Filament comparison
ABS+ vs Magnetic
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | ABS+ / Tough ABSABS | Magnetic filamentSPECIALTY |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $26.49/kg median; $15.99–$29.99/kg across 4 dated product listings | $64.99/kg median; $64.99–$64.99/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | ABS reformulated for lower warping and a higher glass transition; Polymaker's ABS Pro and ABS Max reach Tg 114.9 and 126.3 °C against 101 °C for PolyLite ABS[1][2][3] | PLA loaded with ferromagnetic iron powder, so printed parts respond to magnets[4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.04 (ABS Pro) and 1.06 (ABS Max), ISO 1183[1][2] | About 1.85 (Proto-pasta manufacturer figure) — 1.5× standard PLA[4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 27[5] | 1 kg spools cluster near 65[6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 16–30 across brands; SUNLU E-ABS 16, Polymaker ABS Pro 25, YXPOLYER ABS Enhanced 28, Polymaker ABS Max 30[5][7][8] | 64–70 across formats; 1 kg spool 65, 500 g 70, 2 kg 70[6] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[5] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 kg spools[5] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[6] |
| Typical applications | Large enclosure and automotive parts where plain ABS warps or softens too early[1][2] | Sensor targets, magnetic fixtures, and props that need to stick to a magnet or rust deliberately[4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 270–290 (ABS Pro); 270–300 (ABS Max) — 25–35 °C above plain ABS[1][2] | 192 (Proto-pasta)[4] |
| Bed temperature°C | 120 (ABS Max)[2] | 60 (Proto-pasta)[4] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive)[1][2][9] | Open frame is fine[4] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Clean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[9][10] | Not documented |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Up to 250 mm/s (ABS Pro) and 200 mm/s (ABS Max), equivalent to 20 and 16 on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1][2][11] | 1.6–2.4 at Proto-pasta's 20–30 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[4] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[9] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[9] | Not documented |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[12] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; the hotter nozzle rules out PTFE-lined hotends[1][2] | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; slow, and brittle in filament form[4] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Proto-pasta advises an extrusion width 0.05 mm larger than the nozzle and warns feeding is inconsistent below 0.4 mm and on Bowden machines[4] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[9] | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[4] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[9] | Moderately abrasive — metal fill[4] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — unfilled ABS compound; no special hot-end required and clogging is not among the listed drawbacks[10][13] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists metal-filled composites as a higher clogging risk and recommends a 0.6 mm nozzle minimum[14] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[10] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[10] | Proto-pasta recommends a wear-resistant or larger nozzle for longer service intervals[4] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate — 0.51 % maximum water absorption (ABS Pro)[1] | Not documented |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.51 maximum water absorption (Polymaker ABS Pro)[1] | Not documented |
| Drying temperature & time | 70 °C for 6 h (ABS Max)[2] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[15] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures[15] | Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[15] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[15] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 34.9 (ABS Pro) and 35.7 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 527[1][2] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2330 (ABS Pro) and 2320 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 527[1][2] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | 6.7 (ABS Max) and 7.3 (ABS Pro) at break, printed XY, ISO 527[1][2] | Not documented |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 60.1 (ABS Pro) and 63.3 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 178[1][2] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2330 (ABS Pro) and 2500 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 178[1][2] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 10.5 (ABS Max) and 14.5 (ABS Pro) printed XY, ISO 179, notched[1][2] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 21.9 (ABS Pro) and 25.4 (ABS Max) printed Z, ISO 527[1][2] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1][2] | Brittle — Proto-pasta describes the filament as more brittle than standard PLA and needing extra care in handling[4] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 115 °C (ABS Pro) and 126 °C (ABS Max) keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][2] | Not documented |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Moderate — no S-N curve found; 6.7–7.3 % elongation and 10.5–14.5 kJ/m² notched Charpy, below unfilled Bambu Lab ABS[1][2][16] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid[4] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 63 (ABS Pro) and 71 (ABS Max), printed[1][2] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 106.4 (ABS Pro) and 118.1 (ABS Max), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[1][2] | Not documented |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 101.4 (ABS Pro) and 113.1 (ABS Max), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[1][2] | Not documented |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 114.9 (ABS Pro) and 126.3 (ABS Max), DSC[1][2] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 116.1 (ABS Pro) and 127.4 (ABS Max), ISO 306[1][2] | Not documented |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 86–89 for printed unfilled ABS (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[17] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Months outdoors before embrittlement[12] | Not documented |
| Outdoor durability | Not documented | Deliberately rustable — Proto-pasta markets the iron content as oxidising when exposed to moisture[4] |
| Chemical resistance | Good against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[3] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[12] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[12] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Mechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[12] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Ferromagnetic: Proto-pasta states it responds to magnets and behaves similarly to pure iron[4] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[18][9] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[18] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | 12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[18] | 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[18] | 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[18][9] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[18][9] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[18] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands well and takes filler before painting[12] | Polishing and deliberate rusting are the intended finishes[4] |
| Painting & finishing | Paints readily after light abrasion[12] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Acetone vapour smoothing works[3] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | HIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[19][9] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Acetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[20][3] | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix and leaves the iron powder behind; laboratory reagent, not workshop stock.[21][4] |
| Softened or crazed by | Petrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[20][22] | Acetone and ethyl acetate plasticise the matrix rather than dissolving it; water attacks the exposed iron.[21][4] |
| 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.[23] | None — PLA has no workshop-safe solvent, and the iron loading blocks the surface flow smoothing needs.[21] |
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
- Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
- Polymaker ABS Max Technical Data Sheet V1.1 (2026-06-01) Polymaker · 2026-06 · tds
- PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Magnetic Iron PLA — product page and technical data Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU E-ABS (Easy ABS) 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER ABS Enhanced product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- 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
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials with metal or wood particles 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
- Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
- 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