3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
Magnetic vs PETG-ESD
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Magnetic filamentSPECIALTY | ESD-safe PETGPETG |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $64.99/kg median; $64.99–$64.99/kg across 1 dated product listings | $102.99/kg median; $65.98–$140.00/kg across 2 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PLA loaded with ferromagnetic iron powder, so printed parts respond to magnets[1] | PETG compounded with a conductive filler to bring surface resistivity into the static-dissipative range[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | About 1.85 (Proto-pasta manufacturer figure) — 1.5× standard PLA[1] | 1.24 (Fiberon) and 1.28 (3DXTech), ISO 1183[2][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 65[4] | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 66–140; the middle of the market is about 103[5][6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 64–70 across formats; 1 kg spool 65, 500 g 70, 2 kg 70[4] | 66–140 across brands; Fiberon PETG-ESD 66, 3DXSTAT ESD-PETG 140[5][6] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[4] | 1.75 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 3 kg spools[5][6] |
| Typical applications | Sensor targets, magnetic fixtures, and props that need to stick to a magnet or rust deliberately[1] | Electronics fixtures, trays and jigs handled around static-sensitive components[2][3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 192 (Proto-pasta)[1] | 250–290 (Fiberon)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | 60 (Proto-pasta)[1] | 70–80 (Fiberon); 70 (3DXTech)[2][3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Open frame is fine — Fiberon specifies room-temperature chamber[2] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Textured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets; on smooth PEI a glue stick acts as a release agent[7][8] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 1.6–2.4 at Proto-pasta's 20–30 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1] | Fiberon rates the material to 500 mm/s, equivalent to 40 on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer — a machine-limited headline rather than a measured melt rate[2][9] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[7][8] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker names stringing as PETG's common quirk[8] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; slow, and brittle in filament form[1] | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; resistivity depends on getting the nozzle temperature right[2] |
| Extruder requirement | Proto-pasta advises an extrusion width 0.05 mm larger than the nozzle and warns feeding is inconsistent below 0.4 mm and on Bowden machines[1] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1] | Hardened steel required[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Moderately abrasive — metal fill[1] | Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists metal-filled composites as a higher clogging risk and recommends a 0.6 mm nozzle minimum[10] | Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns and no minimum layer height for its ESD-PETG, only a 65 °C pre-dry[11] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Slightly sensitive[12] |
| Hotend requirement | Proto-pasta recommends a wear-resistant or larger nozzle for longer service intervals[1] | No special hot-end required[12] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | Moderate (0.3–0.8 %) — the PETG matrix reaches 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH and 3DXTech specifies a 65 °C, 4 h pre-dry[7][11] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.41 equilibrium water absorption (Fiberon PETG-ESD)[2] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | 65 °C for 3 h (Fiberon)[2] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[13] |
| 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[13] | Polymaker groups PETG with nylon, PVA and TPU as highly hygroscopic; no dry-versus-conditioned strength figures are published for this grade and the loss shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[13] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[13][8] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 36.1 ± 0.9 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 50 at break[2][3] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 1983 ± 75 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 7.3 ± 0.7 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 13 at break[2][3] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 54.0 ± 2.5 printed XY, ISO 178 (Fiberon)[2] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 1651 ± 141 printed XY, ISO 178 (Fiberon)[2] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Fiberon)[2] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Charpy unnotched 29.3 ± 2.2 printed XY (Fiberon, ISO 179)[2] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 20.7 ± 0.6 printed Z, ISO 527 (Fiberon)[2] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — Proto-pasta describes the filament as more brittle than standard PLA and needing extra care in handling[1] | Moderate[2] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Below average — no ESD-grade creep test; unfilled PETG sagged from 12 to 17.1–20.4 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[14][15][16][17] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — no ESD-grade S-N curve; unfilled printed PETG ran 79 000–193 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[18] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Slightly flexible in thin sections[2] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | Not documented | 57 (Fiberon, printed Z against XY tensile)[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 76 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Fiberon)[2] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 72 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Fiberon)[2] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 77 (Fiberon) and 80 (3DXTech), DSC[2][3] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 86 (Fiberon, ISO 306)[2] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard grades[19] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Outdoor durability | Deliberately rustable — Proto-pasta markets the iron content as oxidising when exposed to moisture[1] | Not documented |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure[8] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not certified for food contact as filament[8] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[8] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[8] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Ferromagnetic: Proto-pasta states it responds to magnets and behaves similarly to pure iron[1] | Surface resistivity falls with nozzle temperature: 7.0×10⁶–1.6×10⁷ ohm at 250 °C, 3.2×10⁵–4.7×10⁵ at 270 °C and below 1×10⁴ at 290 °C (Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 10⁷–10⁹ ohm/sq[2][3] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[20] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[20] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[20] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[20] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Conductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[2] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Polishing and deliberate rusting are the intended finishes[1] | Sands poorly — the material is tough and gums rather than powders[12] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[12] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[12] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Prints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[12] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Nozzle temperature has to be held steady — it moves surface resistivity by three orders of magnitude[2] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix and leaves the iron powder behind; laboratory reagent, not workshop stock.[21][1] | No common workshop solvent; 1,2-dichloroethane destroys it inside a week and dichloromethane — a carcinogen — dissolves the surface.[22][23] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone and ethyl acetate plasticise the matrix rather than dissolving it; water attacks the exposed iron.[21][1] | Acetone (+16 % weight over 1 year at 23 °C), ethyl acetate, toluene and DMF swell and soften it; methanol crazes it.[22] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — PLA has no workshop-safe solvent, and the iron loading blocks the surface flow smoothing needs.[21] | Dichloromethane brushed on is the only agent that smooths PETG — a controlled carcinogen, not workshop stock.[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
- Magnetic Iron PLA — product page and technical data Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · tds
- Fiberon PETG-ESD Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXSTAT ESD-PETG Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials with metal or wood particles Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- 3DXSTAT ESD-PETG — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- PET and PETG — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PCTG vs PETG comparison — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Extrudr PETG vs PCTG vs XPETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Prusament PETG-CF vs PETG V0 vs PETG — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- BambuLab PETG Basic vs Translucent vs PETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
- Prusament PETG V0 Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 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
- Eastman Spectar copolyester — Chemical resistance (unstressed bars, 1 year at 23 °C) Eastman Chemical Company · 2026-08 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc