3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

ASA vs PE

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

ASA guidePolyethylene (PE) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ASA comparisonsMore PE comparisons
ASA vs PE — documented properties and sources
PropertyASAASAPolyethylene (PE)POLYOLEFIN
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$28.98/kg median; $17.99–$50.00/kg across 14 dated product listings$87.72/kg median; $87.72–$87.72/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryAcrylonitrile styrene acrylate — ABS with the butadiene rubber phase replaced by an acrylate rubber that has no UV-vulnerable double bonds[1][2]Polyethylene — the simplest polyolefin, non-polar and highly crystalline. The one retailed filament grade, Spectrum HDPE, uses what Spectrum calls Low Warp technology and is denser and stiffer than plain HDPE[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.05 (Bambu Lab) to 1.13 (PolyLite ASA), ISO 1183; Prusament 1.07[5][6][2]1.10 (Spectrum HDPE filament, ISO 1183) against 0.95 for extruded HDPE stock — the filament is a modified formulation[3][4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 30[7][8][9]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 88[10]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg18–50 across brands; IEMAI 18, SUNLU 18, Ambrosia 23, Polymaker 26, Bambu Lab 30, YXPOLYER 30, Prusament 41, 3DXTech 50[11][8][7][12][9][13][14][15][16]87.72 — Spectrum's 500 g spools at 3DJAKE are the only PE filament listing found[10]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[7][8][13][9]Niche, a handful of specialist brands — Spectrum HDPE in six colours is the only PE filament in the 3DJAKE and igo3d product sitemaps, at MatterHackers or at Printed Solid, but it is a normal stocked item rather than a special order[17][18][9][10]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.8, 1, 4 and 10 kg spools[13][9][7]1.75 mm; 500 g spools in six colours[10][17]
Typical applicationsOutdoor fittings, signage, automotive exterior trim and anything that has to hold colour and strength in sunlight[19][1]Chemically resistant containers, packaging prototypes and consumer goods where HDPE is the production material[3]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.04 (Prusament)[2]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–270 across brands; Prusament 260 ± 10, Bambu Lab 240–270, PolyLite 230–260[5][6][2]240-290 (Spectrum HDPE)[3]
Bed temperature°C75–110; Prusament 110 ± 5, Bambu Lab 80–100, PolyLite 75–95[5][6][2]80-100 (Spectrum HDPE)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended — Polymaker calls a chamber needed at ambient temperature, Bambu Lab requires an enclosed printer and rules out its P1P and A-series machines[6][20]Enclosure recommended — Spectrum recommends a closed chamber for larger prints[3]
Recommended chamber temperature°C45–60 (Bambu Lab)[5]Not documented
Part cooling fanLow — Prusament 30 % within a 0–50 % range, Bambu Lab 0–80 %, PolyLite off[2][5][6]0-50 % part cooling (Spectrum HDPE)[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidSatin, smooth PEI or powder-coated sheet with a glue stick; Prusa advises a 3 mm or taller brim on large parts[2][20]Spectrum states no adhesive is necessary for its low-warp HDPE, depending on geometry[3]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s10–16 (PrusaSlicer guidance for ABS/ASA)[21]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a tall brim and Bambu Lab attributes cracking to cooling stress exceeding interlayer adhesion[2][20]Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield. Spectrum's low-warp grade is sold as printable on desktop machines, which is not true of plain polyethylene[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[2][20]Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive; Spectrum states no adhesive is necessary but recommends a closed chamber for large parts[3]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight[6]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[20][2]Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; Spectrum sells the grade as desktop-printable with no dry box and no hardened nozzle[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[20]Brass fine indefinitely — Spectrum states a ruby or hardened nozzle is not required[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[20]Non-abrasive[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required and clogging is not among the listed drawbacks; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle[22][23]Low — Spectrum lists no drybox and no ruby or hardened nozzle for HDPE, and very low moisture absorption[3]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[22]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[22]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.45 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab) and 0.40 % equilibrium (Polymaker); Prusa measures only 0.17 % after 7 days at 22 % RH[5][6][2]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Spectrum lists very low moisture absorption and no dry box[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.45 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab); 0.40 equilibrium (Polymaker); 0.17 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa)[5][6][2]Not documented
Drying temperature & time80 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab); 70 °C for 7 h (Polymaker)[5][6]No drying step published; Spectrum lists a dry box as not required[3]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[24]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthNo dry-versus-conditioned figures are published for ASA; Polymaker groups the styrenics as moderate-sensitivity and the loss shows as poor layer adhesion rather than a stated strength delta[24]Not applicable in practice — Spectrum lists very low moisture absorption and no drybox requirement for HDPE[3]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates the styrenics moderate-sensitivity[24]Store dry at 18-25 °C out of sunlight; Spectrum quotes a 24-month shelf life[3]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa37 ± 3 (Bambu Lab) to 43.8 (PolyLite) printed XY, ISO 527; Prusament 42 ± 1 at yield; Formfutura quotes 47.5 at yield[5][6][2][25]29 at break (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527; specimen type not stated) against 25.5 at yield on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D638, from 3700 psi)[3][4]
Young's modulusMPa2379 (PolyLite) to 2450 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; Prusament 1600, Formfutura 2020[5][6][2][25]3500 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527) against 965 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D638, from 140,000 psi) — the filament grade is nearly four times stiffer than plain polyethylene[3][4]
Elongation at break%6.7 (PolyLite) to 9.2 (Bambu Lab) at break, printed XY, ISO 527; Formfutura quotes 15 at break, Prusament 3.4 at yield[5][6][25][2]18 at break (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527) against above 100 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[3][4]
Flexural strengthMPa64 ± 1 printed horizontal (Prusament, ISO 178); Bambu Lab 65 ± 5, PolyLite 73.4[2][5][6]27.6 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D790; converted from 4000 psi)[4]
Flexural modulusMPa1920 ± 130 (Bambu Lab) to 3206 (PolyLite) printed XY, ISO 178; Prusament 2000[5][6][2]3200 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 178) against 965 on extruded stock (ASTM D790, from 140,000 psi)[3][4]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²10.3 (PolyLite) to 19.6 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 179, notched; Prusament 12 ± 1, Formfutura 18[6][5][2][25]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 25 ± 3 printed horizontal and 38 ± 11 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 179-1); Bambu Lab 41.0 ± 2.3 printed XY[2][5]Charpy 10 kJ/m2 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 179-1; notch condition not stated); Izod 104 J/m on extruded stock, converted from 1.94 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[3][4]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa11 ± 1 (Prusa interlayer adhesion test); 31 ± 4 (Bambu Lab) and 32 (PolyLite) printed Z tensile, ISO 527[2][5][6]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[5][2]Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking; 18 % elongation at break on the filament and above 100 % on extruded stock[3][4]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell78 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method)[2]Shore D 67 and Rockwell R54 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D2240, D785); Spectrum quotes Rockwell 80 HRM for its filament (ISO 2039-2)[4][3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-ASA creep test found; Tg of 98 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening, unlike PLA[6][2]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate — fatigue limit at 25 % of tensile strength (8 MPa) on printed specimens, the best of the four polymers in that study[26]Good — Spectrum lists outstanding abrasion and crack resistance for its HDPE, but no repeated-flex or fatigue test data was found for any PE filament[3]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[5]Slightly flexible in thin sections — Spectrum's low-warp grade has a 3.5 GPa tensile modulus; plain extruded HDPE at 965 MPa is genuinely semi-flexible[3][4]
Z strength as % of XY%84 (Bambu Lab, printed Z against XY tensile); 73 for PolyLite ASA[5][6]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C93 (Prusament) to 103 (PolyLite), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Bambu Lab 100[2][6][5]75 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 167 °F)[4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C86 (Prusament) to 100 (PolyLite), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Bambu Lab 92[2][6][5]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C98 (PolyLite, DSC)[6]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point; Vicat 105 (PolyLite, ISO 306)[6]Not documented
Continuous service temperature°C93 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament ASA[27]110 stated as heat resistance by Spectrum with no test standard given; extruded stock is rated 120 long-term maximum (converted from 248 °F) and brittle below -76[3][4]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K69 ± 17 in XY and 115 ± 24 in the build direction (printed, TMA, 40–70 °C)[28]117 (extruded HDPE stock, ASTM D696; source states 6.5e-5 in/in/°F)[4]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard ASA[5]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Excellent — designed for permanent outdoor use. After 1000 h of QUV exposure to ASTM G154 Stratasys measured yield strength falling only from 30.5 to 30.3 MPa and stress at break by 3.0 %[19]Moderate — a season or two. Spectrum describes its HDPE as UV-stable and weather-resistant but publishes no exposure data[3]
Outdoor durability1000 h QUV per ASTM G154, cycling 8 h at 60 °C and 4 h at 50 °C with condensation: yield 30.5 → 30.3 MPa, stress at break 30.5 → 29.5 MPa, elongation 2.8 → 2.3 %, modulus 1.82 → 1.95 GPa[19]Not documented
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[6]Excellent chemical resistance to acids, bases, oils and solvents (Spectrum); Ensinger lists broad chemical compatibility for HDPE stock[3][4]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — minor absorption[5]Excellent — essentially unaffected; Ensinger lists low moisture absorption for HDPE stock and Spectrum very low absorption for the filament[3][4]
Food contactNot food safe[1]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[1]Not documented
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[1]Spectrum states the filament is fully recyclable; HDPE is resin code 2[3]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[29][20]Not documented
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the range measured across the styrenic filaments tested; ASA itself was not among them[29]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min2 × 10¹⁰ to 9 × 10¹⁰ median for ABS, the closest styrenic tested; ASA itself was not measured[29]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedStyrene. Bambu Lab states ABS and ASA release harmful gases such as styrene at printing temperature, which can be toxic and cause dizziness or nausea. Azimi et al. measured styrene from every styrenic filament tested but did not test ASA itself[20][29]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[29][20]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands well and takes filler before painting[1]Easy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of HDPE stock[4]
Gluing & solvent weldingSolvent-welds with acetone[6]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingAcetone vapour smoothing works — ASA dissolves in acetone[6]Not documented
Support material pairingHIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS that also serves ASA[20]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detailWarping and cooling-stress cracking are the accuracy limits; Stratasys notes the matte finish as a deliberate aesthetic advantage[20][19]Spectrum lists a shiny surface finish and no adhesive requirement; shrinkage remains the limit on large flat parts[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inAcetone dissolves it (Polymaker); MEK, THF, ethyl acetate and the chlorinated solvents dissolve the styrenic backbone.[30][6]None at room temperature; xylene dissolves HDPE at about 105 °C and LDPE at 75 °C. Hot decalin does the same.[31][32]
Softened or crazed byLimonene attacks some grades — Prusa reports Prusament ASA Orange flaking apart as layer adhesion fails.[33]Toluene, xylene, styrene, chloroform, dichloromethane, MEK and trichloroethylene are all unsatisfactory at 21 °C.[32]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentAcetone vapour, ~20 min at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid (15–40 min across brands); layer adhesion up, tensile slightly down.[34]None — polyethylene has no room-temperature solvent, so joints are made by heat welding.[32][31]

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. ASA — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  2. Prusament ASA Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2024-05 · tds
  3. Spectrum HDPE Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2025-10 · tds
  4. TECAFINE HDPE natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ASA Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  6. PolyLite ASA Technical Data Sheet Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  7. ASA — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Spectrum HDPE Traffic Black, 1.75 mm / 500 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Filastruder product catalogue Filastruder · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. ZYLtech ASA-GF Glass Fiber filament — product page ZYLtech · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. IEMAI ASA 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. SUNLU ASA 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. YXPOLYER ASA Purple product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  19. ASA — FDM Material Data Sheet (includes 1000 h QUV exposure results) Stratasys · 2026-08 · tds
  20. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  22. ASA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  25. ApolloX Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · tds
  26. Mechanical, Fatigue, and Thermal Characterization of ASA, Nylon 12, PC and PC-ABS Manufactured by Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) Polymers 18(2):302 · 2026-01 · paper
  27. Prusament ASA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  28. Basalt Fiber Composites with Reduced Thermal Expansion for Additive Manufacturing Polymers 14(15):3216 · 2022-08 · paper
  29. 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
  30. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  31. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  32. HDPE Chemical Resistance Guide (21 °C and 60 °C) INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA · 2026-08 · tds
  33. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  34. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc