3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

ABS-FR vs PVB

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

Flame-retardant ABS (FR-ABS) guidePVB guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ABS-FR comparisonsMore PVB comparisons
ABS-FR vs PVB — documented properties and sources
PropertyFlame-retardant ABS (FR-ABS)ABSPVBSPECIALTY
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$52.00/kg median; $44.99–$120.00/kg across 5 dated product listings$66.65/kg median; $49.32–$79.98/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryABS with a flame-retardant package; 3DXTech rates the base resin UL 94 V-0[1]Polyvinyl butyral — a printable thermoplastic whose surface can be smoothed with isopropyl alcohol instead of a hot solvent[2]
Densityg/cm³1.18 (ISO 1183) — above unfilled ABS at 1.05 because of the retardant loading[1][3]1.10 (Polymaker PolySmooth, ISO 1183); Prusament PVB 1.10[2][4]
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 cluster near 80[9][10]
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]49–102 across brands; Polymaker PolySmooth 49 at 750 g, Prusament PVB 80–102 at 500 g[9][10]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5]Available from several mainstream brands[9][10]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[5]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[9][10]
Typical applicationsElectrical enclosures and transport interiors that must meet a flammability rating[1]Display models and light guides where a layer-free surface matters more than strength[2]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented+/- 0.03 (Prusament PVB)[4]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented215 +/- 10 (Prusament PVB)[4]
Bed temperature°CNot documented75 +/- 5 (Prusament PVB)[4]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[11]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fanNot documented100 % part cooling (Prusament PVB)[4]
Bed surface & adhesion aidClean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[11][12]Smooth PEI sheet or satin sheet; Prusa states a brim is not generally necessary[4]
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[11]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[11]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[11]Easy — minor profile tuning; it prints close to PLA[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[11]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]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa calls PVB very prone to absorbing moisture and requires a 60 °C, 4 h dry before every print[15][16]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[12]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[12]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][17][14]Very high (>2 %) — 2.36 % equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth), above every PLA and PETG grade here[2]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented2.36 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth); 2.09 for PolyCast; Prusament PVB takes up 0.18 in 24 h and 0.35 in 7 days at 24 °C and 22 % RH[2][18][4]
Drying temperature & timeNot documentedMaximum 60 °C for 4-8 h depending on how wet the filament is (Prusament PVB)[4]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16]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[16]Polymaker publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; at 2.36 % equilibrium uptake the material has to be kept dry to print cleanly[2][16]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[16]Sealed with desiccant[16]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa45 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]51.8 ± 0.7 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); 53.2 ± 1.1 for PolyCast; Prusament PVB gives 50 +/- 5 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1) and 57 +/- 1 on the filament (ISO 527)[2][18][4]
Young's modulusMPa1990 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]2199 ± 43 printed XY and 2010 ± 69 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); Prusament PVB gives 1700 +/- 100 in both print directions (ISO 527-1)[2][4]
Elongation at break%4 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — well below the 10 % of unfilled 3DXTech ABS[1][19]5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolyCast)[18]
Flexural strengthMPa80 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]72 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 73 +/- 3 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament PVB)[4]
Flexural modulusMPa2250 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]2233 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 2200 +/- 100 horizontal and 2300 +/- 100 vertical (ISO 178)[18][4]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented7 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 10 +/- 1 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament PVB)[4]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched 55 +/- 7 printed horizontal and 59 +/- 12 printed vertical (Prusament PVB, ISO 179-1)[4]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented26.3 ± 2.1 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 49 +/- 5 at yield printed vertical (ISO 527-1) and 9 +/- 1 on Prusa's interlayer adhesion test[18][4]
Brittleness1–5Moderate — elongation at break falls to 4 % from 10 % for the unfilled grade[1][19]Moderate[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedShore D 77 (Prusa Polymers method)[4]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 105 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][19]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Below average — no S-N curve found; elongation at break falls to 4 % against 10 % for unfilled 3DXTech ABS[1][19]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented98 (Prusament PVB, printed vertical against horizontal tensile yield, ISO 527-1: 49 +/- 5 against 50 +/- 5) — the most isotropic printed material in this dataset[4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented68 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Prusament PVB 63 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[2][18][4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented66 (PolySmooth) and 53 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Prusament PVB 58 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[2][18][4]
Glass transition (Tg)°C105 (DSC)[1]70 (DSC) for both PolySmooth and PolyCast[2][18]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documentedAmorphous — no melting point; Vicat 70 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 306[2][18]
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
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[20]Not documented
Food contactNot food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[13]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[13]Not documented
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[21][11]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[21]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[21]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[21]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[21][11]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[21][11]Open a window / occasional ventilation[21]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands well and takes filler before painting[13]Not documented
Painting & finishingPaints readily after light abrasion[13]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedIsopropyl alcohol vapour smoothing is the point of the material — Polymaker markets PolySmooth for hands-free post-processing to a layer-free surface[2]
Support material pairingHIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[22][11]PolyDissolve S1 is rated for PVB (Polymaker)[23]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedPolyCast is the investment-casting variant of the same chemistry — it burns out cleanly rather than being smoothed[18]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inAcetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[24][20]Isopropyl alcohol dissolves it; Prusa describes PVB as soluble only in IPA, and it is not water-soluble.[15]
Softened or crazed byPetrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[24][25]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentAcetone: about 20 min of vapour at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid. Prusa measured layer adhesion more than doubled.[26]Isopropyl alcohol: brushed or sprayed on for speed, or several hours in IPA vapour for a glass-like surface.[26][15]

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. PolySmooth Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ABS Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Prusament PVB Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · 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. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 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. Prusament PVB — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
  18. PolyCast Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  19. 3DXMAX ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  20. PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  21. 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
  22. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  23. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  24. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  25. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  26. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc