Find out below to find the best 3D filament materials for your 3d printer.

3D filaments are materials used for 3D printing. 3D filaments come in different types and your filament choice might depend on the object that you are trying to build. If you want to learn the different types of 3D printer filaments on the market, their purposes and edges against each other you are on the right page. Read further to learn more about 3D filaments.

3D Printing Filament	Price Check	Special Properties	Usage	Printing Temperature	Bed Temperature	Bed Adhesion	Availability	Glow in the Dark
ABS		Making durable parts that need to withstand higher temperatures, Easy to print with, strong plastic,	Legos, instruments, sports equipment, Objects that might be dropped, knife handles, car phone mounts, phone cases, toys, wedding rings	210°C – 250°C	80°C-110 °C	Kapton Tape / Hairspray	1.75mm/3mm	Yes
PLA		Odorless, Low-warp, Eco-Friendly, Less energy to process	Food containers, such as candy wrappers, and biodegradable medical implants, models, prototype parts	190°C - 230°C	60°C - 80°C.	Blue painter's tape/ Hairspray	1.75mm/3mm	Yes
PVA		Non harmful, non-toxic, and environment friendly, Easily be dissolved in water under normal temperature, Easily stripping.	paper adhesive, thickener, packaging film, in feminine hygiene, adult incontinence products, in children’s play putty or slime, freshwater sports fishing,	180°C – 230°C	45 °C	Blue Painters Tape	1.75mm/3mm	No
PET		FDA approved for food containers and tools used for food consumption, barely warps, no odors or fumes when printed	phone cases and mechanical parts that require flexibility and impact resistance, jewelry, props, and electronics	230-255 °C	55 °C-70 °C	Blue Painters Tape	1.75mm/3mm	No
PETT		Colorless, Water Clear, FDA approved, Recyclable, Strong and Flexible	Food containers like cups and utensils, Soda pop bottles,	210°C – 230°C	45 °C	Blue Painters Tape	1.75mm/3mm	No
HIPS		Biodegradable, Great 3D Support material, low-cost,	costumes, models, miniature figurines, prototyping	220-230 °C	50 °C-60 °C	Kapton Tape/Hairspray	1.75mm/3mm	No
Nylon		strong, lightweight, durable, flexible, wear-resistant, 100% thermoplastic	machine parts, mechanical components, structural parts, gears and bearings, dynamic load, containers, tools, consumer products and toys.	210°C – 250°C	60 °C-80 °C	PVA Based Glue	1.75mm/3mm	No
Wood		Versatility, Real wood scent, Durability, contain real wood fibers	wooden box, wooden figurine, tables, chairs, cups or the likes.	200°C - 260°C	90°C-110°C.	Blue Painters Tape	1.75mm/3mm	No
Sandstone		No plastic feeling, Printed objects can be coloured and easely grinded, Stics well on print bed, No heated bed necessary, Near zero warp	Architecture models, landscapes,	165°C – 210°C	20 °C-55 °C	Blue Painters Tape	1.75mm/3mm	No
Metal		highly durable, not soluble, little shrinkage during cooling	Jewelry, statues, home hardware and artifact replicas.	195-220 °C	50 °C	Blue Painters Tape	1.75mm/3mm	No
Magnetic Iron PLA		High Durability, Magnetic Look, Magnetic properties	Fridge magnets, sensors, actuators, magnetic stirrers, and educational, DIY projects.	185 °C	20 °C-55 °C	Blue Painters Tape	1.75mm/3mm	No
Conductive PLA		Very low warping, Not Soluble, Print low-voltage electronic circuits,	low-voltage circuitry applications, touch sensor projects,	225°C-260 °C	90 °C-110 °C	Kapton Tape/ Haispray	1.75mm/3mm	No
Carbon Fiber		Highly Durable, Soluble, Low Warpage, Good layer adhesion	Frames, supports, propellers, tools, mechanical parts, protective casings, shells, high durability applications	195°C-220 °C	50 °C	Blue Painters Tape	1.75mm/3mm	No
Flexible/TPE		Flexible 3D printing material, excellent abrasion resistance, smooth feeding properties, Durability	Toys, novelty items, wearable, phone cases, visual products.	210°C-225 °C	20-55 °C	Blue Painters Tape	1.75mm/3mm	No
Glow In The Dark		Minimal Warping, Glow in the Dark properties, durable, not soluble, low shrinkage during cooling	children’s toys, novelty items, wearables, phone cases, visual products.	185°C-205 °C	70 °C	Blue Painters Tape	1.75mm/3mm	Yes
Amphora		High strength and very high toughness, FDA food contact compliance, Odor Neutral processing, Styrene free formulation	Desktop items, Mechanical Parts,	220°C – 250°C	60 °C- 70 °C	Blue Painters Tape	1.75mm/3mm	No

What is 3D Filament

3D filaments are plastic filaments that are used to make 3D prints. In 3D printing, the most popular filaments are ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and PLA (Polylactic Acid). However, there are more filaments out there other than these two that you often read or hear. Check out the next passage to learn the different types of 3D filament on the market.

Types of 3D Printing Filament

Here’s a list of the different types of 3D printing filament that you can choose from:

#1 ABS

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene a.k.a. ABS was the most popular 3D printer filament. In fact, it is used in a wide variety of applications due to its toughness and impact-resistance abilities. It is also strong and slightly flexible, which makes it a good material for 3D printing. In addition, ABS can be easily extruded, which makes it very easy to operate in 3D printing.

Print Temperature Range: 210°C – 250°C

Applications

ABS is ideal for moving parts, automotive parts, electronic housing, and toys. In fact, it is used in pipes, automotive components, electronic assemblies, protective headgear like bicycle helmets, music instruments, kitchen appliances, LEGO bricks and more.

There are several variants of ABS filament on the market, check it out here.

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#2 PLA

Polylactic acid or PLA is another popular filament that is often compared against ABS. PLA is biodegradable thermoplastic that is derived from renewable resources like cornstarch, sugar cane, tapioca roots and potato starch. This 3D printing filament is more environment friendly compared to other plastic materials. Due to this and its low-toxicity features, more and more prefer PLA over ABS and it is now the most popular 3D printing filament in the 3D printing community.

Unlike ABS, PLA filament doesn’t produce toxic stink during printing, so it is safer to use within the homes and classrooms. Moreover, the plastic doesn’t contract when cooling down, so there is no need for a heated bed for your 3D printer.

Print Temperature Range: 180°C – 230°C

Applications

PLA has the ability to degrade into inoffensive lactic acid in the body and due to this property, it is used in medical ativan suturing and surgical implants. Surgically implanted screws, pins, rods or mesh naturally breaks down in the body within 6 months to 2 years.

Aside from this, PLA is considered safe. Thus, it is also used in food packaging, candy wrappers, disposable tableware, disposable garments, hygiene product and diapers to name a few.

If you want to get a PLA 3D filament for your next project, you can get purchase it here.

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#3 PVA

Polylvinyl Alcohol better known as PVA is another great 3D filament. PVA is a special plastic that is water soluble. This type of filament is based on polyvinyl alcohol, so it has pretty good properties like being non-toxic and biodegradable. PVA is easy to print and they make a good support during a printing process for those models with overhangs that is impossible to print without a support.

Print Temperature Range: 180°C – 230°C

Applications

PVA are commonly used as a paper adhesive, thickener, packaging film, in feminine hygiene, adult incontinence products, in children’s play putty or slime. This material is also popular in freshwater sports fishing, where PVA bags filled with bait are thrown into the water. The bag rapidly dissolves and releases the bait to attract the fish.

If you need a PVA 3D printer filament, check it here.

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#4 PET

PolyEthylene Terephthalate or PET is another popular 3D filament from plastic bottles. This is a stable and harmless plastic. It does not produce any funky odors and is totally recyclable.PET filament in its original state is colorless and crystal clear. However, when exposed to heat or cold the material changes its transparency.

When you allow PET filament to cool down slowly after printing, it will have cyrstalline structure. PET has different versions, including PETG. This modification is a clear thermoplastic with a possibility to thermoform and mold the item after being printed. You can also polish this with flame.

Print Temperature Range: 220°C – 250°C

Applications: PET filament is ideal for packaging purposes because of its vapor barrier and strength. This 3D filament is often used in phone cases and mechanical parts that require flexibility and impact resistance.

If you want to get a PET 3D printer filament, you can purchase it here.

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#5 PETT

PolyEthylene coTrimethylene Terephthalate (PETT) marketed as T-Glase filament is another popular 3D printer filament. This material is colorless and water clear. It does not degrade to a color in multiple layers of applied thickness. This type of 3D printing filament is not biodegradable, but it is recyclable.

Print Temperature Range: 210°C – 230°C

Applications:

PETT is FDA approved polymers, making it safe for direct food contact. Most PETT applications include food containers like cups and utensils. Soda pop bottles are made of this material.

You can purchase your PETT filament here.

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#6 HIPS

High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) material is biodegradable and has a bright white color. It has no adverse effects when it comes in close contact with humans or pets. HIPS is very similar to ABS, only that it uses Limonene as a solvent. HIPS filament, just like PVA filament, is also a great 3D support material. In fact, HIPS would make a great support material when you print ABS with dual extrusion printer.

Print Temperature Range: 210°C – 250°C

Applications

HIPS filament’s specific application is not to fabricate the object itself. This 3D printer filament is popular as a secondary material in dual extrusion 3D printers to provide structural support to a complex object. HIP is well spread in the food industry for packaging. It is also used to pack CD disks and to produce medicinal tray.

If you need HIPS 3D printer filament, check it out here.

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#7 Nylon

Polyamide better known as Nylon is a popular synthetic polymer that is also used in many industrial applications. This 3D printer filament is a cost-effective plastic. It is strong, lightweight, flexible and wear-resistant. Nylon is a great choice for printing mechanical parts and functional parts due to its strength and high melting temperature.

Print Temperature Range: 210°C – 250°C

Applications

Due to Nylon’s strength, durability and flexibility are it used in a variety of applications. This material is ideal for machine parts, mechanical components, structural parts, gears and bearings, dynamic load, containers, tools, consumer products and toys.

Another weak spot about Nylon is its sensitivity to moisture. It can absorb moisture easily. In fact, it can absorb over 10% of its weight in just 24 hours, which is quite bad. So, you have to be very discreet when storing this. You must keep it dry for good prints by storing it in a sealed container with moisture remover or silica gel packets. Another issue with Nylon is adhesion.

If you need a Nylon 3D printer filament, worry no more because you can purchase it here.

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#8 Wood

If you are tired of producing plastics and want to see something new in your next 3D printing project, you can unleash your creativity with wood-like outputs by using FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) filament also known as Wood Filament.

Wood Filament contains a mixture of recycling wood with binding polymer. Thus, helping you produce a 3D object that looks and smells like wood. Due to its wooden nature, it’s difficult to tell that the object is 3D printed. Using Wood filament is similar to using a thermoplastic filament like ABS and PLA. However, with this material, you get this unrepeatable wooden-like appearance. When using this 3D printer filament, the temperature should be between175C and 250C.

Print Temperature Range: 195°C – 220°C

Applications

Wood filaments are often used in decors or materials that you want to achieve with a wooden nature. You can use it to print a wooden box, wooden figurine, tables, chairs, cups or the likes.

If you still wish to use a Wooden filament for your next 3D printing project, you can get it here.

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#9 Sandstone

Sandstone 3D printer filament is another great material that will give you a unique output. This material combines fine chalk powder with PLA to provide you the color and texture similar to a stone. With Sandstone 3D printer filament, you can produce different surface characteristics either smooth or rough by changing the extrusion temperature while 3D printing.

Print Temperature Range: 165°C – 210°C

Applications

This 3D printer is ideal for architectural, museum or landscape display and structural parts.

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#10 Metal

Another interesting 3D printer filament that you should try is Metal PLA. This material is a category of PLA combined with actual metallic powder. By using this type of filament you will produce 3D printed materials that look and feel like there were made of bronze, brass or copper.

Print Temperature Range: 195°C – 220°C

Applications

Since metal PLA produce metal-like outputs, this 3D printer material works great for jewelry, statues, home hardware and artifact replicas.

If you want a Metal PLA filament for your next 3D printing, you can get it here.

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#11 Magnetic Iron

Magnetic Iron PLA is another great 3D printer filament that you will surely enjoy. This will be helpful if you want to 3D print magnet-like objects. This filament is just like magnets, it strongly attracts to magnets like neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) or samarium cobalt (SmCo) magnets. It has iron contents and is packed in a vacuum-sealed bag with a desiccant pack.

Print Temperature Range: 195°C – 220°C

Applications

This type of 3D printer filament is great for decors such as fridge magnets and the likes. This is also used to make sensors, actuators, magnetic stirrers, and educational and DIY projects.

If you need a magnetic filament, you can get it here.

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#12 Conductive PLA

Conductive PLA 3D printer filament opens up new opportunities for your next 3D printing project. This material includes a conductive carbon particulate to allow you to 3D print low-voltage electronic circuits for simple items like LEDs and sensors. You can couple this 3D printer filament with a standard PLA filament on a dual-extrusion machine to fabricate a basic circuit board straight from the print bed.

Print Temperature Range: 215°C – 230°C

Applications

This 3D printer filament is ideal for LEDs, sensors, circuits and low-voltage Arduino projects.

If you need a Conductive PLA 3D filament printer, you can check it here.

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#13 Carbon Fiber 3D Printer Filament

Carbon Fiber PLA contains small chopped carbon fiber strands. It offers impressive rigidity, structure, and layer adhesion. Processing this filament is comparable to a standard PLA. However, it has stiffer PLA with better dimensional stability for warp-free printing, excellent layer adhesion, and easy support removal.

Print Temperature Range: 195°C – 220°C

Application

This 3D printer filament is ideal for mechanical parts, protective casings, shells and high durability applications.

If you need a Carbon Fiber PLA filament, get one here.

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#14 Flexible/TPE 3D Printer Filament

Every type of 3D printer filament has its own strengths and when it comes to flexibility, nothing would beat Flexible / TPE 3D printer filament. This item is made of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) that make it super stretchable. The TPE material has high elastic characteristics that it feels like rubber. It bounces back and forth into shape. This material is good for FDM printers and can be used for ABS and PLA filaments. In addition, it can withstand tough environments that ABS and PLA can’t.

Print Temperature Range: 225°C – 235°C

Applications

Due to its extreme flexibility, Flexible/TPE finds a large application in the automotive and household appliance sector. It is also ideal for toys, novelty items, wearable, phone cases, and visual products.

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#15 Glow In The Dark

As the name suggests, this 3D printer filament glows in the dark. It is designed to glow brightly for an extended amount of time. However, you need to charge the object or exposed it to a light source to allow it to emit light. The Glow in the dark filament is a good choice for projects with a Halloween theme. Since this is a type of PLA and PLA is biodegradable and environmentally friendly, this is safe for everyone, including children.

Print Temperature Range: 215°C

Applications

This material is great for children’s toys, novelty items, wearables, phone cases or visual products. Glow in the dark 3D printer filament is also among the favorite materials for budding artists who want to bring a new dimension of arts in 3D printing.

You can also use this filament to print Glow in the dark light switches, so you can easily find the switch in the dark. This will also be a great material to design light-shades that will continue to glow after you turned off the lights to allow your children for an easy transition to sleeping at night.

If you want to use a Glow in the dark PLA 3D printer filament for your next project, you can purchase it here.

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#16 Amphora 3D Printer Filament

This material is a fancy 3D printer filament developed by the Eastman Chemical Company. It is an entirely new polymer than is specially designed for 3D printing unlike other categories of thermoplastic that are just repurposed for 3D printing. Although the difference is minimal it is important. This material will help you produce glossy, opaque, and bright object.

Print Temperature Range: 220°C – 250°C

Applications

Amphora is stiff, lightweight and impact resistance, making it ideal for mechanical parts.

If you need Amphora, you can get it here:

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How To Choose The Right 3D Printer Filament

With all the different types of 3D printer filament on the market, choosing the best one will surely be challenging. However, to help you decide how to determine the best material for your next project, here are some tips for you.

1. What are you building – If you want to build a glow in the dark object, you can go for Glow in the dark PLA 3D printer filament. If you want to produce wooden decors or objects, then get a Wood PLA filament. If you want sandstone, metallic or magnetic object, get the appropriate filament for each project. In cases, where you can’t choose between ABS and PLA, then you should examine your priority. Do you want a safer product or a cheaper material? Which do you prefer, the strength and flexibility of ABS or the wide range of available colors, translucencies and glossy feel of PLA? Decide for yourself.
2. Diameter – 3D printer filament comes with different diameters. There are 3mm and 1.75mm. Between the two, 1.75mm is better. It is more common in the market and rotates out of the inventory faster, so you can expect to get a new material when you buy it. It also offers better extruding, retraction and flow of plastic. Regardless of the size you choose, the diameter should be consistent and round throughout.
3. Moisture is another common issue concerning 3D printer filament. This problem is due to poor packaging or due to long exposure outside of the packaging. Plastic absorbs moisture from the atmosphere relative to the humidity and duration of exposure. You will notice this in the filament when it has splatter and spiting at the hot-end due to water very quickly turning to tiny expanding pockets of steam.
4. Impurities – This is a major issue when selecting a 3D printer filament. Chemical impurities will turn your 3D printing experience into a nightmare. It leads to poor melted plastic viscocity with debris plugging up the extruder nozzle. This will cost you money and time. In addition, you have to clean the extruder. In view of this, don’t go for cheap There is a direct correlation between cheap filament and plugged nozzles. Save yourself from troubles and headaches by investing in a well-rated and decently priced filament.

Have you decided what 3D printer filament to get for your next project? Are you interested to try those materials you haven’t tried yet? If you have additional inputs, feel free to add it.