3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
BVOH vs PCTG
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | BVOH (soluble support)SUPPORT | PCTGPETG |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $34.99/kg median; $14.00–$50.67/kg across 5 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Butenediol vinyl alcohol copolymer — a vinyl alcohol copolymer that dissolves faster and in cooler water than straight PVA[1] | Poly(cyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate) glycol — a copolyester with a higher cyclohexanedimethanol content than PETG[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.23 (Extrudr, ASTM D792; 3DXTech, ISO 1183)[3][4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1] | 1 kg spools cluster near 34[5][4][6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1] | 14–51 across brands; CHCKX 14 in a 10-roll bundle, Push Plastic 30, Proto-pasta 35 at 1 kg, 3DXTech 51[5][4][7] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1] | Available from several mainstream brands[5][4][6][8] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1, 3 and 5 kg spools[5][6][4] |
| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1] | Transparent covers, guards and impact-loaded parts where PETG cracks[2][3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 250–270 (Spectrum, Extrudr)[2][3] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 60–100 (Spectrum)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[9] | Open frame is fine — Spectrum and Extrudr both say a closed chamber is not necessary, Extrudr adds it helps on larger parts[2][3] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Up to 100 % (Spectrum); 20–50 % (Extrudr)[2][3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Textured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets; on smooth PEI a glue stick acts as a release agent[10][11] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 1.6–16 at the 20–200 mm/s Extrudr rates the material for, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3][12] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[10][11] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker names stringing as PETG's common quirk[11] |
| Shrinkage% | Not documented | 0.2–0.5 (Extrudr, ASTM D955)[3] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[13] | Easy — minor profile tuning[2][3] |
| Extruder requirement | A second extruder or a tool changer[9] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[9] | Brass fine indefinitely — Extrudr explicitly states no hardened nozzle is needed[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[9] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[13] | Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns and no minimum layer height for PCTG, only a 65 °C pre-dry[14] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Slightly sensitive[15] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required[15] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[13][9] | Moderate (0.3–0.8 %) — the copolyester matrix reaches 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH and 3DXTech specifies a 65 °C, 4 h pre-dry[10][14] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[13] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[13] | Polymaker groups PETG with nylon, PVA and TPU as highly hygroscopic; no dry-versus-conditioned strength figures are published for this grade and the loss shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[13] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times[13] | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[13][11] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 43–44 at yield and 45–46 at break (ISO 527, injection-moulded resin data from Spectrum and Extrudr); 48 on My Tech Fun printed bars[2][3][16] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 215–220 at break on moulded specimens (ISO 527); 4.3–4.4 at yield[2][3] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 93–94 notched Izod at 23 °C on moulded specimens (ISO 180); 3DXTech quotes 8 by ISO 180/A[2][3][4] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Izod 4.14 kJ/m² on My Tech Fun printed bars, against 3.37 for PETG on the same rig[16] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 21.6 on My Tech Fun 4×4 mm printed bars, against 32.9 for PETG[16] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[2][3] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | 69 Shore D measured by My Tech Fun, against 72 for PETG[16] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Below average — a 12 mm bar sagged to 19.4 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg, slightly worse than PETG's 18.2[16] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — 215 % elongation at break and 94 kJ/m² notched Izod on moulded specimens (Extrudr, Spectrum)[2][3] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Slightly flexible in thin sections[16] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 78 (3DXTech, DSC)[4] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 88 (Spectrum, Extrudr)[2][3] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 68 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature, against 65 for PETG[16] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard grades[17] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure[11] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1] | Good — minor absorption; Spectrum describes the polymer as hydrophobic[2] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not certified for food contact as filament[11] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[11] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[11] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (3DXTech, ASTM D257)[4] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[18] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[18] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[18] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[18] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Sands poorly — the material is tough and gums rather than powders[15] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[15] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[15] |
| Support material pairing | This is the support material[1] | Prints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[15] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Optical clarity is the selling point; Extrudr recommends a layer height at most 50 % of nozzle diameter[3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Water: about 1 g of BVOH per 20 g of water, several hours; warmer water is faster but must not be too hot.[19][1] | No common workshop solvent; Eastman's CHDM copolyester data shows 1,2-dichloroethane destroying it within a week.[20] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[21] | Acetone, ethyl acetate, toluene and DMF swell and soften the copolyester; methanol crazes it (Eastman, 1 y at 23 °C).[20] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[19] | Dichloromethane brushed on is the only agent that smooths PETG — a controlled carcinogen, not workshop stock.[22] |
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
- Fiberlogy BVOH Natural — product page 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
- Spectrum Premium PCTG Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2026-08 · tds
- Extrudr PCTG technical data Extrudr · 2026-08 · tds
- MAX-G PCTG Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- CHCKX 10KG Multicolor PCTG Filament bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
- Atomic Filament product catalogue Atomic Filament · 2026-08 · vendor
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- MAX-G PCTG — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- PET and PETG — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PCTG vs PETG comparison — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Prusament PETG V0 Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- Water soluble (BVOH/PVA) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- Eastman Spectar copolyester — Chemical resistance (unstressed bars, 1 year at 23 °C) Eastman Chemical Company · 2026-08 · tds
- Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc