3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

Conductive vs PLA Wood

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

Conductive filament guideWood-filled PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Conductive comparisonsMore PLA Wood comparisons
Conductive vs PLA Wood — documented properties and sources
PropertyConductive filamentSPECIALTYWood-filled PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$170.36/kg median; $89.99–$796.00/kg across 4 dated product listings$34.49/kg median; $13.99–$76.40/kg across 6 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 filled with wood powder — 10–18 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS); colorFabb woodFill uses a PLA/PHA base with recycled wood fibre[5][6]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.15 (colorFabb) to 1.23 (Fiberlogy), ISO 1183; Bambu Lab 1.21[7][6][8]
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[9][10][11]1 kg spools cluster near 25; counting the 0.5 kg specialty spools the middle of the market is about 34[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[9][2][10][11]14–76 across brands; SUNLU 14, ELEGOO 19, Bambu Lab 25, Prusament 44, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools, colorFabb 76[13][12][15][16][17][14]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[9][2]Stocked by most mainstream brands[12][13][16][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[9][2][10][11]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.6, 0.85 and 1 kg spools[16][8][12]
Typical applicationsCapacitive touch surfaces, low-current traces, EMI shielding and static-safe fixtures[1]Decorative and model-making prints that are sanded and stained like timber[7][6]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[7]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented190–240 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb advises 195–220 for its PLA/PHA base[7][6]
Bed temperature°CNot documented35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–70 (Fiberlogy)[7][8]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Open frame is fine[7]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on[7]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[7]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[1]Easy — minor profile tuning; pre-drying is required and the wood content chars if it sits hot[18][7]
Extruder requirementNot documentedNozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible; Bambu Lab does not recommend the AMS lite[18]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1]Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work — Bambu Lab's PLA compatibility table lists no hardened-nozzle requirement, but its nozzle guide names wood among the abrasive filaments hardened steel exists for[18][19]
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1]Moderately abrasive — wood fill[18]
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; wood particles char and block small nozzles[18]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Not documentedHigh — 1.25 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH, the highest in the PLA family[7]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented1.25 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[7]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer; Bambu Lab lists pre-drying as required[7][18]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBambu Lab flags pre-drying and ventilation as specific requirements for this grade[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[20]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. At 1.25 % saturated uptake the practical loss shows as poor layer adhesion, rough surface and weak layers[20][7]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented26 ± 5 (Bambu Lab) and 28.4 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy quotes 35 at yield[7][6][8]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented2360 ± 190 (Bambu Lab) and 2479 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 2950[7][6][8]
Elongation at break%Not documented4.5 (colorFabb) to 15.3 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 6.5[7][6][8]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented55 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[7]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2780 ± 120 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[7]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented3.81 (colorFabb) and 6.3 ± 2.2 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 179, notched[7][6]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched 12.28 (colorFabb) and 15.7 (Bambu Lab), printed, ISO 179[7][6]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented15 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); flexural Z falls to 28 against 55 in XY[7]
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; carbon-black loading at conductive levels embrittles PLA[1]Brittle — snaps with little warning[7]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no wood-filled creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[21][22][23]
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 and the wood filler cuts elongation and the parts snap without warning[24][7]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[7]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented58 by tensile, 51 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[7]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[7]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented57 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[7]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented54 (Bambu Lab, DSC); Fiberlogy quotes 55–60[7][8]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented156 peak melt (DSC)[7]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[25]
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]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[26]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[26]None needed in a normal room; Bambu Lab specifically advises ventilation for this grade[18]
Dust & fibre handling hazardConductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedSands and stains like timber — the usual reason for choosing it[6]
Support material pairingNot documentedSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[7]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedWood grain hides layer lines; colour darkens with nozzle temperature[7][6]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves PLA-based grades, leaving the carbon black; TPU-based grades need DMF, NMP or THF. Laboratory reagents.[27][28]Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[27]
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, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[27][29]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — neither PLA nor TPU has a workshop-safe welding or smoothing solvent.[27][28]Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[30][29]

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. Safety Data Sheet SDS20250723SA16 — Bambu PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2025-07 · msds
  6. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  7. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  8. FiberWood technical data sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  9. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Eel product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. add:north Koltron G1 product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. PLA Wood — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. PLA+ WOODJet - Natur (1,75 mm; 0,5 kg) Filament PM shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. woodFill — product page colorFabb US · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. SUNLU Optimized Wood PLA 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  22. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  23. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — 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. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  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. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  30. 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