3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA11 vs PA6/66

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

PA11 (Nylon 11) guidePA66 (Nylon 66) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA11 comparisonsMore PA6/66 comparisons
PA11 vs PA6/66 — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA11 (Nylon 11)PAPA66 (Nylon 66)PA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$194.98/kg median; $194.98–$194.98/kg across 1 dated product listingsNot documented
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 11, polymerised from castor-oil-derived aminoundecanoic acid — a bio-based nylon[1][2]Polyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[3]
Densityg/cm³1.02 (ISO 1183)[1]1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[4]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — no unfilled PA66 filament appeared in any catalogue searched, and the 3DXTech nylon range offers PA6, PA12 and a 6/66 copolymer but no straight PA66[5][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[2]Not documented
Typical applicationsTough, chemically resistant functional parts; Prusa targets it at impact-loaded and vibration-loaded components[2]Not documented
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.02 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C275 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Bed temperature°C100 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Prusament specifies a 55 ± 5 °C chamber[1]Enclosure required (passive)[3]
Recommended chamber temperature°C55 ± 5 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidPA nylon sheet (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1][3]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[3]
Extruder requirementPrusa printed its test specimens with a high-flow CHT nozzle[1]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[3]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[3]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[7]Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[8][7]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High (0.8–2 %) — Prusa measures 0.46 % after 7 days at 22 % RH, but PA11 sits between PA12 and PA6 in the family[1][7]Very high (>2 %)[7]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.26 after 24 h and 0.46 after 7 days (Prusa Polymers method)[1]8.5 at saturation on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D570) — the highest uptake of any polymer in this dataset[4]
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[8]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPrusa publishes no dry-versus-conditioned columns; the CoPA reference shows the PA-family response — stiffness and strength fall sharply, impact and elongation rise[8][9]Measured dry against wet on printed specimens at 6.16 % moisture (Polymaker CoPA): tensile 78.0 → 34.3 MPa, Young's modulus 2703 → 724 MPa, flexural strength 109.8 → 22.6 MPa, while notched Charpy rises 6.9 → 27.7 kJ/m² and elongation 12.7 → 13.2 %[9][8]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[7]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa38.3 ± 0.8 printed horizontal and 39.5 ± 0.5 printed vertical at yield, ISO 527-1[1]82.7 at yield and 84.8 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 12,000 and 12,300 psi) — no printed figure exists because no unfilled PA66 filament was found[4]
Young's modulusMPa1200 printed, both orientations, ISO 527-1[1]2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[4]
Elongation at break%5.6 ± 0.1 at yield, printed, ISO 527-1[1]50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[4]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[4]
Flexural modulusMPa1100 printed horizontal and 1000 printed vertical, ISO 178[1]3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[4]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²12.9 ± 2.1 printed horizontal and 11.7 ± 1.2 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched[1]Not documented
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[4]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa32 ± 1 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test) — the highest interlayer figure Prusa publishes for any of its filaments[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Not documented
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell70 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method)[1]Shore D 86 and Rockwell 85 (108) — the source does not name the scales on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2240, D785)[4]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[3]Excellent — living hinges viable[3]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[1]Semi-flexible[8]
Z strength as % of XY%84 — Prusa publishes a tensile anisotropy coefficient of 0.84, the ratio of Z to XY tensile strength[1]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedWear factor 200e-10 in3*min/(ft*lb*h) on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D3702); Ensinger lists very good slide and wear properties[4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C58.7 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]232 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 450 °F)[4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C49.9 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]90 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 194 °F) — the gap to the 0.45 MPa figure is the widest in the dataset[4]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[4]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[4]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[4]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedUL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[4]
Environment & Chemical
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift[8]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityBio-based — the monomer comes from castor oil[2]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedVolume resistance 1e15 ohm-cm and dielectric constant 4 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D257, D150)[4]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[10]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[10]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[10]Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[10]
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[10]≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[10]
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[10]Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[10]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[10]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[10]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[11][12]Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[11]
Softened or crazed byMineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not (BASF, PA6/66).[11]Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[11]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[11]None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[11]

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. Prusament PA11 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2026-07 · tds
  2. Prusament PA11 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  3. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  4. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  8. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  9. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  10. 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
  11. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  12. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds