Filament comparison
ABS+ vs PEBA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | ABS+ / Tough ABSABS | PEBA (polyether block amide)FLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $26.49/kg median; $15.99–$29.99/kg across 4 dated product listings | $60.99/kg median; $60.99–$60.99/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] | Polyether block amide: rigid polyamide and flexible polyether blocks.[4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.04 (ABS Pro) and 1.06 (ABS Max), ISO 1183[1][2] | 1.01 g/cm³ (GB/T 1033; eSUN manufacturer data)[4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 27[5] | Not documented |
| 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][6][7] | Not documented |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[5] | Not documented |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 kg spools[5] | 1.75 mm diameter, 1 kg spool.[8] |
| Typical applications | Large enclosure and automotive parts where plain ABS warps or softens too early[1][2] | Manufacturer applications include footwear, sports equipment and cushioning.[4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 270–290 (ABS Pro); 270–300 (ABS Max) — 25–35 °C above plain ABS[1][2] | 230–260 °C; 240 °C recommended.[4] |
| Bed temperature°C | 120 (ABS Max)[2] | 60–90 °C[4] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive)[1][2][9] | Not documented |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 10–50% fan recommended; mechanical-test specimens used 50–100%.[4] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Clean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[9][10] | PEI build plate[4] |
| 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] | 9 mm³/s maximum in eSUN spiral-vase test; mechanical specimens used 2 mm³/s. Linear recommendation 25–110 mm/s is a separate quantity.[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] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[9] | Not documented |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[9] | Not documented |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — unfilled ABS compound; no special hot-end required and clogging is not among the listed drawbacks[10][13] | Not documented |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[10] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[10] | Not documented |
| 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] | 70–75 °C for 6–8 h; re-dry after receiving or extended exposure.[4] |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[14] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures[14] | Not documented |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[14] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 34.9 (ABS Pro) and 35.7 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 527[1][2] | >16.5 MPa printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound, not an exact measurement.[4] |
| 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] | >520% printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound.[4] |
| 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] | 7.5 MPa printed Z, GB/T 1040 (manufacturer test)[4] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1][2] | Not documented |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | 90 Shore A nominal grade designation; do not compare numerically with Shore D or Rockwell.[8] |
| 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][15] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Not documented |
| 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] | 110 °C Vicat softening (GB/T 1633, 120 °C/h, 10 N); not HDT or a continuous-use rating.[4] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 86–89 for printed unfilled ABS (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[16] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Months outdoors before embrittlement[12] | Not documented |
| 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 |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[17][9] | Not documented |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | 12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[17] | 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[17] | 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[17][9] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[17][9] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands well and takes filler before painting[12] | Not documented |
| 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[18][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.[19][3] | Not documented |
| Softened or crazed by | Petrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[19][20] | Not documented |
| 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.[21] | Not documented |
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
- eSUN PEBA-90A Technical Data Sheet v1.0 (Aug 2025), checked 2026-10-17 eSUN · 2025-08 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 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
- eSUN PEBA-90A official product page: 1 kg price and product identity eSUN · 2026-10-17 · 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
- 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
- HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc