3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6-CF vs TPU-CF

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

Carbon-fibre PA6 (PA6-CF) guideCarbon-fibre TPU guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6-CF comparisonsMore TPU-CF comparisons
PA6-CF vs TPU-CF — documented properties and sources
PropertyCarbon-fibre PA6 (PA6-CF)PACarbon-fibre TPUFLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$62.48/kg median; $39.00–$133.32/kg across 6 dated product listings$107.05/kg median; $107.05–$107.05/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPA6 reinforced with chopped carbon fibre — Polymaker's grade is 20 wt%[1][2]Carbon-fibre reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane at the hard end of the range[3]
Densityg/cm³1.09 (Bambu Lab), 1.17 (Polymaker Fiberon and 3DXTech), ISO 1183[2][1][4]1.22 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 2781)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 39–133; the middle of the market is about 80[2][5][6][7]107 for the only retail listing found (Extrudr 0.5 kg coil, incl. VAT)[8]
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][5][9][10][6][7]One listing only: EUR 49.56 incl. VAT per 0.5 kg coil, direct from Extrudr; no reseller or second brand found[8]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[2][5][10][9][6][7]Niche, a handful of specialist brands — Extrudr's FLEX HARD CF is the only carbon-filled flexible with a published datasheet found here[3]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 2 kg spools[5][10][2]1.75 mm; 0.5 and 2 kg coils[8]
Typical applicationsLoad-bearing brackets, tooling and drone frames that must hold strength above 150 °C[2][1]Stiffened flexible parts — damping mounts and semi-rigid brackets[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C260–290 (Bambu Lab); 280–300 (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1]230–260 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[3]
Bed temperature°C40–50 (Polymaker Fiberon)[1]50–90 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber, Polymaker room temperature[2][1]Open frame is fine[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]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[11][12]
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][13]1.6–8 at the 20–100 mm/s Extrudr specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[2]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[14]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][15]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle needed[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]Hardened steel required — Extrudr marks FLEX HARD CF as needing a hardened nozzle where its unfilled FLEX grades do not[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h[1]Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; the combination of moisture and fibre is the worst case in the dataset[15][1]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; a flexible base plus chopped carbon fibre, which Prusa lists as a higher nozzle-clogging risk, and Extrudr requires a hardened nozzle[16][3][11]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[17]Not documented
Hotend requirementHardened steel or ruby nozzle plus an all-metal hot end rated to 300 °C[1][2]No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[11]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — 2.35 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2]Moderate[15]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%2.35 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Drying temperature & time80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab); 100 °C for 10 h (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1]60 °C for 6 h (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[3]
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[18]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[15]
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][18]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[15]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant; often needs to stay in a dryer while printing[15]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[15]
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][19]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]Not documented
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]35 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 527-2/5A/500)[3]
Elongation at break%5.8 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); 3DXTech quotes 3 at break[2][4]380 ultimate elongation (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 527-2/5A/500), against 490 for the unfilled FLEX HARD[3]
Flexural strengthMPa161.0 ± 3.9 printed XY dry, 64.9 ± 4.9 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 84[1][4]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa7038 ± 205 printed XY dry and 2286 ± 185 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 3750[1][4]Not documented
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]Not documented
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]Very ductile — bends far before failing[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 nylon filament[20]70 Shore D (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 868), against 58 Shore D for the unfilled FLEX HARD[3]
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[21][18]Below average — no CF-grade creep test; the grade is 70 Shore D where a 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[3][22]
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[21]Good — 380 % ultimate elongation and a damping application set (Extrudr cites longboard wheels), below the unfilled grades[3]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[2]Semi-flexible[3]
Z strength as % of XY%47 (Bambu Lab) to 49 (Polymaker Fiberon), printed[2][1]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedAbrasion 26 mm³ (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 4649-A) — the same as the unfilled FLEX HARD[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C186 (Bambu Lab) and 215 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[2][1]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C164 (Bambu Lab) and 173 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[2][1]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C68 (Bambu Lab) to 74.2 (Polymaker Fiberon), DSC; 3DXTech quotes 70[2][1][4]-24 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[3]
Melting point / Vicat°C223 melting (Bambu Lab, DSC); Vicat 212 (ISO 306)[2]Vicat A 140 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 306)[3]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by heat deflection of 164–173 °C at 1.8 MPa; no loaded-bar service figure is published[2][1]Not documented
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[23]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows and chalks under UV[14]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[12]
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[14]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[12]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift[18]Not documented
Food contactNot food-contact certified[14]Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[12]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[14]Not biodegradable[12]
RecyclabilityFibre-filled polyamide is not accepted in household plastic collection[14]Not accepted in household plastic collection[12]
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10⁹ ohm/sq — not static-dissipative (3DXTech, ASTM D257)[4]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[24]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[24]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[24]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[24]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[24]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[24]Open a window / occasional ventilation[24]
Dust & fibre handling hazardFibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[1]Carbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands to a matte finish; the fibre makes it cut more cleanly than unfilled nylon[17]Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[12]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[17]Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[12]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[17]No practical vapour smoothing[12]
Support material pairingPolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker Fiberon)[1]Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[12]
Dimensional accuracy & detailConditioned parts grow; Polymaker declines to publish a standard dimensional allowance because it depends on geometry and infill[18]Tear strength 165 kN/m (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 34-1B)[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[25]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve the TPU matrix and leave the fibre; ketones are partial solvents. Laboratory reagents.[26]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[25]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[26]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[25]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[26]

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. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  4. CarbonX Carbon Fiber Nylon (Gen3) Technical Data Sheet v3.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. YXPOLYER PA6 CF-Black 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. IEMAI 3D CF-PA6 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Extrudr TPU FLEX Hard CF — product page (1.75 mm, 0.5 and 2 kg coils, price) Extrudr (FD3D GmbH) · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  12. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  20. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. TECACOMP PA66 CF30 black — injection-moulding compound Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  22. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  23. FDM Nylon-CF10 — Material Data Sheet (blended nylon, 10 wt% carbon fibre) Stratasys · 2026-08 · tds
  24. 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
  25. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  26. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds