3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA12 vs PA6/66

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

PA12 (Nylon 12) guidePA66 (Nylon 66) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA12 comparisonsMore PA6/66 comparisons
PA12 vs PA6/66 — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA12 (Nylon 12)PAPA66 (Nylon 66)PA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$64.33/kg median; $36.00–$170.67/kg across 3 dated product listingsNot documented
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 12 — the longest-chain common nylon, with the fewest amide groups per unit mass and so the least moisture uptake[1][2]Polyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[1]
Densityg/cm³1.01 specific gravity (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D792)[3]1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 36–171; the middle of the market is about 64[5][6]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg36–171 across brands; IEMAI 3D 36, Fiberlogy 64 at 3DJake, 3DXTech AmideX Nylon 12 171[5][7][6]Not documented
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[5][7]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[7][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 1 kg spools[7][5]Not documented
Typical applicationsDimensionally stable functional parts, ducting and living hinges where PA6 would move too much with humidity[1][9]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C260–290 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12)[10]Not documented
Bed temperature°C110 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12)[10]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1]Enclosure required (passive)[1]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required (Simplify3D)[11]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[11][1]Not documented
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][12]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[11][1]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[1]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[1]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[1]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[9][13]Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[9][13]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[11]Not documented
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[11]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High (0.8–2 %) — Polymaker's PA12-CF10 reaches 1.5 % equilibrium against 3.33 % for its PA6-GF25, and Polymaker developed the PA12 grade specifically for lower moisture sensitivity[2][9]Very high (>2 %)[13]
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[4]
Drying temperature & time60–80 °C for 8–12 h (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12); 100 °C for 8 h (Polymaker CoPA)[10][14]Not documented
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[9]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker states its PA12 grade changes little between wet and dry, unlike its PA6-based materials; the CoPA dry-to-wet reference shows what the PA6-type response looks like[9][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][9]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[13]Not documented
Hydrolysis at melt temperaturePolymaker requires a 100 °C dry for 8 h and storage below 20 % RH; no molecular-weight loss figure is published, and the published wet data is conditioning rather than melt hydrolysis[14][15]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa49.3 at yield and 33.4 at break printed XZ (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D638)[3]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 modulusMPa1510 printed XZ and 1250 ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D638)[3]2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[4]
Elongation at break%30 at break printed XZ against 6.5 in ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D638)[3]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 modulusMPaNot documented3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[4]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²11 at +23 °C and 6.0 at -30 °C (Extrudr DuraPro PA12, ISO 179/1eA); unnotched does not break[10]Not documented
Other impact dataIzod notched 138 J/m printed XZ against 71.0 J/m in ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D256)[3]Izod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[4]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa41.8 at yield and 41.2 at break printed ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D638) — higher than the XZ break figure, because XZ specimens draw and neck first[3]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Not documented
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedShore D 86 and Rockwell 85 (108) — the source does not name the scales on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2240, D785)[4]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — the long-chain polyamides hold load better than PLA but below PC[1]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable. Stratasys sells FDM Nylon 12 specifically for repetitive-flex parts such as snap-fit clips and press-fit inserts on the strength of its fatigue properties[1][3]Excellent — living hinges viable[1]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[9]Semi-flexible[9]
Z strength as % of XY%85 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ZX against XZ tensile yield, ASTM D638) — one of the least anisotropic unfilled filaments measured[3]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°C94.7 printed XY and 91.9 in XZ/ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D648 at 66 psi)[3]232 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 450 °F)[4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C84.3 printed XY and 75.3 in XZ/ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[3]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]
Glass transition (Tg)°C34.0 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D7426 inflection point)[3]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CVicat A 142 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12, ISO 306)[10]255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[4]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by a Vicat softening point of 142 °C (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12); no loaded-bar service figure is published[10]85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[4]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K84-103 printed (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM E831: 84.4 in XY and 85.6 in XZ/ZX over -50 to 10 °C, 89.1 over 10-45 °C, 98.2 over 45-70 °C); Extrudr quotes 100 for DURAPRO PA12 (ISO 11359-2)[10][3]81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[4]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the unfilled grades surveyed[10]UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[4]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement[1]Not documented
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[1]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — minor absorption; the least moisture-sensitive of the common nylons[9]Not documented
Food contactNot food-contact certified as filament[1]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[1]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[1]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[16]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[16]
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[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 — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[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 — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[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]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — gums rather than powders[11]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[11]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[11]Not documented
Support material pairingPolymaker sells a break-away PolySupport matched to PA12[11]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detailHolds dimensions better than PA6 after conditioning — Polymaker singles its PA12 grade out on exactly this point[9]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[17][18]Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[17]
Softened or crazed byNot resistant to 10 % formic acid, phenol, chloroform or dichloromethane (Ensinger); zinc chloride stress-cracks nylon.[18][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 are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[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. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  2. Fiberon PA612-CF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  3. FDM Nylon 12 — Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2021-09 · tds
  4. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Nylon PA12 — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. IEMAI 3D PA12 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 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. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  15. PolyMide CoPA — Technical Data Sheet page Polymaker Wiki · 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
  18. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds