3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

HIPS vs PC-GF

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

HIPS guideGlass-fibre PC (PC-GF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore HIPS comparisonsMore PC-GF comparisons
HIPS vs PC-GF — documented properties and sources
PropertyHIPSABSGlass-fibre PC (PC-GF)PC
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$71.27/kg median; $71.27–$71.27/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2]Polycarbonate reinforced with 30 wt% short glass fibre[3]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ISO 1183)[1]1.17 (measured on a 100 % infill printed part, ISO 1183-A)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 31[4][5]1 kg spools cluster near 71[6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[5][4][7]71 — BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 at igo3d is the only priced listing found; Owens Corning sells XSTRAND GF30-PC in 500 g and 1 kg[6][3]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][5]Niche, a handful of specialist brands — neither Polymaker's nor 3DXTech's polycarbonate range contains a glass-fibre grade, but BASF Forward AM and Owens Corning both sell one through European retail[6][3][8][4]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[5][4]1.75 and 2.85 mm at +/- 0.05 mm; 500 g and 1 kg net spools[3]
Typical applicationsBreak-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2]Functional prototyping for mechanical engineering, electronics and automotive[3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented+/- 0.05 (Owens Corning XSTRAND)[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–245 (Simplify3D)[9]280-330 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[3]
Bed temperature°C100–115 (Simplify3D)[9]80-110 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[10]Enclosure required (passive) — as for unfilled PC[11][10]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required[9]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidGlue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[9]Perforated plate, DimaFix or Magigoo PC glue (Owens Corning)[3]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[10]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[9]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[9][12]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[10]Not documented
Extruder requirementNot documentedOwens Corning specifies a nozzle above 0.4 mm and hardened steel nozzles and drive wheels[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[10]Hardened steel required — Owens Corning states glass reinforcement shortens brass nozzle and drive-wheel life[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[10]Highly abrasive — 30 wt% glass fibre[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[9][13][2]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; PC already absorbs water from the air and Prusa lists glass-filled composites as a higher clogging risk[14][15]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[9]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[9]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[9]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Owens Corning measures below 0.1 % at 23 °C and 50 % RH (ISO 62)[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documentedBelow 0.1 at 23 °C and 50 % RH, and below 0.1 at saturation (ISO 62)[3]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; absorbed water flashes to steam in the hotend and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[16]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[17][16]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[16]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa40 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]65 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[3]
Young's modulusMPa1350 (printed XY, ISO 527) — the lowest modulus of the styrenics here[1]5400 (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[3]
Elongation at break%18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]2.5 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[3]
Flexural strengthMPa70 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]113 at yield (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa1600 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]5500 (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[3]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Brittle — snaps with little warning; 2.5 % elongation at break[3]
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 a glass-fibre grade[18]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][9]Excellent — holds load for years. Room-temperature tensile creep of moulded unfilled PC ran unbroken at 41 MPa until the test was stopped, and 30 wt% glass raises the tensile modulus from about 2.3 to 5.4 GPa[19][3]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate[1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented137 (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C100 (DSC)[1]145 (DSC, ISO 11357)[3]
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point[1]270 stated as melting point (ISO 11357) — unusual for an amorphous polymer, but this is the published figure[3]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by a glass transition of 100 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for HIPS[1]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented26.2 in XY and 77.4 in Z (printed, ISO 11359-2) — a threefold anisotropy, and the lowest in-plane expansion of any polycarbonate here[3]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1]UL 94 V-0 verified (Owens Corning)[3]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — polystyrene yellows and chalks under UV[20]Good — years with some colour shift. Owens Corning lists UV resistance as a product benefit but publishes no exposure data[3]
Chemical resistanceDissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedExcellent — essentially unaffected; below 0.1 % water at saturation (ISO 62)[3]
Food contactNot food safe[20]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[20]Not documented
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[20]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[1]Electrically insulating (Owens Corning)[3]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[21]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[21]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the range measured across ABS and the one HIPS filament tested[21]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈4 × 10⁹ median for the HIPS filament tested, an order of magnitude below ABS but forty times PLA[21]≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[21]
Hazardous species emittedStyrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[21]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[21]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[21][10]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedOwens Corning warns that the glass reinforcement is abrasive when melted and advises sufficient ventilation and avoiding extrusion fumes[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and paints readily, like ABS[20]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingSolvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[9][2]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingd-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][9]Not documented
Support material pairingUsed as the support material itself — dissolves in d-limonene, or breaks away from ABS and ASA[2]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedHigh dimensional stability is the headline benefit; the 26.2 um/m*K in-plane CTE is a third of unfilled PC's[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble ind-limonene, 12–24 h submerged with occasional agitation; acetone also dissolves it, and xylene does so at 23 °C.[22][23][24]Dichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the matrix and leave the fibre; DMF and dioxane do the same (Covestro).[25]
Softened or crazed byLimonene also disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades, so an ABS model can flake apart in the same bath.[26]Methanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[25]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentLimonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[22][26]Dichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[27]

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. 3DXMAX HIPS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. 3DXMAX HIPS — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. XSTRAND GF30-PC Data Sheet Owens Corning · 2019-04 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 Black 2.85 mm 1.000 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  10. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  11. PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  12. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  19. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  20. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. 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
  22. D-Limonene — FDM post-processing guide Filament2Print · 2026-08 · review
  23. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  24. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  25. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  26. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds