3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA11 vs PETG

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

PA11 (Nylon 11) guidePETG guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA11 comparisonsMore PETG comparisons
PA11 vs PETG — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA11 (Nylon 11)PAPETGPETG
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$194.98/kg median; $194.98–$194.98/kg across 1 dated product listings$19.99/kg median; $8.99–$69.99/kg across 21 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 11, polymerised from castor-oil-derived aminoundecanoic acid — a bio-based nylon[1][2]Polyethylene terephthalate glycol copolymer — PET with a glycol comonomer that suppresses crystallisation[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.02 (ISO 1183)[1]1.24–1.30 (ISO 1183)[3][4][5][6]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg spools cluster near 20[7][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented12–70 across brands; IEMAI 12, ELEGOO 14, CHCKX 14, Bambu Lab 18–20, Hatchbox 26, Prusament 38, Prusament PETG V0 70[7][8][10][9][11][12]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2]Ubiquitous, every brand and retailer[7][8][13][9]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[2]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.8 and 1 kg spools plus spool-less refills[8][9]
Typical applicationsTough, chemically resistant functional parts; Prusa targets it at impact-loaded and vibration-loaded components[2]Functional parts, enclosures and outdoor fittings that need more toughness and heat tolerance than PLA[3][4]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.02 (Prusament)[1]±0.02 (Prusament)[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C275 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]230–260 across brands; Prusament 250 ± 10, Polymaker 240–260[3][4][6]
Bed temperature°C100 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]60–90; Prusament 80 ± 10, Polymaker 60–70[3][6]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Prusament specifies a 55 ± 5 °C chamber[1]Open frame is fine[6]
Recommended chamber temperature°C55 ± 5 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Part cooling fanNot documentedAround 50 %; Polymaker specifies 20–60 %, less than PLA to protect layer bonding[3][6]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPA nylon sheet (Prusament)[1]Textured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets. On smooth PEI a glue stick is used as a release agent, not an adhesive — PETG bonds to bare PEI hard enough to tear the sheet[3][6]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented8–15 (PrusaSlicer guidance); My Tech Fun ran Bambu Lab PETG Basic at 13 mm³/s[14][15]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedSlight — corner lift on large flat parts[3][6]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedNeeds the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[3]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Not documentedModerate — retraction tuning needed[3][6]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1][16]Easy — minor profile tuning[6]
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[16]Brass fine indefinitely[14]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[16]Non-abrasive[6]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[17]Low — no special hot-end required and clogging is not among the listed drawbacks; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle[18][19]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedSlightly sensitive[18]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required[18]
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][17]Moderate (0.3–0.8 %) — Bambu Lab reports 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH; Prusa measures only 0.07 % in 24 h and 0.10 % in 7 days at the drier 22 % RH[3][20]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.26 after 24 h and 0.46 after 7 days (Prusa Polymers method)[1]0.10 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers); 0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[3][20]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented60–65 °C for 6–8 h[6][20]
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[21]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[3]
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[21][22]Polymaker groups PETG with nylon, PVA and TPU as highly hygroscopic and shows a before-and-after-drying comparison; the loss appears as poor layer adhesion and weak, brittle layers rather than a published dry-versus-conditioned figure[17]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[17]Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[17][23]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa38.3 ± 0.8 printed horizontal and 39.5 ± 0.5 printed vertical at yield, ISO 527-1[1]38–51 (printed XY, ISO 527); Prusament 47 ± 2 at yield; 62 on My Tech Fun 4×4 mm bars[3][4][5][24]
Young's modulusMPa1200 printed, both orientations, ISO 527-1[1]1500–2311 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3][4][5][6]
Elongation at break%5.6 ± 0.1 at yield, printed, ISO 527-1[1]5.2–9.3 at break (printed XY, ISO 527); Prusament 5.1 at yield[4][5][6][3]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented58–80 (printed XY, ISO 178); Prusament 66 ± 2[3][4][5][6]
Flexural modulusMPa1100 printed horizontal and 1000 printed vertical, ISO 178[1]1068–2277 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3][4][5][6]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²12.9 ± 2.1 printed horizontal and 11.7 ± 1.2 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched[1]2.6 (PolyLite) to 11.6 (PolyMax) printed XY, ISO 179, notched; Prusament 6 ± 1[4][5][3]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched does not break on Prusa's 4 J pendulum (ISO 179-1); Izod 3.37 kJ/m² on My Tech Fun printed bars[3][24]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa32 ± 1 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test) — the highest interlayer figure Prusa publishes for any of its filaments[1]18 ± 4 (Prusa interlayer adhesion test); 42.8 printed Z for PolyLite PETG; 33 on My Tech Fun bars[3][4][24]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Moderate[3][4]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell70 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method)[1]74 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method); measured on printed bars at 68.2 for Extrudr PETG, 72 for Fiberlogy PETG and 72.8 for Prusament PETG[3][24][25][26]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedBelow average — a 12 mm bar sagged to 18.2 mm (Fiberlogy) and 19.4 mm (Bambu Lab Basic) over 5 days at 1.25 kg[24][15]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[16]Moderate — 79 000–193 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength, about three times printed PLA (R = 0.2, 7 Hz)[27]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[1]Slightly flexible in thin sections[3]
Z strength as % of XY%84 — Prusa publishes a tensile anisotropy coefficient of 0.84, the ratio of Z to XY tensile strength[1]84 (PolyLite, printed Z against XY tensile)[4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C58.7 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]68 (Prusament) to 78 (PolyLite), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[3][4][6]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C49.9 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]65 (Polymaker) to 75 (PolyLite), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Prusament 68[3][4][6]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented71–81 (DSC)[4][5][6]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documentedAmorphous — no melting point; Vicat 75–84 (ISO 306)[4][5][6]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented61–66 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature across six grades from four brands; Prusa publishes 68 for Prusament PETG[24][25][26][15][28]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented65 at 30 °C (neat PETG, large-format printed bead, TMA)[29]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard PETG, though flame-retardant V0 grades exist[30][23]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedModerate — a season or two[3]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedWithstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure — Polymaker names outdoor use as a result[23]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift[21]Good — minor absorption[3]
Food contactNot documentedPET is the polymer of drinks bottles, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria and no filament here carries a food-contact certification[23]
Biodegradability / compostabilityBio-based — the monomer comes from castor oil[2]Not biodegradable[23]
RecyclabilityNot documentedPET is widely recycled as bottle stock, but printed PETG waste is not accepted in household collection[23]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[31]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[31]
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[31]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[31]≈5 × 10⁹ median for the PET-based T-Glase filament in the same chamber study, against ≈1 × 10⁸ for PLA[31]
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[31]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[31]Open a window / occasional ventilation[31]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedSands poorly — the material is tough and gums rather than powders[18]
Painting & finishingNot documentedPaint adheres poorly without abrasion and a primer[3]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[18]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[3]
Support material pairingNot documentedPrints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[18]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedStringing and blobbing are the usual accuracy limits, not shrinkage[3][6]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[32][33]No common workshop solvent; 1,2-dichloroethane destroys it inside a week and dichloromethane — a carcinogen — dissolves the surface.[34][35]
Softened or crazed byMineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not (BASF, PA6/66).[32]Acetone (+16 % weight over 1 year at 23 °C), ethyl acetate, toluene and DMF swell and soften it; methanol crazes it.[34]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[32]Dichloromethane brushed on is the only agent that smooths PETG — a controlled carcinogen, not workshop stock.[35]

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. Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  4. PolyLite PETG Technical Data Sheet Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · tds
  5. PolyMax PETG Technical Data Sheet Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · tds
  6. Polymaker PETG Technical Data Sheet Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · tds
  7. PETG Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Black PETG Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg — product data Hatchbox · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. IEMAI PETG 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. CHCKX PETG 3D Printer Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg, Black CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. BambuLab PETG Basic vs Translucent vs PETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  16. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. PET and PETG — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PETG HF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  21. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  23. PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  24. PCTG vs PETG comparison — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  25. Extrudr PETG vs PCTG vs XPETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  26. Prusament PETG-CF vs PETG V0 vs PETG — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  27. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  28. Prusament PETG — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  29. Effects of Fiber Orientation on the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of Fiber-Filled Polymer Systems in Large Format Polymer Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing Materials 15(8):2764 · 2022-04 · paper
  30. Prusament PETG V0 Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  31. 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
  32. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  33. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  34. Eastman Spectar copolyester — Chemical resistance (unstressed bars, 1 year at 23 °C) Eastman Chemical Company · 2026-08 · tds
  35. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc