3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

ABS-FR vs HT soluble

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

Flame-retardant ABS (FR-ABS) guideHigh-temperature support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ABS-FR comparisonsMore HT soluble comparisons
ABS-FR vs HT soluble — documented properties and sources
PropertyFlame-retardant ABS (FR-ABS)ABSHigh-temperature supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$52.00/kg median; $44.99–$120.00/kg across 5 dated product listings$209.00/kg median; $100.00–$290.00/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]Break-away support compounded to survive high-temperature print chambers; 3DXTech sells separate grades for PC/ABS and for the PAEK and PEI class[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.18 (ISO 1183) — above unfilled ABS at 1.05 because of the retardant loading[1][4]1.37 (3DXTech THERMAX HTS1, ISO 1183)[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 cluster near 168[5]
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]100–290 across grades; 3DXTech THERMAX MTS1 100 at 2 kg, HTS2 168 at 250 g, HTS1 250 at 500 g, IEMAI 3D HT-SP 290 at 1 kg[5][9]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][9]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[5]1.75 mm; 250 g, 500 g, 1 kg and 2 kg spools[5]
Typical applicationsElectrical enclosures and transport interiors that must meet a flammability rating[1]Support for PEEK, PEI and PC-class prints, where PVA and PLA-based supports would decompose[2][3]
Printing Parameters
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[10]Actively heated chamber required — it is used inside high-temperature builds[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidClean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[10][11]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[10]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[10]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[12]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[10]Expert / industrial hardware only[2]
Extruder requirementNot documentedA dual-extruder machine rated for high-temperature materials; 3DXTech states the grade is intended for dual-extruder printers designed to print high-temp materials[13]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[10]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; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry for HTS1 and 80 °C for MTS1[13][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[4][16][14]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[17]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[17]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry for HTS1 and 80 °C for MTS1 because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[13][15]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[17]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa45 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa1990 (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][18]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa80 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2250 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate — elongation at break falls to 4 % from 10 % for the unfilled grade[1][18]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 105 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][18]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][18]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documented3DXTech marks tensile strength, modulus and elongation as not applicable for its support grades — they are not characterised as structural materials[2]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented205 (THERMAX HTS1, printed XY, ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[2]
Glass transition (Tg)°C105 (DSC)[1]225 (3DXTech THERMAX HTS1, DSC) — high enough to stay solid inside a PEI or PEEK build[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
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[19]Not documented
Food contactNot food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[12]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[12]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[12]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedSurface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq on all three THERMAX support grades (ASTM D257) — insulating[2][20][3]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[21][10]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][10]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[21][10]Open a window / occasional ventilation[21]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands well and takes filler before painting[12]Not documented
Painting & finishingPaints readily after light abrasion[12]Not documented
Support material pairingHIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[22][10]This is the support material. MTS1 is matched to PC/ABS and PC; HTS1 and HTS2 to the higher-temperature classes[3][2]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inAcetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[23][19]Aqueous alkali, not water: IEMAI specifies an alkaline bath in an ultrasonic cleaner until the support dissolves.[9]
Softened or crazed byPetrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[23][24]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.[25]None — the alkaline bath dissolves the support rather than welding anything.[9]

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. THERMAX HTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  3. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 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. IEMAI 3D HT-SP alkaline-soluble support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 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. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. FIREWIRE FR-ABS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  15. THERMAX MTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
  17. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. 3DXMAX ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  19. PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  20. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · 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. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  24. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  25. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc