3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
BVOH vs PP-CF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | BVOH (soluble support)SUPPORT | Carbon-fibre PP (PP-CF)POLYOLEFIN |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $107.68/kg median; $57.13–$120.00/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] | Polypropylene reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 0.91 (Prusament PP Carbon Fiber, ISO 1183)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1] | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 57–138; the middle of the market is about 108[4][5][6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1] | 57–138 across brands; Reli3D 57 at 700 g on Amazon, Prusament 108 direct from Prusa and 138 at Printed Solid, 3DXTech CarbonX PP+CF 120[4][7][5][6] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1] | Available from several mainstream brands[5][7] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1] | 1.75 mm; 0.65 kg spools[7][5] |
| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1] | Lightweight chemical-resistant parts, automotive clips and ducting that must survive above 150 °C[8] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | ±0.04 (Prusament)[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 270 ± 10 (Prusament)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 85 ± 10 (Prusament)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[9] | Enclosure recommended — Simplify3D lists an enclosure as a hardware requirement and Polymaker advises one below 70 °C ambient to stop warping and cracking[10][11] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Off — Prusa runs 0 % except 100 % on bridges[2] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 3.2 at Prusa's 40 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2][12] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a brim[2] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Very difficult — special plates or slurry required[2] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[13] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[2] |
| Extruder requirement | A second extruder or a tool changer[9] | Prusa states a hardened nozzle is necessary and recommends a brim[2] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[9] | Hardened steel required — Prusa states plainly that a hardened nozzle is necessary[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[9] | Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[13] | 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[3][14] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[13][9] | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Prusa measures 0.03 % in 24 h and 0.04 % in 7 days on its PP composite, the lowest figures it publishes for any filament[2] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.03 after 24 h and 0.04 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[2] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[13] | Not applicable in practice at 0.04 % equilibrium uptake[2] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times[13] | No special storage needed[2] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 21 ± 0.4 filament tensile yield (Prusament, ISO 527)[2] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 14.5 ± 0.3 printed horizontal and 10.5 ± 0.8 printed vertical XZ (ISO 179-1, notched)[2] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Rockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded unfilled PP stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a carbon-fibre PP filament[15] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good[16] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Slightly flexible in thin sections[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 158 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — far above unfilled PP and above most engineering filaments[2] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 115 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Excellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents[11] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1] | Excellent — essentially unaffected[2] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[17] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission. Inferred: no polyolefin was among the nine filaments in the Azimi chamber study, so this is a family-level judgement rather than a measurement[17] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[17] | Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[17] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Carbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[2] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Support material pairing | This is the support material[1] | Not documented |
| 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.[18][1] | None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves the matrix at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C, leaving the fibre.[19][20] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[21] | Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[19] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[18] | None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[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
- Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- CarbonX PP+CF — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Black 650g — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Reli3D Carbon Fiber PP Filament 1.75 mm 700 g Black — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PP Carbon Fiber — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PP — 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
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Centaur PP Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 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
- Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
- US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
- Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds