3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

Conductive vs rPETG

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

Conductive filament guideRecycled PETG (rPETG) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Conductive comparisonsMore rPETG comparisons
Conductive vs rPETG — documented properties and sources
PropertyConductive filamentSPECIALTYRecycled PETG (rPETG)PETG
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$170.36/kg median; $89.99–$796.00/kg across 4 dated product listings$28.99/kg median; $17.24–$39.98/kg across 4 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]PETG regranulated from recycled polyester waste; Polymaker's Fiberon PETG-rCF08 adds 8 wt% recycled carbon fibre[5][6][7]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.27 (Prusament) and 1.30 (Fiberon PETG-rCF08), ISO 1183[5][7]
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[8][9][10]1 kg spools cluster near 29[11][12][13][14]
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[8][2][9][10]17–40 across brands; Filament PM RePETG 17, 3DXTech ECOMAX 26, GreenGate3D 32, Fiberon rCF08 40[11][12][13][14]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[8][2]Available from several mainstream brands[11][12][13]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[8][2][9][10]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 1 and 3 kg spools[13][12]
Typical applicationsCapacitive touch surfaces, low-current traces, EMI shielding and static-safe fixtures[1]Not documented
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.05 (Prusament PETG Recycled), against ±0.02 for virgin Prusament PETG[5][15]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented250 ± 10 (Prusament); 230–255 (Spectrum)[5][6]
Bed temperature°CNot documented80 ± 10 (Prusament); 60–80 (Spectrum)[5][6]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Open frame is fine — Spectrum states a closed chamber is not necessary[6]
Part cooling fanNot documented50 % (Prusament); up to 100 % (Spectrum)[5][6]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedTextured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets; on smooth PEI a glue stick acts as a release agent[15][16]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedNeeds the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[15][16]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Not documentedModerate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker names stringing as PETG's common quirk[16]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[1]Easy — minor profile tuning; Spectrum describes printing as similar to standard PETG[6]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1]Brass fine indefinitely[5]
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — Proto-pasta states the carbon-filled grade prints on standard PLA settings with no special nozzle required[1]Low — recycled PETG prints on the same hardware as virgin PETG: no special hot-end, no drybox and no hardened nozzle[17][18]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedSlightly sensitive[17]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required[17]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Not documentedModerate (0.3–0.8 %) — recycled PETG shares the virgin matrix, which reaches 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[15]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.07 after 24 h and 0.10 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[5]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[19]
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[19]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[19]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[19][16]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented43 ± 1.8 printed horizontal at yield, ISO 527-1 (Prusament), against 47 ± 2 for virgin Prusament PETG; Spectrum quotes 52 at yield on moulded specimens[5][15][6]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented1500 printed horizontal, 1600 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 527-1) — the same as virgin Prusament PETG[5][15]
Elongation at break%Not documented4.5 at yield printed (Prusament); Spectrum quotes 400 at break on moulded specimens[5][6]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented63 ± 1 printed horizontal, ISO 178 (Prusament), against 66 ± 2 for virgin Prusament PETG[5][15]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented1800 printed horizontal, ISO 178 (Prusament)[5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented12 ± 1 printed horizontal and 15 ± 3 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament)[5]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched 25 ± 3 printed horizontal and 38 ± 11 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 179-1)[5]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented15 ± 5 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test), against 18 ± 4 for virgin Prusament PETG[5][15]
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 documented74 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method) — the same as virgin Prusament PETG[5][15]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedBelow average — no recycled-grade creep test; virgin PETG sagged from 12 to 17.1–20.4 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[20][21][22][23]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedModerate — no recycled-grade S-N curve; virgin printed PETG ran 79 000–193 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[24]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Slightly flexible in thin sections[5]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented68 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the same as virgin Prusament PETG; Spectrum quotes 70[5][15][6]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented68 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[5]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard grades[25]
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceNot documentedWithstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure[16]
Food contactNot documentedNot certified for food contact as filament[16]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[16]
RecyclabilityNot documentedThe feedstock itself — Spectrum describes collecting, shredding and re-homogenising PETG waste[6]
Electrical & ESD propertiesConductive rather than dissipative — Proto-pasta sells the grade as electrically conductive composite PLA[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[26]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[26]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[26]Open a window / occasional ventilation[26]
Dust & fibre handling hazardConductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedSands poorly — the material is tough and gums rather than powders[17]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[17]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[17]
Support material pairingNot documentedPrints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[17]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves PLA-based grades, leaving the carbon black; TPU-based grades need DMF, NMP or THF. Laboratory reagents.[27][28]No common workshop solvent; 1,2-dichloroethane destroys it inside a week and dichloromethane — a carcinogen — dissolves the surface.[29][30]
Softened or crazed byAcetone and ethyl acetate plasticise a PLA-based grade; a TPU-based grade swells in toluene, esters and alcohols.[27][28]Acetone (+16 % weight over 1 year at 23 °C), ethyl acetate, toluene and DMF swell and soften it; methanol crazes it.[29]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — neither PLA nor TPU has a workshop-safe welding or smoothing solvent.[27][28]Dichloromethane brushed on is the only agent that smooths PETG — a controlled carcinogen, not workshop stock.[30]

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. Prusament PETG Recycled Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  6. Spectrum r-PETG Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2026-08 · tds
  7. Fiberon PETG-rCF08 Technical Data Sheet V1.0 Polymaker · 2026-08 · tds
  8. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Eel product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. add:north Koltron G1 product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. GreenGate3D Recycled PET-G — product data GreenGate3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Filament PM RePETG technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
  15. Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  16. PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PET and PETG — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  20. PCTG vs PETG comparison — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  21. Extrudr PETG vs PCTG vs XPETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  22. Prusament PETG-CF vs PETG V0 vs PETG — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  23. BambuLab PETG Basic vs Translucent vs PETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  24. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  25. Prusament PETG V0 Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  26. 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
  27. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  28. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  29. Eastman Spectar copolyester — Chemical resistance (unstressed bars, 1 year at 23 °C) Eastman Chemical Company · 2026-08 · tds
  30. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc