3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
Magnetic vs PLA Wood
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Magnetic filamentSPECIALTY | Wood-filled PLAPLA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $64.99/kg median; $64.99–$64.99/kg across 1 dated product listings | $34.49/kg median; $13.99–$76.40/kg across 6 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PLA loaded with ferromagnetic iron powder, so printed parts respond to magnets[1] | PLA filled with wood powder — 10–18 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS); colorFabb woodFill uses a PLA/PHA base with recycled wood fibre[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | About 1.85 (Proto-pasta manufacturer figure) — 1.5× standard PLA[1] | 1.15 (colorFabb) to 1.23 (Fiberlogy), ISO 1183; Bambu Lab 1.21[4][3][5] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 65[6] | 1 kg spools cluster near 25; counting the 0.5 kg specialty spools the middle of the market is about 34[7][8][9] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 64–70 across formats; 1 kg spool 65, 500 g 70, 2 kg 70[6] | 14–76 across brands; SUNLU 14, ELEGOO 19, Bambu Lab 25, Prusament 44, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools, colorFabb 76[8][7][10][11][12][9] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6] | Stocked by most mainstream brands[7][8][11][5] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[6] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.6, 0.85 and 1 kg spools[11][5][7] |
| Typical applications | Sensor targets, magnetic fixtures, and props that need to stick to a magnet or rust deliberately[1] | Decorative and model-making prints that are sanded and stained like timber[4][3] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | ±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 192 (Proto-pasta)[1] | 190–240 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb advises 195–220 for its PLA/PHA base[4][3] |
| Bed temperature°C | 60 (Proto-pasta)[1] | 35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–70 (Fiberlogy)[4][5] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Open frame is fine[4] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Fan on[4] |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | None[4] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; slow, and brittle in filament form[1] | Easy — minor profile tuning; pre-drying is required and the wood content chars if it sits hot[13][4] |
| 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] | Nozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible; Bambu Lab does not recommend the AMS lite[13] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass 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[13][14] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Moderately abrasive — metal fill[1] | Moderately abrasive — wood fill[13] |
| 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[15] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; wood particles char and block small nozzles[13] |
| Hotend requirement | Proto-pasta recommends a wear-resistant or larger nozzle for longer service intervals[1] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | High — 1.25 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH, the highest in the PLA family[4] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 1.25 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | 55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer; Bambu Lab lists pre-drying as required[4][13] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bambu Lab flags pre-drying and ventilation as specific requirements for this grade[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[16] | 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[16][4] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 26 ± 5 (Bambu Lab) and 28.4 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy quotes 35 at yield[4][3][5] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2360 ± 190 (Bambu Lab) and 2479 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 2950[4][3][5] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 4.5 (colorFabb) to 15.3 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 6.5[4][3][5] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 55 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2780 ± 120 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 3.81 (colorFabb) and 6.3 ± 2.2 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 179, notched[4][3] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Charpy unnotched 12.28 (colorFabb) and 15.7 (Bambu Lab), printed, ISO 179[4][3] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 15 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); flexural Z falls to 28 against 55 in XY[4] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — Proto-pasta describes the filament as more brittle than standard PLA and needing extra care in handling[1] | Brittle — snaps with little warning[4] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Poor — no wood-filled 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 resistance1–5 | Not documented | Poor — 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[20][4] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid[4] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | Not documented | 58 by tensile, 51 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 57 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 54 (Bambu Lab, DSC); Fiberlogy quotes 55–60[4][5] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 156 peak melt (DSC)[4] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Degrades within weeks outdoors[21] |
| Outdoor durability | Deliberately rustable — Proto-pasta markets the iron content as oxidising when exposed to moisture[1] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Ferromagnetic: Proto-pasta states it responds to magnets and behaves similarly to pure iron[1] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[22] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[22] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[22] | None needed in a normal room; Bambu Lab specifically advises ventilation for this grade[13] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Polishing and deliberate rusting are the intended finishes[1] | Sands and stains like timber — the usual reason for choosing it[3] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Wood grain hides layer lines; colour darkens with nozzle temperature[4][3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix and leaves the iron powder behind; laboratory reagent, not workshop stock.[23][1] | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[23] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone and ethyl acetate plasticise the matrix rather than dissolving it; water attacks the exposed iron.[23][1] | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[23][24] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — PLA has no workshop-safe solvent, and the iron loading blocks the surface flow smoothing needs.[23] | Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[25][24] |
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
- Safety Data Sheet SDS20250723SA16 — Bambu PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2025-07 · msds
- woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- FiberWood technical data sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- PLA Wood — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
- PLA+ WOODJet - Natur (1,75 mm; 0,5 kg) Filament PM shop · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- woodFill — product page colorFabb US · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU Optimized Wood PLA 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials with metal or wood particles Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — 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
- PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- 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