3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

ABS-FR vs PC-FR

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

Flame-retardant ABS (FR-ABS) guideFlame-retardant PC (PC-FR) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ABS-FR comparisonsMore PC-FR comparisons
ABS-FR vs PC-FR — documented properties and sources
PropertyFlame-retardant ABS (FR-ABS)ABSFlame-retardant PC (PC-FR)PC
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$52.00/kg median; $44.99–$120.00/kg across 5 dated product listings$87.50/kg median; $54.99–$224.00/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryABS with a flame-retardant package; 3DXTech rates the base resin UL 94 V-0[1]Flame-retardant polycarbonate. Polymaker builds its grade on Covestro's Makrolon family and rates it UL 94 V-0[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.18 (ISO 1183) — above unfilled ABS at 1.05 because of the retardant loading[1][4]1.18 (Bambu Lab) and 1.2 (Polymaker), ISO 1183[3][2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 45–120; the middle of the market is about 52[5][6][7][8]1 kg-equivalent spools span 55–224; the two mainstream 1 kg grades are 55 and the industrial grades 120–224[3][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg45–120 across brands; SUNLU 45, YXPOLYER 50, Coex 3D 52, 3DXTech 107 at 750 g pricing; the FR PC/ABS grade runs 120[5][6][7][8]55–224 across brands; Bambu Lab and Polymaker 55, 3DXTech FR PC/ABS 120, 3DXLABS FR-PC 224[3][9][5]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5]Available from several mainstream brands[3][9][5]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[5]1.75 mm; 0.75 and 1 kg spools[9][5][3]
Typical applicationsElectrical enclosures and transport interiors that must meet a flammability rating[1]Electrical enclosures, transport interiors and battery housings that must meet a flammability rating[2][3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab PC FR)[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented260–280 (Bambu Lab); 250–270 (Polymaker)[3][2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented90–110 (Bambu Lab); 90–105 (Polymaker)[3][2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[10]Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber, Polymaker 70–100 °C[3][2]
Recommended chamber temperature°CNot documented45–60 (Bambu Lab); 70–100 (Polymaker)[3][2]
Part cooling fanNot documented0–60 % (Bambu Lab)[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidClean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[10][11]Smooth or textured PEI plate (Bambu Lab)[3]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented24 at Bambu Lab's 300 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3][12]
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[10]Severe — heated chamber needed[2][10]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[10]Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[13][14]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[15]Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[14]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[10]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[3][10]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[10]Brass fine indefinitely[10]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[1]Non-abrasive[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns and no minimum layer height for its FR-ABS, only an 80 °C pre-dry[16]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a 6 h pre-dry at 80 °C[17]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[11]Slightly sensitive[13]
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[11]All-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[13]
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[4][18][16]Low (0.1–0.3 %) — 0.12 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab), half that of unfilled Bambu Lab PC[3][19]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.12 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented75 °C for 6 h (Polymaker)[2]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[20]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[20]
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[20]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic and requires a 70–80 °C dry for 6–8 h; run wet, the loss shows as surface defects and poor layer adhesion[14][20]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[20]Airtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[14]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa45 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]60 ± 4 (Bambu Lab) and 67 ± 4.5 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527[3][2]
Young's modulusMPa1990 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]1670 ± 40 (Bambu Lab) and 2634 ± 182 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527[3][2]
Elongation at break%4 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — well below the 10 % of unfilled 3DXTech ABS[1][21]2.4 ± 0.3 (Bambu Lab) and 3.49 ± 0.7 (Polymaker) at break, printed XY, ISO 527 — the retardant roughly halves unfilled PC's elongation[3][2][22]
Flexural strengthMPa80 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]96.6 ± 1.3 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker)[2]
Flexural modulusMPa2250 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]2518 ± 53 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker)[2]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented11.7 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Polymaker)[2]
Other impact dataNot documentedNotched Charpy 7.5 ± 1.6 kJ/m² at −30 °C printed XY (Polymaker, ISO 179-1/1eA)[2]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented21 ± 3 (Bambu Lab) and 46 ± 4.8 (Polymaker) printed Z, ISO 527[3][2]
Brittleness1–5Moderate — elongation at break falls to 4 % from 10 % for the unfilled grade[1][21]Moderate[3][2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell 70 (118) — the source does not name the scales and Shore D 79 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D785, D2240); no figure is published for a flame-retardant filament[23]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 105 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][21]Good. Moulded unfilled PC sustained 41 MPa tensile creep at room temperature without breaking, but the retardant package drops the glass transition to 115 °C in Polymaker's grade, so the unfilled rating is not carried over in full[24][2]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Below average — no S-N curve found; elongation at break falls to 4 % against 10 % for unfilled 3DXTech ABS[1][21]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented35 (Bambu Lab) to 69 (Polymaker), printed[3][2]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented110 (Polymaker) and 113 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[2][3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented107 (Polymaker) and 108 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[2][3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C105 (DSC)[1]115 (Polymaker) and 145 (Bambu Lab), DSC[2][3]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documentedAmorphous — no melting point; Vicat 114 (Bambu Lab, ISO 306)[3]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[25]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented68.4 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D696; source states 3.8e-5 in/in/°F); no figure is published for a flame-retardant grade[23]
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin rather than the printed part[1]UL 94 V-0 (Polymaker PolyMax PC-FR); 3DXTech rates its FR PC/ABS V-0 at 1.5 mm on the base resin[2][26]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors unless stabilised[14]
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[27]Withstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[14]
Food contactNot food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[15]Bisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[14]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[15]Not biodegradable[14]
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[15]Mechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[14]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[28][10]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[28]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[28]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[28]≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[28]
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[28][10]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[28][10]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[28][10]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands well and takes filler before painting[15]Sands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[13]
Painting & finishingPaints readily after light abrasion[15]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[13]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[13]
Support material pairingHIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[29][10]Prints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[13]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inAcetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[30][27]Dichloromethane, chloroform, DMF and dioxane dissolve it outright (Covestro, 6 days at 23 °C). Laboratory reagents.[31]
Softened or crazed byPetrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[30][32]Methanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[31]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentAcetone: about 20 min of vapour at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid. Prusa measured layer adhesion more than doubled.[33]Dichloromethane cement welds PC — 16.5 MPa lap shear at one week (IPS Weld-On 3). A controlled carcinogen.[34]

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. Firewire Flame Retardant ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PolyMax PC-FR Technical Data Sheet V5.5 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PC FR Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ABS Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. SUNLU ABS-FR (ABS Flame Retardant) 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER ABS Flame-Retardant product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Flame Retardant Black ABS Coex 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  11. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. FIREWIRE FR-ABS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  17. 3DXTech Firewire FR-PC/ABS product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
  19. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  20. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. 3DXMAX ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  22. PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  23. TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  24. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  25. Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  26. Firewire Flame Retardant PC/ABS Technical Data Sheet Rev 3.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  27. PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  28. 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
  29. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  30. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  31. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  32. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  33. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  34. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds