motor revolution × microsteps × gear ratio) divided by the drive gear circumference in millimeters.

Because the geometry of the drive system varies between printers, Esteps values differ widely. In practice, direct-drive extruders without heavy gearing often report roughly 90–150 steps per millimeter, while geared extruders can require significantly more (often several hundred steps/mm). The exact value should be determined for each setup.

Calibration method: determine the current E-steps per millimeter from the firmware, mark a filament length (e.g., 100 mm) at the entry to the hot end, and command the extruder to push 100 mm. Measure the actual filament advance, then compute a corrected value: E_new = E_old × (100 / actual_extruded). Update the firmware with M92 E{E_new} and save with M500 (or M501 as appropriate). Re-test and repeat if necessary.

Notes: Esteps relate to length of filament moved, not mass; volumetric extrusion uses filament diameter in the slicer, which can affect how extrusion translates to printed material. After hardware changes (new extruder, gears, drive wheel) recalibration is recommended to maintain accurate extrusion.