Filament comparison
ABS-GF vs HIPS
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Glass-fibre ABS (ABS-GF)ABS | HIPSABS |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $34.99/kg median; $24.49–$73.33/kg across 4 dated product listings | $29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | ABS reinforced with chopped glass fibre — 3DXTech's grade is nominally 10 wt%[1][2] | High-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.08 (Bambu Lab) and 1.15 (3DXTech), ISO 1183[2][1] | 1.04 (ISO 1183)[3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 24–73; the middle of the market is about 35[5][6][7][8] | 1 kg spools cluster near 31[6][9] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 24–73 across brands; Siraya Tech 24, Bambu Lab 30, SUNLU 40, 3DXTech 73[5][6][7][8] | 28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[9][6][10] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[5][6] | Available from several mainstream brands[6][9] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 1 kg spools[6][5] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[9][6] |
| Typical applications | Stiff, dimensionally stable enclosure and tooling parts; Bambu Lab notes the fibre blurs layer lines into a matte finish[2] | Break-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 240–280 (Bambu Lab)[2] | 230–245 (Simplify3D)[11] |
| Bed temperature°C | 80–100 (Bambu Lab)[2] | 100–115 (Simplify3D)[11] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure recommended — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber[2][12] | Enclosure recommended[12] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | 45–60 (Bambu Lab)[2] | Not documented |
| Part cooling fan | 0–80 % (Bambu Lab)[2] | Part cooling fan not required[11] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Clean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[12][13] | Glue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[11] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 14 at Bambu Lab's 180 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2][14] | Not documented |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield; Bambu Lab positions the fibre as reducing warping[2] | Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[12] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[12] | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[11] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[15] | Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[11][13] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; hardened nozzle mandatory[12] | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[12] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Hardened steel required[12] | Brass fine indefinitely[12] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[12] | Non-abrasive[12] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech specifies a hardened 0.4 mm minimum nozzle and 0.25 mm layers or higher for the glass-filled grade[16][17] | Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[11][18][4] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[13] | Slightly sensitive[11] |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[13] | No special hot-end required[11] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate — 0.53 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2] | Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[11] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.53 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2] | Not documented |
| Drying temperature & time | 80 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab)[2] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[19] | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[19] |
| 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[19] | 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[19] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[19] | Sealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[19] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 36 ± 3 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); 3DXTech quotes 68 at break[2][1] | 40 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[3] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 3160 ± 170 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); 3DXTech quotes 4210[2][1] | 1350 (printed XY, ISO 527) — the lowest modulus of the styrenics here[3] |
| Elongation at break% | 6.3 ± 1.2 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); 3DXTech quotes 2 at break[2][1] | 18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[3] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 68 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab); 3DXTech quotes 70[2][1] | 70 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2860 ± 130 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab); 3DXTech quotes 4420[2][1] | 1600 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 4.2 ± 1.1 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Bambu Lab)[2] | Not documented |
| Other impact data | Charpy unnotched 14.5 ± 1.5 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179)[2] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 29 ± 3 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[2] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — snaps with little warning; notched Charpy falls from 21.5 to 4.2 kJ/m² against unfilled Bambu Lab ABS[2][20] | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[3] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Good — no creep test found; chopped glass fibre lifts modulus to 3160 MPa against 2200 for unfilled Bambu Lab ABS[2][20] | Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[3][11] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Below average — no S-N curve found; notched Charpy falls to 4.2 kJ/m² against 21.5 for unfilled Bambu Lab ABS[2][20] | Moderate[3] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[2] | Rigid[3] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 81 (Bambu Lab, printed Z against XY tensile)[2] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 99 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Bambu Lab) against 87 for unfilled Bambu Lab ABS[2][20] | Not documented |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 88 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Bambu Lab) against 84 for unfilled Bambu Lab ABS[2][20] | Not documented |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 100 (DSC)[3] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | Amorphous — no melting point[3] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | Bounded by a glass transition of 100 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for HIPS[3] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[3] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Months outdoors before embrittlement — polystyrene yellows and chalks under UV[15] |
| Chemical resistance | Good against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[21] | Dissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[4] |
| Food contact | Not food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[15] | Not food safe[15] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[15] | Not biodegradable[15] |
| Recyclability | Mechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[15] | Not accepted in household plastic collection[15] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[3] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[22][12] | High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[22] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | 12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[22] | 12–113 styrene, the range measured across ABS and the one HIPS filament tested[22] |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | 2 × 10¹⁰ to 9 × 10¹⁰ median across all ABS printers, two orders of magnitude above PLA's ≈1 × 10⁸[22] | ≈4 × 10⁹ median for the HIPS filament tested, an order of magnitude below ABS but forty times PLA[22] |
| 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[22][12] | Styrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[22] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[22][12] | Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[22] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Glass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands well and takes filler before painting[15] | Sands and paints readily, like ABS[15] |
| Painting & finishing | Paints readily after light abrasion[15] | Not documented |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Solvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[11][4] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | d-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[4][11] |
| Support material pairing | HIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[11][12] | Used as the support material itself — dissolves in d-limonene, or breaks away from ABS and ASA[4] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Bambu Lab describes a smooth matte finish with micro-spot gloss that blurs layer lines[2] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Acetone dissolves the resin and leaves the fibre as sludge; MEK, THF, ethyl acetate and chlorinated solvents do the same.[23][21] | d-limonene, 12–24 h submerged with occasional agitation; acetone also dissolves it, and xylene does so at 23 °C.[24][23][25] |
| Softened or crazed by | Petrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[23][26] | Limonene also disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades, so an ABS model can flake apart in the same bath.[26] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Acetone vapour reaches only the resin fraction, so the fibre is left standing proud of the smoothed surface.[27][21] | Limonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[24][26] |
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
- FibreX ABS+GF10 Glass Fiber ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — ABS-GF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXMAX HIPS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXMAX HIPS — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- ABS-GF — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart ABS-GF Filament product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU ABS-GF (ABS Glass Fiber) 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- FIBREX ABS+GF — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ABS Bambu Lab · 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
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- D-Limonene — FDM post-processing guide Filament2Print · 2026-08 · review
- US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
- HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc