3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
ABS-FR vs PEBA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Flame-retardant ABS (FR-ABS)ABS | PEBA (polyether block amide)FLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $52.00/kg median; $44.99–$120.00/kg across 5 dated product listings | $60.99/kg median; $60.99–$60.99/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | ABS with a flame-retardant package; 3DXTech rates the base resin UL 94 V-0[1] | Polyether block amide: rigid polyamide and flexible polyether blocks.[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.18 (ISO 1183) — above unfilled ABS at 1.05 because of the retardant loading[1][3] | 1.01 g/cm³ (GB/T 1033; eSUN manufacturer data)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 45–120; the middle of the market is about 52[4][5][6][7] | Not documented |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 45–120 across brands; SUNLU 45, YXPOLYER 50, Coex 3D 52, 3DXTech 107 at 750 g pricing; the FR PC/ABS grade runs 120[4][5][6][7] | Not documented |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4] | Not documented |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[4] | 1.75 mm diameter, 1 kg spool.[8] |
| Typical applications | Electrical enclosures and transport interiors that must meet a flammability rating[1] | Manufacturer applications include footwear, sports equipment and cushioning.[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 230–260 °C; 240 °C recommended.[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 60–90 °C[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure recommended[9] | Not documented |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 10–50% fan recommended; mechanical-test specimens used 50–100%.[2] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Clean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[9][10] | PEI build plate[2] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 9 mm³/s maximum in eSUN spiral-vase test; mechanical specimens used 2 mm³/s. Linear recommendation 25–110 mm/s is a separate quantity.[2] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[9] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[9] | Not documented |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[11] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[9] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[9] | Not documented |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[1] | Not documented |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns and no minimum layer height for its FR-ABS, only an 80 °C pre-dry[12] | Not documented |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[10] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[10] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate — 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[3][13][12] | Not documented |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | 70–75 °C for 6–8 h; re-dry after receiving or extended exposure.[2] |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[14] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker 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[14] | Not documented |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[14] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 45 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1] | >16.5 MPa printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound, not an exact measurement.[2] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 1990 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | 4 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — well below the 10 % of unfilled 3DXTech ABS[1][15] | >520% printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound.[2] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 80 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2250 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 7.5 MPa printed Z, GB/T 1040 (manufacturer test)[2] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate — elongation at break falls to 4 % from 10 % for the unfilled grade[1][15] | Not documented |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | 90 Shore A nominal grade designation; do not compare numerically with Shore D or Rockwell.[8] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 105 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][15] | Not documented |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Below average — no S-N curve found; elongation at break falls to 4 % against 10 % for unfilled 3DXTech ABS[1][15] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 105 (DSC)[1] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 110 °C Vicat softening (GB/T 1633, 120 °C/h, 10 N); not HDT or a continuous-use rating.[2] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin rather than the printed part[1] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Good against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[16] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[11] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[11] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Mechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[11] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[17][9] | Not documented |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | 12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[17] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | 2 × 10¹⁰ to 9 × 10¹⁰ median across all ABS printers, two orders of magnitude above PLA's ≈1 × 10⁸[17] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Styrene 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[17][9] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[17][9] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands well and takes filler before painting[11] | Not documented |
| Painting & finishing | Paints readily after light abrasion[11] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | HIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[18][9] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Acetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[19][16] | Not documented |
| Softened or crazed by | Petrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[19][20] | Not documented |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Acetone: about 20 min of vapour at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid. Prusa measured layer adhesion more than doubled.[21] | Not documented |
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
- Firewire Flame Retardant ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- eSUN PEBA-90A Technical Data Sheet v1.0 (Aug 2025), checked 2026-10-17 eSUN · 2025-08 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ABS Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU ABS-FR (ABS Flame Retardant) 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER ABS Flame-Retardant product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flame Retardant Black ABS Coex 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- eSUN PEBA-90A official product page: 1 kg price and product identity eSUN · 2026-10-17 · vendor
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- FIREWIRE FR-ABS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 3DXMAX ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- 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
- HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc