3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

ABS-CF vs Breakaway

Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.

Carbon-fibre ABS (ABS-CF) guideBreak-away support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ABS-CF comparisonsMore Breakaway comparisons
ABS-CF vs Breakaway — documented properties and sources
PropertyCarbon-fibre ABS (ABS-CF)ABSBreak-away supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$35.99/kg median; $22.00–$125.00/kg across 7 dated product listings$42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryABS reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[1]Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.11 (ISO 1183)[1]1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[2][3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 22–125; the middle of the market is about 36[4][5][6][7][8]1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[9][10][11]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg22–125 across brands; IEMAI 22, Siraya Tech 28 and 36 for the core-shell grade, YXPOLYER 35, Push Plastic 50 at 2 kg, 3DXTech 64 at 750 g; Stratasys-compatible cartridges run far higher[4][5][6][7][12][8]26–80 across brands and grades; IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE 26, Polymaker PolySupport for PLA 40 at 750 g, YXPOLYER 45, PolySupport for PA12 80 at 500 g[9][10][11]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][5]Available from several mainstream brands[9][4]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 2 kg spools plus Stratasys-compatible cartridges[4][5]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[9]
Typical applicationsStiff tooling and fixtures that must survive above 100 °C[1]Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[13]Open frame is fine[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidClean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[13][14]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield; the fibre reduces warping against unfilled ABS[13]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[13]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[15]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; hardened nozzle mandatory[13]Easy — minor profile tuning[2]
Extruder requirementNot documentedA second extruder or a tool changer[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[13]Brass fine indefinitely[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[13]Non-abrasive[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech specifies a hardened nozzle of 0.4 mm minimum and 0.25 mm layers or higher, and Prusa lists composites as a higher clogging risk[16][17][18]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Polymaker specifies a 55 °C dry for the PLA grade and warns brass nozzle life falls to about 9 h on the PA12 grade[2][3]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[14]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[14]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — the ABS matrix takes up 0.51–0.65 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH and 3DXTech specifies a 80 °C, 4 h pre-dry[19][20][16]Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[21]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; absorbed water flashes to steam in the hotend and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[21]Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[21]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[21]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa46 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa5210 (printed XY, ISO 527) — more than double unfilled ABS[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%2 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa76 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa5260 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; elongation at break 2 %[1]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good — no creep test found; chopped carbon fibre restrains matrix flow and modulus rises to 5210 MPa against 2200–2330 for unfilled ABS[1][19][20]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Below average — no S-N curve found; elongation at break falls to 2 % against 10.5 % for unfilled ABS[1][19]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented43 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, PolySupport for PA12). Polymaker's sheet prints a higher figure at the higher load, which is physically inverted; treat both HDT numbers as approximate[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, PolySupport for PA12) — printed above the 0.45 MPa figure on Polymaker's own sheet, which cannot be right; treat both as approximate[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C105 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documentedVicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[3]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K19–25 along the print bead and 80–84 in the build direction at 30 °C (20 wt% CF, large-format printed, TMA)[22]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[23]Not documented
Food contactNot food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[15]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[15]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[15]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10⁹ ohm/sq — not static-dissipative (ASTM D257)[1]Surface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[24][25]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[26][13]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[26]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[26]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min2 × 10¹⁰ to 9 × 10¹⁰ median across all ABS printers, two orders of magnitude above PLA's ≈1 × 10⁸[26]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedStyrene dominates. Bambu Lab states ABS and ASA release harmful gases such as styrene at printing temperature, which can be toxic and cause dizziness or nausea[26][13]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[26][13]Open a window / occasional ventilation[26]
Dust & fibre handling hazardCarbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands well and takes filler before painting[15]Not documented
Painting & finishingPaints readily after light abrasion[15]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingAcetone smoothing is blunted by the fibre — only the resin fraction dissolves[23]Not documented
Support material pairingHIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[27][13]This is the support material. Polymaker publishes an adhesion matrix per model material, from very good to unusable, because break-away supports only work against the polymer they were matched to[2][3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inAcetone dissolves the resin and leaves the fibre as sludge; MEK, THF, ethyl acetate and chlorinated solvents do the same.[28][23]None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[29]
Softened or crazed byPetrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[28][30]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentAcetone vapour reaches only the resin fraction, so the fibre is left standing proud of the smoothed surface.[31][23]None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[29]

Material entries describe families or representative grades, not an interchangeable specification for every spool. Test methods, orientations and conditions may differ. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.

Sources for this comparison

  1. CarbonX Carbon Fiber ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. IEMAI CF-ABS 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Siraya Tech Fibreheart ABS-CF Filament product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. YXPOLYER ABS CF product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Siraya Tech Fibreheart ABS-CF Core Filament product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  15. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. CARBONX ABS+CF — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Carbon Fiber Filled — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ABS Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  20. Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
  21. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Effects of Fiber Orientation on the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of Fiber-Filled Polymer Systems in Large Format Polymer Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing Materials 15(8):2764 · 2022-04 · paper
  23. PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  24. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  25. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  26. Emissions of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds from Commercially Available Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments (Azimi et al.) Environmental Science & Technology 50(3) 1260-1268 · 2016-01 · paper
  27. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  28. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  29. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  30. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  31. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc