3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA12 vs PLA Silk

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

PA12 (Nylon 12) guideSilk PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA12 comparisonsMore PLA Silk comparisons
PA12 vs PLA Silk — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA12 (Nylon 12)PASilk PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$64.33/kg median; $36.00–$170.67/kg across 3 dated product listings$19.49/kg median; $9.75–$24.99/kg across 15 dated product listings
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]PLA with a gloss-forming additive package; suppliers publish the composition as polylactic acid only[3]
Densityg/cm³1.01 specific gravity (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D792)[4]1.27 (ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 36–171; the middle of the market is about 64[5][6]Mainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[7][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg36–171 across brands; IEMAI 3D 36, Fiberlogy 64 at 3DJake, 3DXTech AmideX Nylon 12 171[5][10][6]10–25 across brands; CHCKX 10 in a 16-roll bundle, SUNLU 13, LANDU 18, YXPOLYER 20, Polymaker 22, Devil Design 25[11][12][13][14][15]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[5][10]Stocked by most mainstream brands[7][11][16]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 1 kg spools[10][5]1.75 mm; 1 and 1.1 kg spools; dual- and tri-colour coextruded variants[17][18]
Typical applicationsDimensionally stable functional parts, ducting and living hinges where PA6 would move too much with humidity[1][19]Decorative prints where surface gloss matters more than strength[3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[20]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C260–290 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12)[21]210–240 — 20 °C above the plain PLA window[3]
Bed temperature°C110 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12)[21]35–45[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1]Open frame is fine[3][22]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required (Simplify3D)[23]Fan on[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[23][1]Cool Plate SuperTack, smooth PEI or textured PEI[3]
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[21][24]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[23][1]Sticks to anything[25]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[1]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1]Easy — minor profile tuning; hotter nozzle and slower cap of 250 mm/s[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[1]Brass fine indefinitely[22]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[1]Non-abrasive[26][22]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[19][27]Very low[22]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[23]Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[28]
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[23]No special hot-end required[25]
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][19]Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[3]
Drying temperature & time60–80 °C for 8–12 h (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12); 100 °C for 8 h (Polymaker CoPA)[21][29]55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 65–75 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed[3][30]
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[27]
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[19][29]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[27]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[27]Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[31][25]
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[29][32]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa49.3 at yield and 33.4 at break printed XZ (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D638)[4]33 (printed XY, ISO 527); eSun Silk broke 22 % below the 16-brand PLA mean on identical 4×4 mm bars[3][33]
Young's modulusMPa1510 printed XZ and 1250 ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D638)[4]2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3]
Elongation at break%30 at break printed XZ against 6.5 in ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D638)[4]2.8 (printed XY, ISO 527) — a quarter of PLA Basic at 12.2[3][31]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented75 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2460 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²11 at +23 °C and 6.0 at -30 °C (Extrudr DuraPro PA12, ISO 179/1eA); unnotched does not break[21]10.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 18.5[3]
Other impact dataIzod notched 138 J/m printed XZ against 71.0 J/m in ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D256)[4]Not documented
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[4]25 (printed Z, ISO 527), and flexural Z collapses to 30 against 75 in XY; eSun Silk broke at 12.3 kg where twelve of the 16 plain PLAs managed 44.6–61.5 kg[3][33][34]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Brittle — snaps with little warning[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — the long-chain polyamides hold load better than PLA but below PC[1]Poor — no silk-specific creep data published; plain PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[35][36]
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][4]Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[37][28]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[19]Rigid[3]
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[4]76 by tensile, 40 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[3]
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)[4]60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C84.3 printed XY and 75.3 in XZ/ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[4]56 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C34.0 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12, ASTM D7426 inflection point)[4]57 (DSC)[3]
Melting point / Vicat°CVicat A 142 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12, ISO 306)[21]158 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 66 °C[3]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by a Vicat softening point of 142 °C (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12); no loaded-bar service figure is published[21]50 — a loaded bar begins to move at this temperature (My Tech Fun, eSun eSilk PLA)[34]
Annealing responseNot documented50–55 °C for 6–12 h[3]
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)[21][4]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the unfilled grades surveyed[21]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[31][38]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement[1]Degrades within weeks outdoors[28][39]
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[1]Good against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[38][28]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — minor absorption; the least moisture-sensitive of the common nylons[19]Good — insoluble in water[31]
Food contactNot food-contact certified as filament[1]Base resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[28]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[1]Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[40][28]
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[1]Mechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[40]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[41]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[41]
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[41]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[41]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[41]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[41]None needed in a normal room[41]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — gums rather than powders[23]Wet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[39][28]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[23]Cyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[28][42]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[23]No practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[28]
Support material pairingPolymaker sells a break-away PolySupport matched to PA12[23]Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[3]
Dimensional accuracy & detailHolds dimensions better than PA6 after conditioning — Polymaker singles its PA12 grade out on exactly this point[19]55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges; gloss hides fine detail and is destroyed by sanding[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[43][44]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[45]
Softened or crazed byNot resistant to 10 % formic acid, phenol, chloroform or dichloromethane (Ensinger); zinc chloride stress-cracks nylon.[44][43]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[45][46]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[43]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[47][46]

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. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Silk+ Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. FDM Nylon 12 — Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2021-09 · 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. Panchroma Silk PLA collection Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Spectrum PLA Silk — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3DJake ecoPLA Silk Black 1.75mm 1000g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Sunlu Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1kg Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Bambu Lab PLA Silk 1.75mm 1kg 3D Universe · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. CHCKX 16 Pack Silk Dual Color PLA Filament Bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. YXPOLYER Silk PLA Black&Gold product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. LANDU Silk Tri-Color PLA Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg LANDU (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. Overture Silk PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. eSUN PLA-Silk Magic 1.75mm eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. JAYO Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1.1kg JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  19. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  20. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  21. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  22. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  25. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  26. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  28. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  29. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  30. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  31. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  32. PolyMide CoPA — Technical Data Sheet page Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · tds
  33. 16 PLA brand comparison test — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2022-10 · test
  34. Testing eSun PLA filaments: PLA-ST vs PLA+ vs Silk PLA My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  35. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  36. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  37. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  38. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  39. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  40. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  41. 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
  42. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  43. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  44. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  45. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  46. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  47. 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