3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
BVOH vs PETG-GF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | BVOH (soluble support)SUPPORT | Glass-fibre polyester (PETG-GF / PET-GF)PETG |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $27.38/kg median; $18.99–$29.99/kg across 3 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] | Glass-fibre reinforced polyester. Polymaker's Fiberon PET-GF15 uses a PET rather than a PETG matrix and carries 15 wt% glass fibre[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.43 (Fiberon PET-GF15, ISO 1183)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1] | 1 kg spools cluster near 25[3][4] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1] | 19–30 across brands; ELEGOO 19, Polymaker Fiberon 30[3][4] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][4] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1] | 1.75 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools[4] |
| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1] | Stiff, dimensionally stable fixtures; the Fiberon grade is designed to be annealed for heat resistance[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[5] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Textured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets; on smooth PEI a glue stick acts as a release agent[6][7] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[6][7] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker names stringing as PETG's common quirk[7] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[8] | Not documented |
| Extruder requirement | A second extruder or a tool changer[5] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[5] | Hardened steel required[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[5] | Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[8] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists higher risk of nozzle clogging for glass-filled composites[9] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Slightly sensitive[10] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required[10] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[8][5] | Moderate (0.3–0.8 %) — the PETG matrix reaches 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH; no glass-filled grade publishes its own figure[6] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[8] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[8] | 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[8] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times[8] | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[8][7] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 59.9 ± 0.8 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon PET-GF15)[2] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 4144 ± 133 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon PET-GF15)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 4.0 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon PET-GF15)[2] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 104.2 ± 2.4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Fiberon PET-GF15)[2] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 3705 ± 85 printed XY, ISO 178 (Fiberon PET-GF15)[2] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 8.7 ± 0.6 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Fiberon PET-GF15)[2] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Charpy unnotched 27.2 ± 2.0 printed XY (Fiberon PET-GF15, ISO 179)[2] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 48.2 ± 0.3 printed Z, ISO 527 (Fiberon PET-GF15)[2] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Brittle — snaps with little warning; elongation 4.0 % in XY and 2.6 % in Z[2] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Below average — no GF-grade creep test; the CF grades sagged to 14.8–16.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg against 17.1–20.4 mm unfilled[11][12][13] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Below average — no GF-grade S-N curve; elongation at break falls to 4.0 % in XY against 5.2–9.3 % unfilled[2][14] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[2] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | Not documented | 80 (Fiberon PET-GF15, printed Z against XY tensile)[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 81.6 as printed, 133.7 after annealing (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[2] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 71.8 as printed, 87.3 after annealing (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 59.5 (DSC)[2] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 231.6 melting (DSC); Vicat 232.6 (ISO 306)[2] |
| Annealing response | Not documented | Annealing lifts HDT at 0.45 MPa from 81.6 to 133.7 °C[2] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 20 along the print bead and 63–74 in the build direction at 30 °C (30 wt% GF, large-format printed, TMA)[15] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | UL 94 HB at 1.5 mm (Fiberon PET-GF15)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure[7] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not certified for food contact as filament[7] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[7] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[7] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistivity above 10¹² ohm — insulating (Fiberon PET-GF15, ANSI/ESD S11.11)[2] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[16] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[16] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[16] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[16] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Glass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[2] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Sands poorly — the material is tough and gums rather than powders[10] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[10] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[10] |
| Support material pairing | This is the support material[1] | Prints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[10] |
| 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.[17][1] | No common workshop solvent; dichloromethane — a carcinogen — dissolves the matrix surface, 1,2-dichloroethane destroys it in a week.[18][19] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[20] | Acetone (+16 % weight over 1 year at 23 °C), ethyl acetate, toluene and DMF swell and soften it; methanol crazes it.[18] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[17] | Dichloromethane reaches only the resin, so the fibre is left standing proud of the surface. Controlled carcinogen.[19] |
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
- Fiberon PET-GF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.0 Polymaker · 2026-08 · tds
- ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 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
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- PET and PETG — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Extrudr PETG vs PCTG vs XPETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Prusament PETG-CF vs PETG V0 vs PETG — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- BambuLab PETG Basic vs Translucent vs PETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
- Effects of Fiber Orientation on the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of Fiber-Filled Polymer Systems in Large Format Polymer Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing Materials 15(8):2764 · 2022-04 · paper
- 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