Filament comparison
BVOH vs PETG-CF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | BVOH (soluble support)SUPPORT | Carbon-fibre PETG (PETG-CF)PETG |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $29.99/kg median; $16.00–$74.22/kg across 11 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] | PETG reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.25 (Bambu Lab) to 1.34 (3DXTech), ISO 1183; Prusament 1.27[2][4][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1] | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 16–74; the middle of the market is about 29[2][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1] | 16–74 across brands; ELEGOO 16 in a 5 kg pack, Reli3D 17, SUNLU 20, IEMAI 22, Siraya Tech 25, Bambu Lab 32, Sakata 3D 53, 3DXTech 67, Prusament 70, Filament PM 74 on 0.5 kg spools[12][2][13][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1] | Stocked by most mainstream brands[2][13][5][12] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75 and 1 kg spools[13][2] |
| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1] | Stiff functional parts and fixtures where PETG's toughness is traded for rigidity and a matte finish[2][3] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | ±0.02 (Prusament)[3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 240–270 (Bambu Lab); 265 ± 10 (Prusament)[2][3] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 65–75 (Bambu Lab); 90 ± 10 (Prusament)[2][3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[14] | Open frame fine; draught shield helps — Bambu Lab specifies a 35–50 °C chamber[2] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | Not documented | 35–50 (Bambu Lab)[2] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 0–60 % (Bambu Lab); 50 % (Prusament)[2][3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Textured PEI or engineering plate with glue (Bambu Lab)[2] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 11.5 on My Tech Fun's Bambu Lab PETG-CF profile[15] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive[2] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Slight — the fibre reduces stringing against unfilled PETG[2][16] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[17] | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; hardened nozzle mandatory[2] |
| Extruder requirement | A second extruder or a tool changer[14] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[14] | Hardened steel required[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[14] | Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[17] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech specifies a hardened 0.4 mm minimum nozzle and 0.25 mm layers or higher, and Prusa lists composites as a higher clogging risk[18][19] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Slightly sensitive[16] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | Hardened steel nozzle; no high-temperature hot-end needed[2][16] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[17][14] | Low — 0.30 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.30 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab); Prusa measures 0.10 after 7 days at 22 % RH[2][3] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | 65 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab)[2] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[17] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[17] | No dry-versus-conditioned figures published; Bambu Lab states PETG-CF must be properly dried before printing and stored dry after use[2][17] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times[17] | Sealed with desiccant; Bambu Lab says store dry after use[2][17] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 35 ± 5 (Bambu Lab) and 47 ± 2 at yield (Prusament) printed XY, ISO 527; 56 at break for 3DXTech[2][3][4] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2460 ± 230 (Bambu Lab) and 1700 (Prusament) printed XY, ISO 527[2][3] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 4.3 at yield (Prusament, printed XY, ISO 527); 3 at break for 3DXTech[3][4] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 68 ± 3 printed horizontal, ISO 178 (Prusament)[3] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2300 printed horizontal, 3100 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament)[3] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Charpy unnotched 29 ± 6 printed horizontal and 43 ± 8 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 179-1); Izod 4.91 kJ/m² on My Tech Fun bars[3][15] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 29 ± 4 printed Z (Bambu Lab, ISO 527); 18 ± 3 by Prusa's interlayer adhesion test; 10.7 on My Tech Fun bars[2][3][15] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Brittle — snaps with little warning[4] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | 77 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method)[3] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Below average — a 12 mm bar sagged to 16.4 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg, less than plain PETG's 19.4[15] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — no CF-grade S-N curve; unfilled printed PETG ran 79 000–193 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[20] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[2] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | Not documented | 83 (Bambu Lab, printed Z against XY tensile)[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 74 (Bambu Lab) and 96 (Prusament), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[2][3] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 68 (Bambu Lab) and 80 (Prusament), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[2][3] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 68 (Bambu Lab) and 80 (3DXTech), DSC[2][4] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 225 melting (Bambu Lab, DSC) — the carbon fibre lets the PET fraction crystallise[2] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 77 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature, against 61 for Bambu Lab PETG Basic[15] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — a season or two; the carbon fibre does not add UV stabilisation[21] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure, as for unfilled PETG[21] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not certified for food contact[21] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[21] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Fibre-filled PETG is not accepted in household plastic collection[21] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistance above 10⁹ ohm/sq — carbon fibre at this loading is not static-dissipative (3DXTech)[4] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[22] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[22] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[22] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[22] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Carbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[4] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Sands to a matte finish more readily than unfilled PETG[16] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds it[16] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[16] |
| Support material pairing | This is the support material[1] | Support for PLA or its own material (Bambu Lab)[2] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Matte finish hides layer lines; stringing is reduced against unfilled PETG[2] |
| 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.[23][1] | No common workshop solvent; dichloromethane — a carcinogen — dissolves the matrix surface, 1,2-dichloroethane destroys it in a week.[24][25] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[26] | Acetone (+16 % weight over 1 year at 23 °C), ethyl acetate, toluene and DMF swell and soften it; methanol crazes it.[24] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[23] | Dichloromethane reaches only the resin, so the fibre is left standing proud of the surface. Controlled carcinogen.[25] |
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
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PETG-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Prusament PETG Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
- CarbonX Carbon Fiber PETG Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU PETG-CF (PETG Carbon Fiber) 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- Fibreheart PETG-CF Pro Filament product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI CF-PETG 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- Reli3D Carbon Fiber PETG Filament 1.75 mm, 1 kg Reli3D (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
- PET-G CF15 Sakata 3D Filaments · 2026-08 · vendor
- Filament PM CFJet technical data sheet (TDS CFJet ENG.pdf) Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
- ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- BambuLab PETG Basic vs Translucent vs PETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- PET and PETG — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- CARBONX PETG+CF — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
- PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 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
- 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
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds