3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
Conductive vs PP
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Conductive filamentSPECIALTY | Polypropylene (PP)POLYOLEFIN |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $170.36/kg median; $89.99–$796.00/kg across 4 dated product listings | $46.56/kg median; $31.99–$53.00/kg across 4 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | A 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] | Polypropylene — a semi-crystalline polyolefin with no polar groups, so it neither absorbs water nor bonds to most bed surfaces[5][6] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 0.91 (Prusa PP composite, ISO 1183) — the lightest common filament[7] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 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-equivalent spools span 27–53; the middle of the market is about 44[11][12][13][14] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 90–796 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] | 27–53 across brands; Reli3D 32 on Amazon, SUNLU 44 at 0.8 kg, Fiberlogy 49 at 750 g, IEMAI 3D 53, and the 3DJake PP listing spans 27–49[11][15][12][13][14] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[8][2] | Available from several mainstream brands[15][12][11] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 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; 0.75 kg spools are common[12] |
| Typical applications | Capacitive touch surfaces, low-current traces, EMI shielding and static-safe fixtures[1] | Living hinges, chemical-resistant containers, automotive clips and packaging prototypes[5] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 210–230 (Braskem-type PE/PP window); Formfutura's Centaur PP melts at 205 ± 15 °C[5] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Enclosure recommended — Simplify3D lists an enclosure as a hardware requirement and Polymaker advises one below 70 °C ambient to stop warping and cracking[16][6] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Part cooling fan required (Simplify3D)[16] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Packing tape, a polypropylene sheet, or a PP-specific adhesive such as Magigoo PP — ordinary PLA and ABS adhesives do not hold it[16][6] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; PP's crystallinity drives shrinkage and Prusa recommends a brim on its PP grades[7][17] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Very difficult — special plates or slurry required. PP bonds to almost nothing; a polypropylene-specific tape or adhesive is the normal answer[7][6] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[6] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[1] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; bed adhesion is the whole problem[6][7] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1] | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades — Simplify3D states no special hotend is required[16] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1] | Non-abrasive when unfilled[16] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — Proto-pasta states the carbon-filled grade prints on standard PLA settings with no special nozzle required[1] | Low — Simplify3D lists no special hotend requirement for PP and clogging is not among its listed drawbacks[18][16] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Slightly sensitive[16] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required (Simplify3D)[16] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | 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[7] |
| 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, measured on its PP composite)[7] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | No drying step is published for PP; uptake is below the level that affects printing[7] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle; Polymaker still advises a 70 °C dry for 4–6 h despite the low uptake[6] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker 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] | Not applicable in practice — with equilibrium uptake at 0.04 %, there is no moisture-driven strength loss to measure. Polymaker's sensitivity tiers put polyolefins below even PLA[7][18] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | No special storage needed[7] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 12 at yield (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D638)[5] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 724 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D638; converted from 105,000 psi)[19] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | Above 600 at break (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D638)[5] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 31.0 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D790; converted from 4500 psi)[19] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 402 flexural modulus (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D790) — an order of magnitude below any rigid filament[5] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Izod notched 112 J/m on extruded PP stock, converted from 2.1 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[19] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — snaps with little warning; carbon-black loading at conductive levels embrittles PLA[1] | Very ductile — bends far before failing[5] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Rockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded PP stock (ASTM D785)[19] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Below average[5] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — living hinges viable, the classic polypropylene application[5] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Semi-flexible[5] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 74 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 165 °F)[19] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 205 ± 15 melting (Formfutura Centaur PP)[5] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | Bounded by a melting point of 205 ± 15 °C and by the 158 °C heat deflection of the carbon-filled grade; no loaded-bar service figure is published for unfilled PP[5][7] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[7] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polypropylene chalks under UV[6] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Excellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents — the usual reason to choose PP[6] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — essentially unaffected[7] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Polypropylene is a common food-packaging polymer, but no filament here carries a food-contact certification[6] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[6] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Mechanically recyclable as resin code 5, but printed waste is not accepted in household collection[6] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Conductive rather than dissipative — Proto-pasta sells the grade as electrically conductive composite PLA[1] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[20] | 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[20] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[20] | Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[20] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Conductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Sands poorly — the waxy surface loads abrasive paper[16] |
| Painting & finishing | Not documented | Paint and adhesives do not key to untreated PP; flame or plasma treatment is normally needed first[6] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Nothing common bonds untreated PP; flame or plasma treatment is needed before adhesives key[6] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[16] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Prints its own supports; no soluble support is rated for PP[16] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Shrinkage and warping dominate; the low modulus means parts flex rather than hold tolerance[7] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chloroform dissolves PLA-based grades, leaving the carbon black; TPU-based grades need DMF, NMP or THF. Laboratory reagents.[21][22] | None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves it at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C — the xylene-solubles route.[23][24] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone and ethyl acetate plasticise a PLA-based grade; a TPU-based grade swells in toluene, esters and alcohols.[21][22] | Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[23] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — neither PLA nor TPU has a workshop-safe welding or smoothing solvent.[21][22] | None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[23] |
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
- Electrically Conductive Composite PLA — product page and technical data Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · tds
- Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- Eel 3D Printing Filament Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
- Koltron G1 Technical Data Sheet add:north · 2026-08 · tds
- Centaur PP Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · tds
- PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- Eel product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
- add:north Koltron G1 product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU product catalogue SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- Fiberlogy PP Natural — product page 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
- Reli3D Low Warp PP Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg Black — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D PP 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- PP filament listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusament PP Glass Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 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
- Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
- Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
- 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