3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

HIPS vs PLA-PHA

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

HIPS guidePLA/PHA blend guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore HIPS comparisonsMore PLA-PHA comparisons
HIPS vs PLA-PHA — documented properties and sources
PropertyHIPSABSPLA/PHA blendPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$76.40/kg median; $76.40–$76.40/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2]PLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester[3]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ISO 1183)[1]1.2 (ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 31[4][5]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[5][4][6]Not documented
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][5]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[5][4]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 2200 g spools[3]
Typical applicationsBreak-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2]General-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–245 (Simplify3D)[8]195–220 (colorFabb)[3]
Bed temperature°C100–115 (Simplify3D)[8]50–60 (colorFabb)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[9]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required[8]0–100 %; colorFabb states the blend runs on both heated and unheated beds[3][10]
Bed surface & adhesion aidGlue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[8]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented3.2–8 at colorFabb's 40–100 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[10][11]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[9]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[8]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[8][12]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[9]Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[9]Brass fine indefinitely[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[9]Non-abrasive[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[8][13][2]Very low — unfilled PLA blend; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle for PLA[13]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[8]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[8]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[8]Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend[14][15]
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]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[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]62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[3]
Young's modulusMPa1350 (printed XY, ISO 527) — the lowest modulus of the styrenics here[1]2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb)[3]
Elongation at break%18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[3]
Flexural strengthMPa70 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa1600 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb)[3]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][8]Poor — no PLA/PHA creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[17][18][19]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate[1]Below average — no S-N curve for the blend; colorFabb positions it as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA, which ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[20][3]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[3]
Thermal Properties
Glass transition (Tg)°C100 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point[1]Above 155 melting (ISO 3146-C)[3]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by a glass transition of 100 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for HIPS[1]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — polystyrene yellows and chalks under UV[21]Degrades within weeks outdoors[22]
Chemical resistanceDissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2]Not documented
Food contactNot food safe[21]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[21]colorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable[3]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[21]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[23]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[23]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the range measured across ABS and the one HIPS filament tested[23]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[23]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedStyrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[23]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[23]None needed in a normal room[23]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and paints readily, like ABS[21]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingSolvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[8][2]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingd-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][8]Not documented
Support material pairingUsed as the support material itself — dissolves in d-limonene, or breaks away from ABS and ASA[2]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble ind-limonene, 12–24 h submerged with occasional agitation; acetone also dissolves it, and xylene does so at 23 °C.[24][25][26]Chloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[27]
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.[28]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[27][29]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentLimonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[24][28]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[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. 3DXMAX HIPS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. 3DXMAX HIPS — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. PLA/PHA technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  8. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  9. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  11. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  12. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  15. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  18. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  19. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  20. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  21. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  23. 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
  24. D-Limonene — FDM post-processing guide Filament2Print · 2026-08 · review
  25. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  26. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  27. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  28. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  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