Filament comparison
ASA vs PLA Stone
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | ASAASA | Stone-filled PLAPLA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $28.98/kg median; $17.99–$50.00/kg across 14 dated product listings | $22.99/kg median; $15.99–$49.16/kg across 6 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate — ABS with the butadiene rubber phase replaced by an acrylate rubber that has no UV-vulnerable double bonds[1][2] | PLA filled with stone or mineral powder — Formfutura StoneFil declares 40–50 wt% stone powder[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.05 (Bambu Lab) to 1.13 (PolyLite ASA), ISO 1183; Prusament 1.07[5][6][2] | 1.22 (Bambu Lab PLA Marble) and 1.50–1.70 (Formfutura StoneFil), ISO 1183[4][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 30[7][8][9] | 1 kg spools cluster near 21[10][8] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 18–50 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] | 16–49 across brands; SUNLU 16, ELEGOO 19, Polymaker 21, Bambu Lab 25, Prusament 38, Filament PM MarbleJet 49 on 0.5 kg spools[17][8][10][9][18][19] |
| Market availability1–5 | Stocked by most mainstream brands[7][8][13][9] | Stocked by most mainstream brands[10][8][17] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.8, 1, 4 and 10 kg spools[13][9][7] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools plus refills[8][3] |
| Typical applications | Outdoor fittings, signage, automotive exterior trim and anything that has to hold colour and strength in sunlight[20][1] | Architectural models, sculpture and props with a matte mineral surface[4] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | ±0.04 (Prusament)[2] | Not documented |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 230–270 across brands; Prusament 260 ± 10, Bambu Lab 240–270, PolyLite 230–260[5][6][2] | 190–230 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Bed temperature°C | 75–110; Prusament 110 ± 5, Bambu Lab 80–100, PolyLite 75–95[5][6][2] | 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure 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][21] | Open frame is fine[4] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | 45–60 (Bambu Lab)[5] | Not documented |
| Part cooling fan | Low — Prusament 30 % within a 0–50 % range, Bambu Lab 0–80 %, PolyLite off[2][5][6] | Fan on[4] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Satin, smooth PEI or powder-coated sheet with a glue stick; Prusa advises a 3 mm or taller brim on large parts[2][21] | Not documented |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 10–16 (PrusaSlicer guidance for ABS/ASA)[22] | Not documented |
| Warping tendency1–5 | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a tall brim and Bambu Lab attributes cracking to cooling stress exceeding interlayer adhesion[2][21] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[2][21] | Not documented |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Slight[6] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[21][2] | Easy — minor profile tuning; 0.2 mm nozzles are not usable[23] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Nozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible (Bambu Lab)[23] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[21] | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work — Bambu Lab's compatibility table says no hardened nozzle is needed while the note under the same table groups PLA Marble with particle-filled materials that should always use one[23] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[21] | Moderately abrasive — stone fill[23][3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — no special hot-end required and clogging is not among the listed drawbacks; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle[24][25] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[23] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[24] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[24] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate — 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] | Moderate — 0.44 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[4] |
| 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] | 0.44 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Drying temperature & time | 80 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab); 70 °C for 7 h (Polymaker)[5][6] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[26] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | No 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[26] | Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[26] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates the styrenics moderate-sensitivity[26] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 37 ± 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][27] | 33 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2379 (PolyLite) to 2450 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; Prusament 1600, Formfutura 2020[5][6][2][27] | 2330 ± 240 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[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][27][2] | 6.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 64 ± 1 printed horizontal (Prusament, ISO 178); Bambu Lab 65 ± 5, PolyLite 73.4[2][5][6] | 75 ± 5 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 1920 ± 130 (Bambu Lab) to 3206 (PolyLite) printed XY, ISO 178; Prusament 2000[5][6][2] | 2920 ± 180 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 10.3 (PolyLite) to 19.6 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 179, notched; Prusament 12 ± 1, Formfutura 18[6][5][2][27] | 9.5 ± 2.6 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Other impact data | Charpy 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 unnotched 24.0 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179)[4] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 11 ± 1 (Prusa interlayer adhesion test); 31 ± 4 (Bambu Lab) and 32 (PolyLite) printed Z tensile, ISO 527[2][5][6] | 30 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[5][2] | Brittle — snaps with little warning[4] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | 78 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method)[2] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Moderate — no printed-ASA creep test found; Tg of 98 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening, unlike PLA[6][2] | Poor — no stone-filled creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[28][29][30] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Moderate — fatigue limit at 25 % of tensile strength (8 MPa) on printed specimens, the best of the four polymers in that study[31] | Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength and the mineral filler leaves a brittle compound[32][4] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[5] | Rigid[4] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 84 (Bambu Lab, printed Z against XY tensile); 73 for PolyLite ASA[5][6] | 91 by tensile, 73 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 93 (Prusament) to 103 (PolyLite), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Bambu Lab 100[2][6][5] | 56 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 86 (Prusament) to 100 (PolyLite), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Bambu Lab 92[2][6][5] | 53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 98 (PolyLite, DSC)[6] | 56 (DSC)[4] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 105 (PolyLite, ISO 306)[6] | 156 peak melt (DSC); Formfutura gives a 120–170 melting range for StoneFil[4][3] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | 93 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament ASA[33] | Not documented |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 69 ± 17 in XY and 115 ± 24 in the build direction (printed, TMA, 40–70 °C)[34] | Not documented |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard ASA[5] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Excellent — 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 %[20] | Degrades within weeks outdoors[35] |
| Outdoor durability | 1000 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[20] | Not documented |
| Chemical resistance | Good against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[6] | Not documented |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Good — minor absorption[5] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food safe[1] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[1] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection[1] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[36][21] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[36] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | 12–113 styrene, the range measured across the styrenic filaments tested; ASA itself was not among them[36] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | 2 × 10¹⁰ to 9 × 10¹⁰ median for ABS, the closest styrenic tested; ASA itself was not measured[36] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Styrene. 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[21][36] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[36][21] | None needed in a normal room[36] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Formfutura's SDS sets an occupational limit of 1 mg/m³ for the stone powder and lists it as both a fibre and a particulate — do not dry-sand without extraction[3] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands well and takes filler before painting[1] | Sands to a stone-like matte surface[3] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Solvent-welds with acetone[6] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Acetone vapour smoothing works — ASA dissolves in acetone[6] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | HIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS that also serves ASA[21] | Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Warping and cooling-stress cracking are the accuracy limits; Stratasys notes the matte finish as a deliberate aesthetic advantage[21][20] | Matte mineral surface hides layer lines; 55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges as for plain PLA[4] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Acetone dissolves it (Polymaker); MEK, THF, ethyl acetate and the chlorinated solvents dissolve the styrenic backbone.[37][6] | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[38] |
| Softened or crazed by | Limonene attacks some grades — Prusa reports Prusament ASA Orange flaking apart as layer adhesion fails.[39] | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[38][40] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Acetone vapour, ~20 min at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid (15–40 min across brands); layer adhesion up, tensile slightly down.[40] | Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[41][40] |
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
- ASA — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusament ASA Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2024-05 · tds
- StoneFil safety data sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · msds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Marble Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ASA Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- PolyLite ASA Technical Data Sheet Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- ASA — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- PLA Marble — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- Filastruder product catalogue Filastruder · 2026-08 · vendor
- ZYLtech ASA-GF Glass Fiber filament — product page ZYLtech · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI ASA 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU ASA 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER ASA Purple product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU High Speed PLA Marble 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- Filament PM PLA MarbleJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
- ASA — FDM Material Data Sheet (includes 1000 h QUV exposure results) Stratasys · 2026-08 · tds
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- ASA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- ApolloX Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · tds
- BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- 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
- Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
- Prusament ASA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- Basalt Fiber Composites with Reduced Thermal Expansion for Additive Manufacturing Polymers 14(15):3216 · 2022-08 · paper
- PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- 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
- 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