3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA11 vs PLA Matte

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

PA11 (Nylon 11) guideMatte PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA11 comparisonsMore PLA Matte comparisons
PA11 vs PLA Matte — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA11 (Nylon 11)PAMatte PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$194.98/kg median; $194.98–$194.98/kg across 1 dated product listings$19.09/kg median; $10.99–$32.16/kg across 10 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 11, polymerised from castor-oil-derived aminoundecanoic acid — a bio-based nylon[1][2]PLA compounded with a mineral filler — Fiberlogy names chalk — that scatters light into a diffuse finish[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.02 (ISO 1183)[1]1.31 (Bambu Lab, ISO 1183) to 1.38 (Fiberlogy PLA Mineral, method not stated) — above plain PLA from the filler[4][3]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documentedMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 21[5][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented11–32 across brands; budget house brands 11–19, Fiberlogy PLA Mineral 32[8][6][9]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2]Stocked by most mainstream brands[8][7][5]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[2]1.75 mm; 1 kg spools plus spool-less refills[5][10]
Typical applicationsTough, chemically resistant functional parts; Prusa targets it at impact-loaded and vibration-loaded components[2]Display models and visible parts where a matte, non-reflective finish matters[4]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.02 (Prusament)[1]±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[11]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C275 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]190–230 (Bambu Lab); 190–210 (Fiberlogy PLA Mineral)[4][3]
Bed temperature°C100 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]35–45 (Bambu Lab); 60 (Fiberlogy)[4][3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Prusament specifies a 55 ± 5 °C chamber[1]Open frame is fine[4][3]
Recommended chamber temperature°C55 ± 5 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on; Fiberlogy specifies 75–100 %[4][3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPA nylon sheet (Prusament)[1]Cool plate, high-temperature plate or textured PEI with glue (Bambu Lab); smooth PEI, textured PEI or glass (Fiberlogy)[4][3]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[4]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything[12]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1][13]Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[4][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[13]Brass fine indefinitely[14][4][3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[13]Slightly abrasive — mineral filler pushes density from 1.24 to 1.31–1.38[3][4][15]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[16]Very low[14]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedModerate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[17]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required[12]
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][16]Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[4]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.26 after 24 h and 0.46 after 7 days (Prusa Polymers method)[1]0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[4]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented50 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 60–70 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed; Fiberlogy specifies 50 °C for 6 h[4][3][18]
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[19]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[16]
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[19][20]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[16]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[16]Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[15][12]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa38.3 ± 0.8 printed horizontal and 39.5 ± 0.5 printed vertical at yield, ISO 527-1[1]30 (printed XY, ISO 527, Bambu Lab); 35.1 on My Tech Fun bars for PolyTerra PLA[4][21]
Young's modulusMPa1200 printed, both orientations, ISO 527-1[1]1960 (Bambu Lab, printed XY, ISO 527); Fiberlogy PLA Mineral quotes 3500 (ISO 527, specimen type not stated)[4][3]
Elongation at break%5.6 ± 0.1 at yield, printed, ISO 527-1[1]14.8 (printed XY, ISO 527)[4]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented53 (printed XY, ISO 178) — 30 % below PLA Basic at 76[4][15]
Flexural modulusMPa1100 printed horizontal and 1000 printed vertical, ISO 178[1]2360 (printed XY, ISO 178)[4]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²12.9 ± 2.1 printed horizontal and 11.7 ± 1.2 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched[1]6.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 19.2[4]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod 6.1 kJ/m² on My Tech Fun printed bars for PolyTerra PLA[21]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa32 ± 1 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test) — the highest interlayer figure Prusa publishes for any of its filaments[1]22 (printed Z, ISO 527); flexural Z falls to 29 against 53 in XY; 12.9 on My Tech Fun layer-adhesion bars[4][21]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Brittle — snaps with little warning[4]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell70 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method)[1]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — 12 mm bar sagged to 18.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[21]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[13]Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[22][17]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[1]Rigid[4]
Z strength as % of XY%84 — Prusa publishes a tensile anisotropy coefficient of 0.84, the ratio of Z to XY tensile strength[1]73 by tensile, 55 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C58.7 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]58 (Bambu Lab) and 48 (Fiberlogy PLA Mineral), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[4][3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C49.9 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[4]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented61 (DSC)[4]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented163 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 63 °C[4]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented54 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[21]
Annealing responseNot documented50–60 °C for 6–12 h; some prints deform or warp, and a forced-air oven is required[4]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[15][23]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[17][24]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[23][17]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift[19]Good — insoluble in water[15]
Food contactNot documentedBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[17]
Biodegradability / compostabilityBio-based — the monomer comes from castor oil[2]Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[25][17]
RecyclabilityNot documentedMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[25]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[26]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[26]
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[26]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[26]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[26]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[26]None needed in a normal room[26]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[24][17]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[17][27]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[17]
Support material pairingNot documentedSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[4]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedMatte surface hides layer lines; 55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges as for plain PLA[4]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[28][29]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[30]
Softened or crazed byMineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not (BASF, PA6/66).[28]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[30][31]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[28]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[32][31]

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. PLA Mineral — product and technical data Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Matte Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Polymaker Panchroma Matte PLA — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Overture Matte PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Matte PLA filament collection Anycubic Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Matte PLA filament collection Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Fiberlogy PLA Mineral — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Extrudr PLA NX2 Matt — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  13. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  20. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  21. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  22. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  23. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  24. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  25. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  26. 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
  27. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  28. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  29. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  30. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  31. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  32. 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