3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

Conductive vs PLA HS

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

Conductive filament guideHigh-Speed PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Conductive comparisonsMore PLA HS comparisons
Conductive vs PLA HS — documented properties and sources
PropertyConductive filamentSPECIALTYHigh-Speed PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$170.36/kg median; $89.99–$796.00/kg across 4 dated product listings$19.99/kg median; $11.49–$32.99/kg across 10 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]PLA with rheology and crystallisation tuned for high volumetric flow; melt index 15.4 g/10 min vs 7–11 for standard PLA[5][6]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.23 (ISO 1183, at 21.5 °C)[5]
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]Mainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[10][11][12]
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]11–33 across brands; budget house brands 11–18, Prusament 33[13][14][15]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[7][2]Stocked by most mainstream brands[16][12][17]
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 mm; 1 kg spools[10][12]
Typical applicationsCapacitive touch surfaces, low-current traces, EMI shielding and static-safe fixtures[1]Large or repetitive prints on printers that can sustain high flow[18][16]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab PLA Basic, rated to 258 mm/s)[19]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented210–230 for high-speed work; 190–210 at classic speeds[5][16]
Bed temperature°CNot documented30–60 (Polymaker); 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[5][20]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Open frame is fine[5]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on[5]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented≈24 at 300 mm/s with a 0.4 mm nozzle and 0.2 mm layer; 30 % more flow than regular PLA at the same temperature[5][16][18][21]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[5]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything[22]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[1]Easy — minor profile tuning; needs a printer that can actually reach the flow rate[16][5]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1]Brass fine indefinitely[23]
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1]Non-abrasive[24][23]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — Proto-pasta states the carbon-filled grade prints on standard PLA settings with no special nozzle required[1]Very low[23]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedModerate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[25]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required[22]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Not documentedModerate — 0.40 % equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH[5]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.40 equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH (Polymaker PolySonic)[5]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented55 °C for 6 h; 50 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab)[5][20]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[26]
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[26]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[26]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[20][22]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented43.9 at 300 mm/s and 46.0 at 46.7 mm/s (printed XY, ISO 527); 58.6 on My Tech Fun bars for Creality Hyper PLA[5][27]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented2650 at 300 mm/s, 2878 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[5]
Elongation at break%Not documented15.1 at 300 mm/s, 21.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[5]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented71.4 at 300 mm/s, 76.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[5]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2798 at 300 mm/s, 2868 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented5.0 at 300 mm/s, 6.1 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 179, notched)[5]
Other impact dataNot documentedPrinting at 300 mm/s instead of 46.7 mm/s costs 4.6 % tensile strength and 18 % notched Charpy[5]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented32.4 at 300 mm/s, 37.3 at classic speed (printed Z, ISO 527); 35.3 for Creality Hyper PLA vs 23.0 for average PLA on identical bars[5][27]
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 documented78.7 Shore D measured on printed bars for Sunlu PLA Meta (My Tech Fun), against 75.3 for the same maker's plain PLA[28]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — 12 mm bar sagged to 17.7 mm over 6 days at 1.25 kg[27]
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)[29][25]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[5]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented74 at 300 mm/s, 81 at classic speed (printed)[5]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented53 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[5]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[5]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented59 (DSC)[5]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented164 peak melt (DSC); crystallisation 96 °C, Vicat 61 °C[5]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented53 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[27]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[30]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[20][6]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[25][31]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis[5]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — insoluble in water[20]
Food contactNot documentedBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[25]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[32][25]
RecyclabilityNot documentedMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[32]
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[33]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[33]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[33]None needed in a normal room[33]
Dust & fibre handling hazardConductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[31][25]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[25][34]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[25]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker)[5]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves PLA-based grades, leaving the carbon black; TPU-based grades need DMF, NMP or THF. Laboratory reagents.[35][36]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[35]
Softened or crazed byAcetone and ethyl acetate plasticise a PLA-based grade; a TPU-based grade swells in toluene, esters and alcohols.[35][36]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[35][37]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — neither PLA nor TPU has a workshop-safe welding or smoothing solvent.[35][36]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[38][37]

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. PolySonic PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  6. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · 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. PolySonic PLA 1.75mm/1kg — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Overture High Speed PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. High Speed PLA filament collection Anycubic Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. PLA Meta filament collection Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. QIDI PLA Rapido 1.75mm 1kg 3D Printers Depot · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Prusament PLA Prusa Pro Green 1kg (NFC) Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. PolySonic PLA — product page Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. Creality PLA filament collection Creality Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. Polymaker Launches New High-Speed 3D Printing Filament — PolySonic PLA & PLA Pro Polymaker · 2023-11 · doc
  19. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  20. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  21. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  22. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  25. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  26. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Creality Hyper PLA filament review — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  28. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  29. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  30. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  31. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  32. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  33. 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
  34. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  35. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  36. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  37. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  38. 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