3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

ABS-FR vs PLA-PHA

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

Flame-retardant ABS (FR-ABS) guidePLA/PHA blend guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ABS-FR comparisonsMore PLA-PHA comparisons
ABS-FR vs PLA-PHA — documented properties and sources
PropertyFlame-retardant ABS (FR-ABS)ABSPLA/PHA blendPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$52.00/kg median; $44.99–$120.00/kg across 5 dated product listings$76.40/kg median; $76.40–$76.40/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryABS with a flame-retardant package; 3DXTech rates the base resin UL 94 V-0[1]PLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester[2]
Densityg/cm³1.18 (ISO 1183) — above unfilled ABS at 1.05 because of the retardant loading[1][3]1.2 (ISO 1183)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 45–120; the middle of the market is about 52[4][5][6][7]Not documented
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[4][5][6][7]Not documented
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[4]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 2200 g spools[2]
Typical applicationsElectrical enclosures and transport interiors that must meet a flammability rating[1]General-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented195–220 (colorFabb)[2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented50–60 (colorFabb)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[9]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fanNot documented0–100 %; colorFabb states the blend runs on both heated and unheated beds[2][10]
Bed surface & adhesion aidClean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[9][11]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented3.2–8 at colorFabb's 40–100 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[10][12]
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[9]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[9]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[13]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[9]Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[9]Brass fine indefinitely[2]
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[14]Very low — unfilled PLA blend; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle for PLA[15]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[11]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[11]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[3][16][14]Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend[17][18]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[19]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[19]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[19]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[19]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa45 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[2]
Young's modulusMPa1990 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb)[2]
Elongation at break%4 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — well below the 10 % of unfilled 3DXTech ABS[1][20]4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[2]
Flexural strengthMPa80 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2250 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb)[2]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb)[2]
Brittleness1–5Moderate — elongation at break falls to 4 % from 10 % for the unfilled grade[1][20]Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades[2]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 105 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][20]Poor — no PLA/PHA creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[21][22][23]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Below average — no S-N curve found; elongation at break falls to 4 % against 10 % for unfilled 3DXTech ABS[1][20]Below average — no S-N curve for the blend; colorFabb positions it as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA, which ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[24][2]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[2]
Thermal Properties
Glass transition (Tg)°C105 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documentedAbove 155 melting (ISO 3146-C)[2]
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin rather than the printed part[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[25]
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[26]Not documented
Food contactNot food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[13]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[13]colorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable[2]
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[13]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[27][9]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[27]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[27]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[27]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[27][9]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[27][9]None needed in a normal room[27]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands well and takes filler before painting[13]Not documented
Painting & finishingPaints readily after light abrasion[13]Not documented
Support material pairingHIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[28][9]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inAcetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[29][26]Chloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[30]
Softened or crazed byPetrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[29][31]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[30][32]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentAcetone: about 20 min of vapour at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid. Prusa measured layer adhesion more than doubled.[32]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[33][32]

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. PLA/PHA technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ABS Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. SUNLU ABS-FR (ABS Flame Retardant) 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. YXPOLYER ABS Flame-Retardant product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Flame Retardant Black ABS Coex 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  9. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  11. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  13. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. FIREWIRE FR-ABS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
  17. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  18. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  19. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  20. 3DXMAX ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  21. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  22. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  23. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  24. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  25. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  26. PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  27. 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
  28. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  29. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  30. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  31. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  32. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  33. Effect of vapour smoothing in trichloromethane on 3D printed PLA — surface, mechanical and chemical structure Pitale, Keche & Chopra, Engineering Research Express 6(4) 045579 · 2024-12 · paper