3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

BVOH vs PLA Matte

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

BVOH (soluble support) guideMatte PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore BVOH comparisonsMore PLA Matte comparisons
BVOH vs PLA Matte — documented properties and sources
PropertyBVOH (soluble support)SUPPORTMatte PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings$19.09/kg median; $10.99–$32.16/kg across 10 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryButenediol vinyl alcohol copolymer — a vinyl alcohol copolymer that dissolves faster and in cooler water than straight PVA[1]PLA compounded with a mineral filler — Fiberlogy names chalk — that scatters light into a diffuse finish[2][3]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.31 (Bambu Lab, ISO 1183) to 1.38 (Fiberlogy PLA Mineral, method not stated) — above plain PLA from the filler[3][2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1]Mainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 21[4][5][6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1]11–32 across brands; budget house brands 11–19, Fiberlogy PLA Mineral 32[7][5][8]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1]Stocked by most mainstream brands[7][6][4]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1]1.75 mm; 1 kg spools plus spool-less refills[4][9]
Typical applicationsDissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1]Display models and visible parts where a matte, non-reflective finish matters[3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[10]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented190–230 (Bambu Lab); 190–210 (Fiberlogy PLA Mineral)[3][2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented35–45 (Bambu Lab); 60 (Fiberlogy)[3][2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[11]Open frame is fine[3][2]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on; Fiberlogy specifies 75–100 %[3][2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedCool plate, high-temperature plate or textured PEI with glue (Bambu Lab); smooth PEI, textured PEI or glass (Fiberlogy)[3][2]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything[12]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[13]Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[3][2]
Extruder requirementA second extruder or a tool changer[11]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[11]Brass fine indefinitely[14][3][2]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[11]Slightly abrasive — mineral filler pushes density from 1.24 to 1.31–1.38[2][3][15]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[13]Very low[14]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedModerate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[16]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required[12]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[13][11]Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented50 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 60–70 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed; Fiberlogy specifies 50 °C for 6 h[3][2][17]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[13]
Effect of moisture on strengthNot a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[13]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[13]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant at all times[13]Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[15][12]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented30 (printed XY, ISO 527, Bambu Lab); 35.1 on My Tech Fun bars for PolyTerra PLA[3][18]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented1960 (Bambu Lab, printed XY, ISO 527); Fiberlogy PLA Mineral quotes 3500 (ISO 527, specimen type not stated)[3][2]
Elongation at break%Not documented14.8 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented53 (printed XY, ISO 178) — 30 % below PLA Basic at 76[3][15]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2360 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented6.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 19.2[3]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod 6.1 kJ/m² on My Tech Fun printed bars for PolyTerra PLA[18]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented22 (printed Z, ISO 527); flexural Z falls to 29 against 53 in XY; 12.9 on My Tech Fun layer-adhesion bars[3][18]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedBrittle — snaps with little warning[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — 12 mm bar sagged to 18.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[18]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedPoor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[19][16]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRigid[3]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented73 by tensile, 55 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented58 (Bambu Lab) and 48 (Fiberlogy PLA Mineral), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[3][2]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented61 (DSC)[3]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented163 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 63 °C[3]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented54 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[18]
Annealing responseNot documented50–60 °C for 6–12 h; some prints deform or warp, and a forced-air oven is required[3]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[15][20]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[16][21]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[20][16]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1]Good — insoluble in water[15]
Food contactNot documentedBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[16]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[22][16]
RecyclabilityNot documentedMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[22]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[23]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[23]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[23]None needed in a normal room[23]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[21][16]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[16][24]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[16]
Support material pairingThis is the support material[1]Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[3]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedMatte surface hides layer lines; 55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges as for plain PLA[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inWater: about 1 g of BVOH per 20 g of water, several hours; warmer water is faster but must not be too hot.[25][1]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[26]
Softened or crazed byNothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[27]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[26][28]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[25]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[29][28]

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. Fiberlogy BVOH Natural — product page 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. PLA Mineral — product and technical data Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Matte Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Polymaker Panchroma Matte PLA — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Overture Matte PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Matte PLA filament collection Anycubic Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Matte PLA filament collection Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Fiberlogy PLA Mineral — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Extrudr PLA NX2 Matt — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  12. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  16. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  19. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  20. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  21. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  22. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  23. 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
  24. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  25. Water soluble (BVOH/PVA) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  26. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  27. Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds
  28. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  29. 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