3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA12-GF vs PA6/66

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

Glass-fibre PA12 (PA12-GF) guidePA66 (Nylon 66) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA12-GF comparisonsMore PA6/66 comparisons
PA12-GF vs PA6/66 — documented properties and sources
PropertyGlass-fibre PA12 (PA12-GF)PAPA66 (Nylon 66)PA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$130.67/kg median; $46.00–$140.18/kg across 3 dated product listingsNot documented
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPA12 reinforced with chopped glass fibre — 3DXTech's grade is nominally 30 wt%[1]Polyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[2]
Densityg/cm³1.23 (ISO 1183)[1]1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 46–140; the middle of the market is about 88[4][5][6]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg46–140 across brands; IEMAI 3D 46, 3DXTech 131 at 750 g and 130 at 2 kg, PrimaCreator NylonPower Glass Fiber 140 at 500 g[4][5][6]Not documented
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][5]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[4][7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 2 kg spools[4][6]Not documented
Typical applicationsStiff, humidity-stable structural parts — the glass gives the modulus, the PA12 matrix limits the moisture drift[1][8]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[2]Enclosure required (passive)[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[9][2]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[9]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[2]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[2]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required — no nozzle-life figure is published for a PA12-GF30 grade; Polymaker measures about 9 h of brass nozzle life on its comparable fibre-filled nylons[10]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[10]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[11]Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[8][11]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[9]Not documented
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[9]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High (0.8–2 %) — the PA12 matrix takes up far less than PA6, on the evidence of Polymaker's 1.5 % for PA12-CF10 against 3.33 % for PA6-GF25[12][13]Very high (>2 %)[11]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented8.5 at saturation on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D570) — the highest uptake of any polymer in this dataset[3]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker's PA12 grades change little between wet and dry, unlike PA6; the CoPA dry-to-wet blocks show the PA6-type response[8][14]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 %[14][8]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[11]Not documented
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[10][14]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa82 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[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[3]
Young's modulusMPa7800 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[3]
Elongation at break%4.5 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — nearly double the 2.4 % of Polymaker's PA6-GF25[1][13]50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[3]
Flexural strengthMPa94 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa7550 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[3]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[3]
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Not documented
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a glass-fibre PA12 filament[15]Shore D 86 and Rockwell 85 (108) — the source does not name the scales on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2240, D785)[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good. Ensinger lists high creep resistance for extruded PA66-GF30 stock, and the PA12 matrix absorbs far less water than PA6, so a PA12-GF part holds load better in a humid environment[15][2]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. Ensinger lists high fatigue strength as a headline property of extruded PA66-GF30 stock[15]Excellent — living hinges viable[2]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Semi-flexible[8]
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[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented232 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 450 °F)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented90 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[3]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[3]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[3]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K48.6 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D696; source states 2.7e-5 in/in/°F) — no figure is published for a glass-fibre PA12 filament[15]81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[3]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[10]UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[3]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[2]Not documented
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[2]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — minor absorption relative to PA6-based composites[8]Not documented
Food contactNot food-contact certified as filament[2]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[2]Not documented
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[2]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[1]Volume resistance 1e15 ohm-cm and dielectric constant 4 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D257, D150)[3]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[16]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[16]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[16]Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[16]
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[16]≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[16]
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[16]Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[16]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[16]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[16]
Dust & fibre handling hazardGlass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — gums rather than powders[9]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[9]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[9]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[17]Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[17]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[17]Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[17]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[17]None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[17]

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. FibreX PA12-GF30 Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  3. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. IEMAI 3D GF-PA12 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. PrimaCreator SELECT NylonPower Glass Fiber product page PrimaCreator · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  9. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  11. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Fiberon PA12-CF10 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2025-02 · tds
  13. Fiberon PA6-GF25 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  14. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  15. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  16. 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
  17. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds