3D Printer Filament Comparison Guide

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is another commonly used 3D printer material. Best used for making durable parts that need to withstand higher temperatures. In comparison to PLA filament, ABS plastic is less "brittle" and more "ductile." It can also be post-processed with acetone to provide a glossy finish. When 3D printing with ABS filament, a heated printing surface is recommended, as ABS plastic will contract when cooled leading to warped parts. ABS filament is available in both 1.75mm and 3mm diameter sizes. For tips and tricks on 3D printing ABS, check out How To Succeed When Printing With ABS.

ABS 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• ABS filament is strong, ductile material with wear resistance and heat tolerance.

• Common 3D prints with ABS are Interlocking parts like gears, parts exposed to UV and heat like a car cup holder, or prototyping.

• Wide selection of methods for excellent post-processing.

PRO Series ABS filament is a formulation of ABS plastic intended to help your 3D prints stand out with a beautiful, glossy, opaque finish. It is made in the USA and best used when producing high quality, precision 3D prints. As with regular ABS filament, printed parts will withstand higher temperatures than PLA plastic. PRO ABS also requires a heated bed for proper printing. PRO Series ABS is produced to more precise specifications and has a tolerance of ± 0.05mm. PRO Series ABS filament is available in both 1.75mm and 3mm diameter sizes.For tips and tricks on 3D printing PRO Series ABS, check out How To Succeed When Printing With ABS.

PRO Series ABS 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• ABS filament is a stiff but brittle 3d printing material.

• Best used for interlocking parts like gears, parts exposed to UV and heat like a car cup holder, or prototyping.

• Best 3D printer material for a wide selection of methods for excellent post-processing.

ColorFabb nGen is the perfect filament for beginners or those who don't want to constantly refine print settings. Because this material prints well at a wide range of temperatures and speeds, you can spend less time refining your settings and more time printing. nGen flows very well through the print nozzle and does not clog often. This filament is great for creating durable parts while avoiding print failures and the need to adjust print settings. nGen has the astounding ability to print parts with many bridges successfully where other materials have failed. Additionally, nGen has a very opaque and crisp looking appearance when printed. Although best printed on a heated bed, BuildTak or a similar adhesive can minimize warping. nGen is available in a variety of colors in both 1.75mm and 3mm.

nGen 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• nGen filament is a stiff but brittle 3d printing material with an excellent surface finish.

• Designed for ease-of-use printing and minimal settings tweaking, making it great for both cosmetic and functional parts.

• Low-odor and easy to print like PLA, yet high heat resistance like ABS.

NylonX 3D printing filament is an amazing, reinforced nylon filament. By adding micro-carbon fibers to nylon, you get a tough filament capable of printing parts with stiffness, impact resistance, and high tensile strength. NylonX filament is an engineering grade filament, ready for home 3D printing, which gives you the durability of Nylon combined with the stiffness of carbon fiber. The best part of NylonX is that the carbon fiber adds stability and rigidity, so parts are much less likely to warp than with standard nylon. With a unique matte black finish, NylonX eliminates post-print processing. Finished prints can immediately be moved to production with no sanding, polishing, scraping, or pesky acetone vapor baths. If you are already printing with Nylon, it's time to upgrade to Nylon X. NylonX is available in both 1.75mm and 3mm. For tips and tricks on 3D printing NylonX, check out A Closer Look at 3D Printing with NylonX.

NylonX 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• NylonX filament is strong like carbon fiber and durable like nylon.

• Best used for tough functional parts, wear parts, and production-ready prints.

• Printed parts come off the bed with zero post processing required.

PRO Series Nylon filament is a formulation of Nylon plastic intended to help your 3D prints stand out with a beautiful finish in a variety of vibrant colors. It is made in the USA to the tightest tolerances on the market and best used when producing high quality, precision 3D prints. Flexible when thin, but with very high inter-layer adhesion, nylon lends itself well to things like living hinges and other functional parts. Nylon filament is extremely sensitive to moisture, so taking drying measures during storage and immediately prior to printing (using desiccant, vacuum, or elevated temperature) is highly recommended for best results.PRO Nylon also requires a heated bed for proper printing. PRO Series Nylon filament is available in both 1.75mm and 3mm. For tips and tricks on 3D printing Nylon, check out How To Succeed When Printing With Nylon.

PRO Series Nylon 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• PRO Series Nylon filament is strong yet flexible making it tough to break and shatter resistant.

• Commonly used for living hinges, functionally strong parts.

• Must be dried before printing for strength and a glossy finish, and is available in a variety of colors.

PRO Series PETG filament, is an industrial strength filament with several great features. Like all our PRO Series filament, it is manufactured in the USA to the tightest tolerances for precison 3D printing. Figuratively speaking, it combines the ease of use of PLA filament with the strength and durability of ABS filament. First, its strength is much higher than PLA and it is FDA approved for food containers and tools used for food consumption. Unlike ABS filament, it barely warps, and produces no odors or fumes when printed. PET filament is not biodegradable, but it is 100% reclaimable. It's known for its clarity and is also very good at bridging. PET 3D printing filament is available in 1.75mm and 3mm. For tips and tricks on 3D printing PETG, check out How To Succeed When Printing With PETG.

PRO Series PETG 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• PET filament is a durable and flexible 3D printing material with a glossy finish and is impact and heat resistant.

• Best used for mechanical parts and snap fit enclosures.

• Sticks incredibly well to blue painters tape.

PolyPropylene filament (PP) has a number of uses as a 3D printing material. Its best use is for packaging, food-safe containers, and living hinges. Polypropylene materialm has a much better ability to elongate without breaking when compared to PLA filament. It also resists impact better than PLA as well. Where PLA plastic tends to shatters and snap while Polypropylene plastic bends and squeezes into place. However, Polypropylene can be difficult to stick well to most print surfaces, including glass, kapton tape, PEI, and some packaging tapes. Most packaging tape is made with Polypropylene and it will stick to that, otherwise it won't work. With the right type of packaging tape, a bed temperature of 120°C and an extrusion temperature of 240°C produces great prints. PolyPropylene filament is available in a clear color in 3mm

PolyPropylene 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• PolyProylene filament is flexible and chemically inert 3D printing material.

• Commonly used for living hinges, medical devices, and chemistry equipment.

• Very hygroscopic, making drying before printing an essential step.

TPE filament is a flexible 3D printing material that feels and acts much like flexible rubber. TPE filament can be used to make parts that can bend or must flex to fit their environment: stoppers, belts, springs, phone cases, and more. This extremely flexible 3D printer material will allow you to create 3D prints that will have the properties of a soft rubber, making it even more flexible and elastic than our Soft PLA filament. Due to its flexibility, much slower print speeds must be used to keep the filament from binding in the extruder. TPE 3D printing filament is available in 1.75mm and 3mm.

TPE 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• TPE filament creates rubbery, elastic, and impact resistant parts.

• Best used for stoppers, belts, caps, phone cases, bumpers and more.

• The less infill you use, the more flexible your finished print will be.

Soft PLA, also known as 'flexible' PLA, is useful for printing rubber-like parts that can bend or flex. It is compatible with almost all desktop 3D printers. Soft PLA is available in both 1.75mm and 3mm.

Soft PLA 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• Soft PLA creates rubbery, elastic, and impact resistant parts.

• Best used for stoppers, belts, caps, phone cases, bumpers and more.

• The less infill you use, the more flexible your finished print will be.

LAYWOO-D3, ColorFabb's Woodfill series, and Timberfill are wood-like 3D printer materials that give 3D printed objects the look and feel of fiberboard. They imbue parts with other wood-like attributes, such as the ability be cut, painted, and sanded. These filaments use PLA as their base, and mix other materials (usually in powder form)into them. The PLA gives the 3D printer compatibility and ease of use while the material contributes to the look, feel, and properties of the filament. With Woodfill, LAYWOO-D3, and Timberfill, you get the color and texture of real wood with your finished prints, but with Corkfill, you get the added benefit of its light weight. With these organic fills, be cautious of too high of a temperature, as it will result in the wood burning which will give you a darker colored print. It is important to remove the filament from the extruder fairly soon after finishing a print, as the filament will begin to burn in the nozzle and start to clog it. These filaments are all available in both 1.75mm or 3mm unspooled and spooled rolls.

Wood PLA 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• Wood filaments looks and feels similar to actual wood with printing properties of PLA.

• Best used for wooden busts, sculptures, or tikis. Anything really complex to chisel.

• Different extruder temperatures produce different colors; the hotter, the darker.

LayCeramic filament is clay engineered for 3D Printers that can be used to make ceramic objects. LayCeramic has all the capabilities of normal clay including the ability to be fired and glazed to give it a nice glossy look and increase strength. 3D Printing with LayCeramic will require a few additional upgrades to your Printer including a full metal hotend, a filament warmer (LayCeramic is brittle), and a kiln which isn't necessary, but part of the clay sculpting process. LayCeramic filament is available in 3mm.

LayCeramic 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• LayCeramic filament is very brittle but can be fired in a kiln to achieve a ceramic texture and be able to apply a glaze.

• Best used mugs, model roofing tiles, ashtrays, sculptures, or pottery.

• A filament warmer makes printing significantly easier and a kiln takes this filament from interesting to amazing.

These metal infused PLA filaments are tougher to print than MH Build PLA filament, but because of the metal blended with the plastic, prints are heavier and thus, feel more authentic. Finished 3D prints can be sanded and polished to create beautiful and unique pieces. Unpolished, the filament looks like cast metal fresh from a mold, with a dull, matte, gritty appearance. With just a little finishing and polishing, however, you can easily create any look like you desire. 3D Printing with these metals is perfect for printing jewelry, props, costumes, figurines, and robots. These filaments are great not only for hobbyists looking to make faux metal prints, but serious designers as well. BrassFill, BronzeFill, and CopperFill are available in both 1.75mm and 3mm.

3D Printing Filament Properties:

• These filaments print like PLA but slower, with finished prints being hard and heavy.

• Best used for cosmetic prints of busts, jewelry, or sculptures.

• Best results can be achieve by rock tumbling, polishing, or wet sanding to achieve a super smooth surface finish.

Magnetic Iron PLA filament is truly one of a kind. Because of the iron powder blended into the PLA filament, this Iron filament is magnetic. The filament itself isn't a magnet, but magnets will stick to it. We recommend a printing temperature that is about 10-20 degrees lower than you would print with MH Build PLA material. To get a rusty look, "scuff" your finished print with a wire brush to expose more of the iron particles to the air. Then, spray vinegar onto your print and let it dry, doing this three or our times. Mix 16oz of hydrogen peroxide with 2oz of vinegar and 1 Tbs of salt in a spray bottle, and spray the print and watch as it rusts in front of you. Let dry and repeat as many times as desired. Magnetic Iron PLA filament can bring a worn and rusty look to any print. Due to its high abrasion, before printing you will need to install a hardened steel nozzle on your printer. Proto Pasta Magnetic Iron PLA filament is available in both 1.75mm and 3mm.

Magnetic Iron 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• Magnetic Iron filament prints like PLA but slower, with finished prints being hard and heavy.

• Best used for cosmetic prints of busts, accessories, or aged-metal props.

• Best results can be achieve by rock tumbling, polishing, or wet sanding to achieve a super smooth surface finish, and an extra effect of rusting lightly for an aged and worn look.

Bendlay is an exciting new filament that is extremely translucent (91% of light passes through) and also is quite flexible. This extremely translucent material will allow you to print nearly clear items, while at the same time being remarkably resilient and elastic. BendLay is a modified Butadiene, which is safe for household and food products. BendLay has a high interlayer adhesion, making it a really easy-to-print filament. Compared to ABS filament, it absorbs far less moisture from the air and thus cuts down on warping significantly. Bendlay filament is available in 1.75mm and 3mm.

BendLay 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• BendLay filament is a tough and ductile 3D printing material with 91% light transmission.

• Best used ornate cups, containers, or translucent objects.

• High layer adhesion and food-safe means you can print ornate cups and containers with this filament.

Like MatterHackers NylonX, continuous fiber materials are designed for production ready parts. Whereas most 3D printing materials are meant for rapid prototypes and models for testing, continuous fiber filaments are ready to be printed and put to use. When using strong base filaments like Nylon with continuous fibers of fiberglass, carbon fiber, or Kevlar, printed parts are prepared to face real use and stress without breaking while maintaining a professional and beautiful finish.

Continuous Fiber Filament Properties:

• Continuous fiber filament is strong, durable, and ready to take abuse.

• Best used for production parts, drone bodies, or even manufacturing molds.

• Although the simplest adhesive is PVA glue, a bed made of Garolite is your best option for your build platform.

High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) is very similar to ABS. The main difference is that HIPS plastic can be dissolved using Limonene as a solvent, therefore making it a great option as support material when printing ABS with dual extrusion printer. HIPS filament is as easy to 3D print with as ABS but is much less likely to warp. HIPS filament is available in 1.75mm and 3mm.

HIPS 3D Printing Support Filament Properties:

• HIPS filament is a rigid, support material that dissolves away in limonene.

• Best used for models with internal supports or supports for incredibly detailed models with many overhangs.

• Best 3D printer support material for ABS because of similar printing temperatures.

LAY-CLOUD is a 3D printing support material designed to support your flexible filament prints. As it is meant to dissolve in water it must be kept in its resealable bag, otherwise it will begin to absorb water. When LAY-CLOUD begins to absorb water, it will start to gel, and when has absorbed as much water as it can, the support material will collapse and turn gooey. LAY-CLOUD is best printed at 240°C to achieve the best print viscosity. Of the LAY-AWAY Support Series, LAY-CLOUD is the best support material for flexible filaments. LAY-CLOUD is available in both 1.75mm and 3mm unspooled rolls.

LAY-CLOUD 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• LAY-CLOUD filament is a stiff, water soluble 3d printing support material.

• Best used for models with internal supports or supports for incredibly detailed models with many overhangs.

• Best used to support flexible filament.

ETHY-LAY is a 3D printing support material designed to dissolve in alcohol. Because it is alcohol soluble, it doesn't need to be kept with a desiccant or in a dry environment. When printing with water-sensitive filaments like Nylon, a support material that doesn't need water to be dissolved is ideal. ETHY-LAY is best printed at the low temperature of 165°C to achieve the best print viscosity. In addition, though helpful, it will print just fine without a heated bed Of the LAY-AWAY Support Series, ETHY-LAY is best used for Nylon, NylonX, and bio prints. ETHY-LAY is available in both 1.75mm and 3mm unspooled rolls.

ETHY-LAY 3D Printing Filament Properties:

• ETHY-LAY filament is a stiff, water soluble 3d printing support material.

• Best used for models with internal supports or supports for incredibly detailed models with many overhangs.

• Best used for nylon based filaments to avoid their hygroscopic properties.