3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

Conductive vs PC-ESD

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

Conductive filament guideESD-safe PC guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Conductive comparisonsMore PC-ESD comparisons
Conductive vs PC-ESD — documented properties and sources
PropertyConductive filamentSPECIALTYESD-safe PCPC
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$170.36/kg median; $89.99–$796.00/kg across 4 dated product listings$180.00/kg median; $180.00–$180.00/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryA carbon-filled compound conductive by volume rather than merely dissipative; Proto-pasta's is PLA-based, Recreus's and NinjaTek's are TPU, and add:north's Koltron G1 does not state its base polymer[1][2][3][4]Polycarbonate compounded with a conductive filler for static-dissipative parts[5]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.24 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech); Stratasys specific gravity 1.195 (ASTM D792)[5][6]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 90–181 for the carbon-filled grades; add:north's Koltron G1 sits far above at 796 because it is sold only in 100 and 250 g coils[7][8][9]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 180[10]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg90–796 across brands; Proto-pasta conductive PLA 90 at 1 kg, Recreus Conductive Filaflex 160 at 500 g, NinjaTek Eel 181 at 1 kg, add:north Koltron G1 796 at 250 g[7][2][8][9]180 at 3DXTech's 750 g pricing — the most expensive material in this group[10]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[7][2]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[10]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[7][2][8][9]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools plus Stratasys-compatible cartridges[10]
Typical applicationsCapacitive touch surfaces, low-current traces, EMI shielding and static-safe fixtures[1]Electronics fixtures and trays that need PC heat resistance and static dissipation together[5]
Printing Parameters
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Enclosure required (passive)[11][12]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedPEI with a glue stick or a commercial adhesive[13]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedSevere — heated chamber needed[11][12]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedNeeds a specific surface plus adhesive[13][14]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Not documentedModerate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[14]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[1]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[11]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1]Hardened steel required[5]
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1]Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[5]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — Proto-pasta states the carbon-filled grade prints on standard PLA settings with no special nozzle required[1]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a 120 °C pre-dry[15]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedSlightly sensitive[13]
Hotend requirementNot documentedAll-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[13]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Not documentedLow (0.1–0.3 %) — the PC matrix takes up 0.15–0.25 % and 3DXTech specifies a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry[16][17][15]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[18]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[18]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic and requires a 70–80 °C dry for 6–8 h; run wet, the loss shows as surface defects and poor layer adhesion[14][18]
Storage requirementNot documentedAirtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[14]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented68 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) — above the 58 of 3DXTech's unfilled ezPC; Stratasys prints 47.6-49.4 at yield in XZ (ASTM D638)[5][19][6]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented2300 (printed XY, ISO 527); Stratasys prints 1960 in XZ and 1810-1910 in ZX (ASTM D638)[5][6]
Elongation at break%Not documented6 at break (printed XY, ISO 527), against 14 for the unfilled grade[5][19]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented95 (printed XY, ISO 178); Stratasys prints 82.6-83.2 at break in XZ against 46.3-49.5 in ZX (ASTM D790)[5][6]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2310 (printed XY, ISO 178)[5]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented32.5-37.9 at yield printed ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D638 on the Fortus 450mc and F900)[6]
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; carbon-black loading at conductive levels embrittles PLA[1]Moderate[5]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell 70 (118) — the source does not name the scales and Shore D 79 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D785, D2240); no figure is published for an ESD grade[20]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedExcellent — holds load for years. Moulded unfilled PC was still running unbroken under 41 MPa tensile creep at room temperature when the test was stopped, and the conductive filler leaves the glass transition unchanged at 142 °C, so the creep mechanism is polycarbonate's[21][6]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[5]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented68-77 (Stratasys ZX against XZ tensile yield, ASTM D638)[6]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented143-146 printed in XY, XZ and ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi); 135 moulded[6]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented140-144 printed in XY, XZ and ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi); 124 moulded[6]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented143 (DSC, 3DXTech) and 142 (Stratasys, ASTM D7426)[5][6]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[17]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented68.4 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D696; source states 3.8e-5 in/in/°F); no figure is published for a conductive-filled grade[20]
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceNot documentedWithstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[14]
Food contactNot documentedBisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[14]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[14]
RecyclabilityNot documentedMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[14]
Electrical & ESD propertiesConductive rather than dissipative — Proto-pasta sells the grade as electrically conductive composite PLA[1]Surface resistance 10⁷–10⁹ ohm/sq, the static-dissipative band (ASTM D257), against above 10¹³ for unfilled ezPC[5][19]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[22]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[22]
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/minNot documented≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[22]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[22]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[22][11]
Dust & fibre handling hazardConductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Conductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[5]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedSands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[13]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[13]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[13]
Support material pairingNot documentedPrints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[13]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves PLA-based grades, leaving the carbon black; TPU-based grades need DMF, NMP or THF. Laboratory reagents.[23][24]Dichloromethane, chloroform, DMF and dioxane dissolve it outright (Covestro, 6 days at 23 °C). Laboratory reagents.[25]
Softened or crazed byAcetone and ethyl acetate plasticise a PLA-based grade; a TPU-based grade swells in toluene, esters and alcohols.[23][24]Methanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[25]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — neither PLA nor TPU has a workshop-safe welding or smoothing solvent.[23][24]Dichloromethane cement welds PC — 16.5 MPa lap shear at one week (IPS Weld-On 3). A controlled carcinogen.[26]

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. Electrically Conductive Composite PLA — product page and technical data Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · tds
  2. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Eel 3D Printing Filament Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Koltron G1 Technical Data Sheet add:north · 2026-08 · tds
  5. 3DXSTAT ESD-PC Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  6. PC-ESD — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2024-10 · tds
  7. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Eel product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. add:north Koltron G1 product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  13. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. 3DXSTAT ESD-PC — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  17. Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  18. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. ezPC Polycarbonate Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  20. TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  22. 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
  23. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  24. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  25. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  26. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds