3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA12-CF vs PETG-ESD

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

Carbon-fibre PA12 (PA12-CF) guideESD-safe PETG guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA12-CF comparisonsMore PETG-ESD comparisons
PA12-CF vs PETG-ESD — documented properties and sources
PropertyCarbon-fibre PA12 (PA12-CF)PAESD-safe PETGPETG
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$109.98/kg median; $52.00–$180.00/kg across 4 dated product listings$102.99/kg median; $65.98–$140.00/kg across 2 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPA12 reinforced with chopped carbon fibre — Polymaker's grade is 10 wt%[1][2]PETG compounded with a conductive filler to bring surface resistivity into the static-dissipative range[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.06 (Polymaker Fiberon) and 1.16 (3DXTech), ISO 1183[1][2]1.24 (Fiberon) and 1.28 (3DXTech), ISO 1183[3][4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 52–180; the middle of the market is about 110[5][6][7]1 kg-equivalent spools span 66–140; the middle of the market is about 103[5][6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg52–180 across brands; IEMAI 3D 52, YXPOLYER 80 at 500 g, Polymaker Fiberon 140, 3DXTech CarbonX 180[5][6][8][7]66–140 across brands; Fiberon PETG-ESD 66, 3DXSTAT ESD-PETG 140[5][6]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[5][6]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 2 kg spools[5][6]1.75 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 3 kg spools[5][6]
Typical applicationsStiff parts that must stay dimensionally stable in changing humidity — Polymaker sells this grade specifically on low moisture sensitivity[9][1]Electronics fixtures, trays and jigs handled around static-sensitive components[3][4]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C260–290 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12 CF)[10]250–290 (Fiberon)[3]
Bed temperature°C110 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12 CF)[10]70–80 (Fiberon); 70 (3DXTech)[3][4]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[11][1]Open frame is fine — Fiberon specifies room-temperature chamber[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[12][11]Textured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets; on smooth PEI a glue stick acts as a release agent[13][14]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s12 at Extrudr's 150 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[10][15]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[3][15]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[12]Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[13][14]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[11]Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker names stringing as PETG's common quirk[14]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[11]Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; resistivity depends on getting the nozzle temperature right[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required — Polymaker measures brass nozzle life at about 9 h on PA12-CF10 and recommends hardened steel or ruby[1]Hardened steel required[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h on PA12-CF10[1]Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[16]Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns and no minimum layer height for its ESD-PETG, only a 65 °C pre-dry[17]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[12]Slightly sensitive[18]
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[12]No special hot-end required[18]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High (0.8–2 %) — 1.5 % equilibrium, the lowest of Polymaker's nylon composites and less than half its PA6-GF25[1][19]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[13][17]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%1.5 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker Fiberon PA12-CF10)[1]0.41 equilibrium water absorption (Fiberon PETG-ESD)[3]
Drying temperature & time80–100 °C; storage below 20 % RH[16][1]65 °C for 3 h (Fiberon)[3]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker's own dry/wet blocks for PA12-CF10 change little: at 2.92 % moisture tensile falls 77.4 → 71.7 MPa and modulus 3311 → 3132 MPa, against a halving for its PA6 grades[1][9]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[16]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[16]Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[16][14]
Hydrolysis at melt temperaturePolymaker specifies an 80–100 °C dry and storage below 20 % RH; no molecular-weight loss figure is published, and the wet data it does publish is conditioning rather than melt hydrolysis[20][21]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa77.4 ± 1.1 printed XY dry (Polymaker Fiberon), 71.7 ± 0.7 conditioned to 2.92 % moisture, ISO 527; 3DXTech quotes 72 at break. Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF spans 76.5-124 at break printed XZ across five machine and tip combinations (ASTM D638)[1][2][22]36.1 ± 0.9 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 50 at break[3][4]
Young's modulusMPa3311 ± 135 printed XY dry and 3132 ± 124 conditioned, ISO 527 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 8000. Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF spans 7910-15400 printed XZ against 2130-3000 in ZX (ASTM D638)[1][2][22]1983 ± 75 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon)[3]
Elongation at break%4.2 ± 0.4 printed XY dry and 5.3 ± 0.3 conditioned, ISO 527 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 2.1 at break[1][2]7.3 ± 0.7 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 13 at break[3][4]
Flexural strengthMPa90 (printed XY, 3DXTech, ISO 178). Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF spans 152-200 printed XZ against 61-73 in ZX (ASTM D790)[2][22]54.0 ± 2.5 printed XY, ISO 178 (Fiberon)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa7900 (printed XY, 3DXTech, ISO 178)[2]1651 ± 141 printed XY, ISO 178 (Fiberon)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²9.9 ± 0.7 printed XY dry and 10.2 ± 0.8 conditioned, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker Fiberon)[1]5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Fiberon)[3]
Other impact dataIzod notched 102-138 J/m printed XZ against 22.4-45.5 J/m in ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF, ASTM D256)[22]Charpy unnotched 29.3 ± 2.2 printed XY (Fiberon, ISO 179)[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa52.2 ± 0.8 printed Z dry (Polymaker Fiberon) — 67 % of XY, unusually isotropic for a filled nylon; 42.1 ± 1.8 conditioned. Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF gives 32.7-38.4 at break printed ZX (ASTM D638)[1][22]20.7 ± 0.6 printed Z, ISO 527 (Fiberon)[3]
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Moderate[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a carbon-fibre PA12 filament[23]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good. Ensinger rates its PA66-CF30 compound for sustained static and dynamic load at 110 °C continuous service; the PA12 matrix takes up 1.5 % equilibrium moisture against PA6's several per cent, so a PA12-CF part drifts less in service[24][1]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[25][26][27][28]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. Stratasys sells unfilled FDM Nylon 12 specifically for repetitive-flex parts on the strength of its fatigue properties, and Ensinger reports improved fatigue strength for carbon-filled nylon compounds[24]Moderate — no ESD-grade S-N curve; unfilled printed PETG ran 79 000–193 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[29]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Slightly flexible in thin sections[3]
Z strength as % of XY%31-50 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF, ZX against XZ tensile at break, ASTM D638, five machine and tip combinations) against 67 (Polymaker Fiberon PA12-CF10, printed Z against XY)[1][22]57 (Fiberon, printed Z against XY tensile)[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C131 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Polymaker Fiberon). Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF gives 160 printed XY and 168 ZX, and 175 with unidirectional toolpaths (ASTM D648 at 66 psi)[1][22]76 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Fiberon)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C105 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Polymaker Fiberon). Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF gives 130 printed XY and 154 ZX (ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[1][22]72 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Fiberon)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C55 (DSC, Polymaker Fiberon)[1]77 (Fiberon) and 80 (3DXTech), DSC[3][4]
Melting point / Vicat°C171 melting (DSC); Vicat 170.2 (ISO 306)[1]Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 86 (Fiberon, ISO 306)[3]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KStratasys FDM Nylon 12CF gives 116 on XY-built and 37 on ZX-built specimens over -50 to 20 °C, rising to 181 (XY) and 46 (ZX) above the 37.5 °C glass transition (ASTM E831); Extrudr quotes 100 for DURAPRO PA12 CF (ISO 11359-2)[10][22]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[20]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard grades[30]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[11]Not documented
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[11]Withstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure[14]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — minor absorption; the most humidity-stable nylon composite here[9][1]Not documented
Food contactNot food-contact certified as filament[11]Not certified for food contact as filament[14]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[11]Not biodegradable[14]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[11]Not accepted in household plastic collection[14]
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistivity above 10¹² ohm — insulating (Polymaker Fiberon, ANSI/ESD S11.11)[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[3][4]
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 and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[31]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[31]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[31]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[31]Open a window / occasional ventilation[31]
Dust & fibre handling hazardFibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[20]Conductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — gums rather than powders[12]Sands poorly — the material is tough and gums rather than powders[18]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[12]Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[18]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[12]No practical vapour smoothing[18]
Support material pairingNot documentedPrints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[18]
Dimensional accuracy & detailPolymaker's own conditioning test found PA12-CF10 was the only nylon that did not grow past its original size after moisture conditioning[9]Nozzle temperature has to be held steady — it moves surface resistivity by three orders of magnitude[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[32]No common workshop solvent; 1,2-dichloroethane destroys it inside a week and dichloromethane — a carcinogen — dissolves the surface.[33][34]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[32]Acetone (+16 % weight over 1 year at 23 °C), ethyl acetate, toluene and DMF swell and soften it; methanol crazes it.[33]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[32]Dichloromethane brushed on is the only agent that smooths PETG — a controlled carcinogen, not workshop stock.[34]

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. Fiberon PA12-CF10 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2025-02 · tds
  2. CarbonX CF PA12 Technical Data Sheet v1 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Fiberon PETG-ESD Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2026-08 · tds
  4. 3DXSTAT ESD-PETG Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. IEMAI 3D CF-PA12 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. YXPOLYER PA12 CF 500 g — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  11. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  14. PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. 3DXSTAT ESD-PETG — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  18. PET and PETG — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Fiberon PA6-GF25 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  20. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  21. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  22. FDM Nylon 12CF — Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2025-09 · tds
  23. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  24. TECACOMP PA66 CF30 black — injection-moulding compound Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  25. PCTG vs PETG comparison — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  26. Extrudr PETG vs PCTG vs XPETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  27. Prusament PETG-CF vs PETG V0 vs PETG — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  28. BambuLab PETG Basic vs Translucent vs PETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  29. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · 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. Eastman Spectar copolyester — Chemical resistance (unstressed bars, 1 year at 23 °C) Eastman Chemical Company · 2026-08 · tds
  34. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc