3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6-CF vs PA6/66

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

Carbon-fibre PA6 (PA6-CF) guidePA66 (Nylon 66) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6-CF comparisonsMore PA6/66 comparisons
PA6-CF vs PA6/66 — documented properties and sources
PropertyCarbon-fibre PA6 (PA6-CF)PAPA66 (Nylon 66)PA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$62.48/kg median; $39.00–$133.32/kg across 6 dated product listingsNot documented
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPA6 reinforced with chopped carbon fibre — Polymaker's grade is 20 wt%[1][2]Polyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[3]
Densityg/cm³1.09 (Bambu Lab), 1.17 (Polymaker Fiberon and 3DXTech), ISO 1183[2][1][4]1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 39–133; the middle of the market is about 80[2][6][7][8]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg39–133 across brands; IEMAI 3D 39, Bambu Lab 43, YXPOLYER 45, Polymaker Fiberon 80, 3DXTech CarbonX 83, Obsidian 133[2][6][9][10][7][8]Not documented
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[2][6][10][9][7][8]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[10][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 2 kg spools[6][10][2]Not documented
Typical applicationsLoad-bearing brackets, tooling and drone frames that must hold strength above 150 °C[2][1]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C260–290 (Bambu Lab); 280–300 (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1]Not documented
Bed temperature°C40–50 (Polymaker Fiberon)[1]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber, Polymaker room temperature[2][1]Enclosure required (passive)[3]
Recommended chamber temperature°C45–60 (Bambu Lab); room temperature (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidEngineering or high-temperature plate with glue (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s8 at Bambu Lab's 100 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer; Polymaker rates its grade to 300 mm/s[2][1][11]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[2]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[3]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Expert / industrial hardware only — enclosure, hardened nozzle, an 80 °C dry and a printer that can hold the filament dry throughout[2][1][12]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[3]
Extruder requirement0.6 mm nozzle recommended by Bambu Lab; 0.4 and 0.8 also supported[2]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required — Polymaker measures brass nozzle life at about 9 h on PA6-CF20 and recommends hardened steel or ruby[1]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h[1]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; the combination of moisture and fibre is the worst case in the dataset[12][1]Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[13][12]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[14]Not documented
Hotend requirementHardened steel or ruby nozzle plus an all-metal hot end rated to 300 °C[1][2]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — 2.35 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2]Very high (>2 %)[12]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%2.35 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2]8.5 at saturation on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D570) — the highest uptake of any polymer in this dataset[5]
Drying temperature & time80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab); 100 °C for 10 h (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1]Not documented
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[13]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker publishes dry and wet printed blocks for PA6-CF20 itself: at 5.30 % moisture tensile falls 109.3 → 54.7 MPa and modulus 8636 → 2508 MPa, while notched Charpy rises 11.0 → 35.6 kJ/m². Fibre reinforcement reduces but does not remove the effect[1][13]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 %[15][13]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant; often needs to stay in a dryer while printing[12]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[1][15]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa102 ± 7 (Bambu Lab) and 109.3 ± 2.4 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry/annealed) printed XY, ISO 527; the Fiberon grade falls to 54.7 ± 1.1 conditioned to 5.30 % moisture; 3DXTech quotes 63 at break[2][1][4]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[5]
Young's modulusMPa4430 ± 310 (Bambu Lab) and 8636 ± 211 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry/annealed) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberon falls to 2508 ± 83 conditioned; 3DXTech quotes 3800[2][1][4]2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[5]
Elongation at break%5.8 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); 3DXTech quotes 3 at break[2][4]50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[5]
Flexural strengthMPa161.0 ± 3.9 printed XY dry, 64.9 ± 4.9 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 84[1][4]113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[5]
Flexural modulusMPa7038 ± 205 printed XY dry and 2286 ± 185 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 3750[1][4]3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²11.0 ± 0.3 printed XY dry and 35.6 ± 1.2 conditioned, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker Fiberon)[1]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 24.0 ± 1.0 printed XY dry and 73.0 ± 2.0 conditioned, 7.5 ± 2.7 printed Z dry (Polymaker Fiberon); Bambu Lab 40.3 ± 2.5 unnotched, 13.4 ± 1.7 notched[1][2]Izod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[5]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa48 ± 6 (Bambu Lab) and 54.0 ± 5.2 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry) printed Z, ISO 527; Fiberon falls to 25.5 ± 1.2 conditioned[2][1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate[2][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 carbon-fibre nylon filament[16]Shore D 86 and Rockwell 85 (108) — the source does not name the scales on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2240, D785)[5]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good. Ensinger rates its PA66-CF30 injection-moulding compound for exceptional performance under both static and dynamic loading with 110 °C continuous service; in a printed part the fibre restrains the matrix, but conditioning to equilibrium moisture still softens it[17][13]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. Ensinger states its PA66-CF30 compound has improved fatigue strength in tension, flexure and compression against unfilled and glass-filled PA66[17]Excellent — living hinges viable[3]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[2]Semi-flexible[13]
Z strength as % of XY%47 (Bambu Lab) to 49 (Polymaker Fiberon), printed[2][1]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[5]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C186 (Bambu Lab) and 215 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[2][1]232 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 450 °F)[5]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C164 (Bambu Lab) and 173 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[2][1]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[5]
Glass transition (Tg)°C68 (Bambu Lab) to 74.2 (Polymaker Fiberon), DSC; 3DXTech quotes 70[2][1][4]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C223 melting (Bambu Lab, DSC); Vicat 212 (ISO 306)[2]255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[5]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by heat deflection of 164–173 °C at 1.8 MPa; no loaded-bar service figure is published[2][1]85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[5]
Annealing response100 °C for 16 h (Polymaker Fiberon)[1]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K94 in the XY direction and 180 in Z, measured on XY-built specimens (79 and 148 on XZ/ZX-built specimens), room temperature to 60 °C, ASTM E831. From Stratasys FDM Nylon-CF10, a blended-nylon matrix with 10 wt% carbon fibre — the closest published printed CTE for a carbon-fibre nylon[18]81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[5]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1]UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[5]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows and chalks under UV[3]Not documented
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[3]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift[13]Not documented
Food contactNot food-contact certified[3]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[3]Not documented
RecyclabilityFibre-filled polyamide is not accepted in household plastic collection[3]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10⁹ ohm/sq — not static-dissipative (3DXTech, ASTM D257)[4]Volume resistance 1e15 ohm-cm and dielectric constant 4 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D257, D150)[5]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[19]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[19]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[19]Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[19]
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[19]≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[19]
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[19]Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[19]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[19]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[19]
Dust & fibre handling hazardFibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands to a matte finish; the fibre makes it cut more cleanly than unfilled nylon[14]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[14]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[14]Not documented
Support material pairingPolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker Fiberon)[1]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detailConditioned parts grow; Polymaker declines to publish a standard dimensional allowance because it depends on geometry and infill[13]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[20]Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[20]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[20]Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[20]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[20]None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[20]

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 PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  2. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  3. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  4. CarbonX Carbon Fiber Nylon (Gen3) Technical Data Sheet v3.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  5. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  6. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER PA6 CF-Black 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI 3D CF-PA6 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  15. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  16. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  17. TECACOMP PA66 CF30 black — injection-moulding compound Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  18. FDM Nylon-CF10 — Material Data Sheet (blended nylon, 10 wt% carbon fibre) Stratasys · 2026-08 · tds
  19. 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
  20. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds