3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

ABS+ vs PLA HS

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

ABS+ / Tough ABS guideHigh-Speed PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ABS+ comparisonsMore PLA HS comparisons
ABS+ vs PLA HS — documented properties and sources
PropertyABS+ / Tough ABSABSHigh-Speed PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$26.49/kg median; $15.99–$29.99/kg across 4 dated product listings$19.99/kg median; $11.49–$32.99/kg across 10 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryABS 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 with rheology and crystallisation tuned for high volumetric flow; melt index 15.4 g/10 min vs 7–11 for standard PLA[4][5]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ABS Pro) and 1.06 (ABS Max), ISO 1183[1][2]1.23 (ISO 1183, at 21.5 °C)[4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 27[6]Mainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[7][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg16–30 across brands; SUNLU E-ABS 16, Polymaker ABS Pro 25, YXPOLYER ABS Enhanced 28, Polymaker ABS Max 30[6][10][11]11–33 across brands; budget house brands 11–18, Prusament 33[12][13][14]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[6]Stocked by most mainstream brands[15][9][16]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 kg spools[6]1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[7][9]
Typical applicationsLarge enclosure and automotive parts where plain ABS warps or softens too early[1][2]Large or repetitive prints on printers that can sustain high flow[17][15]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab PLA Basic, rated to 258 mm/s)[18]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C270–290 (ABS Pro); 270–300 (ABS Max) — 25–35 °C above plain ABS[1][2]210–230 for high-speed work; 190–210 at classic speeds[4][15]
Bed temperature°C120 (ABS Max)[2]30–60 (Polymaker); 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[4][19]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1][2][20]Open frame is fine[4]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on[4]
Bed surface & adhesion aidClean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[20][21]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sUp 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][22]≈24 at 300 mm/s with a 0.4 mm nozzle and 0.2 mm layer; 30 % more flow than regular PLA at the same temperature[4][15][17][22]
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[20]None[4]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[20]Sticks to anything[23]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[24]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; the hotter nozzle rules out PTFE-lined hotends[1][2]Easy — minor profile tuning; needs a printer that can actually reach the flow rate[15][4]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[20]Brass fine indefinitely[25]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[20]Non-abrasive[26][25]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — unfilled ABS compound; no special hot-end required and clogging is not among the listed drawbacks[21][25]Very low[25]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[21]Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[27]
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[21]No special hot-end required[23]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.51 % maximum water absorption (ABS Pro)[1]Moderate — 0.40 % equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH[4]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.51 maximum water absorption (Polymaker ABS Pro)[1]0.40 equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH (Polymaker PolySonic)[4]
Drying temperature & time70 °C for 6 h (ABS Max)[2]55 °C for 6 h; 50 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab)[4][19]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[28]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[28]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures[28]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[28]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[28]Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[19][23]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa34.9 (ABS Pro) and 35.7 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 527[1][2]43.9 at 300 mm/s and 46.0 at 46.7 mm/s (printed XY, ISO 527); 58.6 on My Tech Fun bars for Creality Hyper PLA[4][29]
Young's modulusMPa2330 (ABS Pro) and 2320 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 527[1][2]2650 at 300 mm/s, 2878 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[4]
Elongation at break%6.7 (ABS Max) and 7.3 (ABS Pro) at break, printed XY, ISO 527[1][2]15.1 at 300 mm/s, 21.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[4]
Flexural strengthMPa60.1 (ABS Pro) and 63.3 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 178[1][2]71.4 at 300 mm/s, 76.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[4]
Flexural modulusMPa2330 (ABS Pro) and 2500 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 178[1][2]2798 at 300 mm/s, 2868 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[4]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²10.5 (ABS Max) and 14.5 (ABS Pro) printed XY, ISO 179, notched[1][2]5.0 at 300 mm/s, 6.1 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 179, notched)[4]
Other impact dataNot documentedPrinting at 300 mm/s instead of 46.7 mm/s costs 4.6 % tensile strength and 18 % notched Charpy[4]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa21.9 (ABS Pro) and 25.4 (ABS Max) printed Z, ISO 527[1][2]32.4 at 300 mm/s, 37.3 at classic speed (printed Z, ISO 527); 35.3 for Creality Hyper PLA vs 23.0 for average PLA on identical bars[4][29]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1][2]Moderate[4]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented78.7 Shore D measured on printed bars for Sunlu PLA Meta (My Tech Fun), against 75.3 for the same maker's plain PLA[30]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 115 °C (ABS Pro) and 126 °C (ABS Max) keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][2]Poor — 12 mm bar sagged to 17.7 mm over 6 days at 1.25 kg[29]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate — 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][31]Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[32][27]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[4]
Z strength as % of XY%63 (ABS Pro) and 71 (ABS Max), printed[1][2]74 at 300 mm/s, 81 at classic speed (printed)[4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C106.4 (ABS Pro) and 118.1 (ABS Max), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[1][2]53 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C101.4 (ABS Pro) and 113.1 (ABS Max), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[1][2]52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[4]
Glass transition (Tg)°C114.9 (ABS Pro) and 126.3 (ABS Max), DSC[1][2]59 (DSC)[4]
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point; Vicat 116.1 (ABS Pro) and 127.4 (ABS Max), ISO 306[1][2]164 peak melt (DSC); crystallisation 96 °C, Vicat 61 °C[4]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented53 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[29]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K86–89 for printed unfilled ABS (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[33]96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[33]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[19][5]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement[24]Degrades within weeks outdoors[27][34]
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[3]Good against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis[4]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — insoluble in water[19]
Food contactNot food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[24]Base resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[27]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[24]Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[35][27]
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[24]Mechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[35]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[36][20]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[36]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[36]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[36]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[36][20]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[36][20]None needed in a normal room[36]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands well and takes filler before painting[24]Wet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[34][27]
Painting & finishingPaints readily after light abrasion[24]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[27][37]
Vapour / chemical smoothingAcetone vapour smoothing works[3]No practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[27]
Support material pairingHIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[38][20]PolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker)[4]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inAcetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[39][3]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[40]
Softened or crazed byPetrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[39][41]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[40][42]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentAcetone: about 20 min of vapour at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid. Prusa measured layer adhesion more than doubled.[42]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[43][42]

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. Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
  2. Polymaker ABS Max Technical Data Sheet V1.1 (2026-06-01) Polymaker · 2026-06 · tds
  3. PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. PolySonic PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  5. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  6. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. PolySonic PLA 1.75mm/1kg — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Overture High Speed PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. High Speed PLA filament collection Anycubic Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. SUNLU E-ABS (Easy ABS) 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. YXPOLYER ABS Enhanced product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. PLA Meta filament collection Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. QIDI PLA Rapido 1.75mm 1kg 3D Printers Depot · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Prusament PLA Prusa Pro Green 1kg (NFC) Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. PolySonic PLA — product page Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. Creality PLA filament collection Creality Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. Polymaker Launches New High-Speed 3D Printing Filament — PolySonic PLA & PLA Pro Polymaker · 2023-11 · doc
  18. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  19. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  20. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  23. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  24. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  25. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  26. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  27. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  28. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  29. Creality Hyper PLA filament review — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  30. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  31. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ABS Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  32. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  33. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  34. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  35. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  36. 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
  37. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  38. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  39. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  40. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  41. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  42. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  43. Effect of vapour smoothing in trichloromethane on 3D printed PLA — surface, mechanical and chemical structure Pitale, Keche & Chopra, Engineering Research Express 6(4) 045579 · 2024-12 · paper