Filament comparison
ABS-FR vs PLA Stone
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Flame-retardant ABS (FR-ABS)ABS | Stone-filled PLAPLA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $52.00/kg median; $44.99–$120.00/kg across 5 dated product listings | $22.99/kg median; $15.99–$49.16/kg across 6 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | ABS with a flame-retardant package; 3DXTech rates the base resin UL 94 V-0[1] | PLA filled with stone or mineral powder — Formfutura StoneFil declares 40–50 wt% stone powder[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.18 (ISO 1183) — above unfilled ABS at 1.05 because of the retardant loading[1][4] | 1.22 (Bambu Lab PLA Marble) and 1.50–1.70 (Formfutura StoneFil), ISO 1183[3][2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 45–120; the middle of the market is about 52[5][6][7][8] | 1 kg spools cluster near 21[9][10] |
| 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[5][6][7][8] | 16–49 across brands; SUNLU 16, ELEGOO 19, Polymaker 21, Bambu Lab 25, Prusament 38, Filament PM MarbleJet 49 on 0.5 kg spools[11][10][9][12][13][14] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5] | Stocked by most mainstream brands[9][10][11] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[5] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools plus refills[10][2] |
| Typical applications | Electrical enclosures and transport interiors that must meet a flammability rating[1] | Architectural models, sculpture and props with a matte mineral surface[3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 190–230 (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure recommended[15] | Open frame is fine[3] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Fan on[3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Clean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[15][16] | Not documented |
| Warping tendency1–5 | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[15] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[15] | Not documented |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[17] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[15] | Easy — minor profile tuning; 0.2 mm nozzles are not usable[18] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Nozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible (Bambu Lab)[18] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[15] | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work — Bambu Lab's compatibility table says no hardened nozzle is needed while the note under the same table groups PLA Marble with particle-filled materials that should always use one[18] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[1] | Moderately abrasive — stone fill[18][2] |
| 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[19] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[18] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[16] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[16] | 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[4][20][19] | Moderate — 0.44 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[3] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.44 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[21] | 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[21] | 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[21] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[21] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 45 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1] | 33 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 1990 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1] | 2330 ± 240 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Elongation at break% | 4 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — well below the 10 % of unfilled 3DXTech ABS[1][22] | 6.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 80 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1] | 75 ± 5 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2250 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1] | 2920 ± 180 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 9.5 ± 2.6 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Charpy unnotched 24.0 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179)[3] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 30 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate — elongation at break falls to 4 % from 10 % for the unfilled grade[1][22] | Brittle — snaps with little warning[3] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 105 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][22] | Poor — no stone-filled creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[23][24][25] |
| 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][22] | Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength and the mineral filler leaves a brittle compound[26][3] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid[3] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | Not documented | 91 by tensile, 73 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 56 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[3] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 105 (DSC)[1] | 56 (DSC)[3] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 156 peak melt (DSC); Formfutura gives a 120–170 melting range for StoneFil[3][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 | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Degrades within weeks outdoors[27] |
| Chemical resistance | Good against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[28] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[17] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[17] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Mechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[17] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[29][15] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[29] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | 12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[29] | 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[29] | 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[29][15] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[29][15] | None needed in a normal room[29] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Formfutura's SDS sets an occupational limit of 1 mg/m³ for the stone powder and lists it as both a fibre and a particulate — do not dry-sand without extraction[2] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands well and takes filler before painting[17] | Sands to a stone-like matte surface[2] |
| Painting & finishing | Paints readily after light abrasion[17] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | HIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[30][15] | Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Matte mineral surface hides layer lines; 55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges as for plain PLA[3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Acetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[31][28] | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[32] |
| Softened or crazed by | Petrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[31][33] | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[32][34] |
| 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.[34] | Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[35][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
- Firewire Flame Retardant ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- StoneFil safety data sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · msds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Marble Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · 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
- PLA Marble — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU High Speed PLA Marble 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- Filament PM PLA MarbleJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab 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
- BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
- PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
- HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- 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