3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6-GF vs PP-CF

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

Glass-fibre PA6 (PA6-GF) guideCarbon-fibre PP (PP-CF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6-GF comparisonsMore PP-CF comparisons
PA6-GF vs PP-CF — documented properties and sources
PropertyGlass-fibre PA6 (PA6-GF)PACarbon-fibre PP (PP-CF)POLYOLEFIN
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$59.98/kg median; $39.99–$130.00/kg across 6 dated product listings$107.68/kg median; $57.13–$120.00/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPA6 reinforced with chopped glass fibre — Polymaker's grade is 25 wt%[1][2]Polypropylene reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.14 (Bambu Lab) and 1.20 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 1183[2][1]0.91 (Prusament PP Carbon Fiber, ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 40–130; the middle of the market is about 60[2][5][6]1 kg-equivalent spools span 57–138; the middle of the market is about 108[7][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg40–130 across brands; SUNLU 40, YXPOLYER 45, Polymaker Fiberon and Bambu Lab 60, 3DXTech FibreX 87, Obsidian Nylon 6+GF 130[5][2][8][6][10]57–138 across brands; Reli3D 57 at 700 g on Amazon, Prusament 108 direct from Prusa and 138 at Printed Solid, 3DXTech CarbonX PP+CF 120[7][11][8][9]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[2][5][8][6][10]Available from several mainstream brands[8][11]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 1 kg spools[5][8][2]1.75 mm; 0.65 kg spools[11][8]
Typical applicationsStiff, heat-resistant structural parts where a matte finish and lower cost beat carbon fibre[2][1]Lightweight chemical-resistant parts, automotive clips and ducting that must survive above 150 °C[12]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.04 (Prusament)[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C260–290 (Bambu Lab)[2]270 ± 10 (Prusament)[3]
Bed temperature°CNot documented85 ± 10 (Prusament)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber[2]Enclosure recommended — Simplify3D lists an enclosure as a hardware requirement and Polymaker advises one below 70 °C ambient to stop warping and cracking[13][14]
Recommended chamber temperature°C45–60 (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Part cooling fanNot documentedOff — Prusa runs 0 % except 100 % on bridges[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[15][16]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s10 at Bambu Lab's 130 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2][17]3.2 at Prusa's 40 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3][17]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedHigh — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a brim[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[15]Very difficult — special plates or slurry required[3]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[16]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Expert / industrial hardware only[2][18]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[3]
Extruder requirement0.6 mm nozzle recommended by Bambu Lab; 0.4 and 0.8 also supported[2]Prusa states a hardened nozzle is necessary and recommends a brim[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required — Polymaker measures brass nozzle life at about 9 h on PA6-GF25 and recommends hardened steel or ruby[1]Hardened steel required — Prusa states plainly that a hardened nozzle is necessary[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard GF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h on PA6-GF25[1]Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[18]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech specifies a hardened 0.4 mm minimum nozzle and 0.25 mm layers or higher, and Prusa lists composites as a higher clogging risk[4][19]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[15]Not documented
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[15]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — 2.56 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab) and 3.33 % equilibrium (Polymaker Fiberon), the highest in the dataset[2][1]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Prusa measures 0.03 % in 24 h and 0.04 % in 7 days on its PP composite, the lowest figures it publishes for any filament[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%2.56 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab); 3.33 equilibrium (Polymaker Fiberon PA6-GF25)[2][1]0.03 after 24 h and 0.04 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[3]
Drying temperature & time80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[20]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker publishes dry and wet printed blocks for PA6-GF25 itself: at 4.57 % moisture tensile falls 80.1 → 40.2 MPa and modulus 5357 → 1794 MPa, while notched Charpy rises 10.0 → 28.0 kJ/m²[1][20]Not applicable in practice at 0.04 % equilibrium uptake[3]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[18]No special storage needed[3]
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[21][22]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa75 ± 6 (Bambu Lab) and 80.1 ± 1.8 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry/annealed) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberon falls to 40.2 ± 2.1 conditioned to 4.57 % moisture. Stratasys FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR gives 60.2-61.1 at break and 61.7-62.3 at yield printed XZ (ASTM D638)[2][1][23]21 ± 0.4 filament tensile yield (Prusament, ISO 527)[3]
Young's modulusMPa2850 ± 260 (Bambu Lab) and 5357 ± 211 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberon falls to 1794 ± 84 conditioned. Stratasys FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR gives 5600-5830 printed XZ against 3050-3140 in ZX (ASTM D638)[2][1][23]Not documented
Elongation at break%2.4 ± 0.2 dry (Polymaker Fiberon) to 3.9 ± 0.8 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; the Fiberon grade rises to 4.2 ± 0.7 conditioned[2][1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa3670 ± 140 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²10.0 ± 0.7 printed XY dry and 28.0 ± 1.0 conditioned, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker Fiberon); Bambu Lab 7.2 ± 2.3[1][2]14.5 ± 0.3 printed horizontal and 10.5 ± 0.8 printed vertical XZ (ISO 179-1, notched)[3]
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 27.2 ± 2.2 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179). Stratasys FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR gives Izod notched 74.6-77.1 J/m printed XZ against 17.2-22.1 in ZX (ASTM D256)[2][23]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa27 ± 5 (Bambu Lab) and 60.7 ± 1.1 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry) printed Z, ISO 527 — the two makers differ by more than a factor of two; Fiberon falls to 26.3 ± 1.5 conditioned. Stratasys FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR gives 23.7-24.4 at break printed ZX (ASTM D638)[2][1][23]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; elongation at break 2.4 % in XY[1]Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785)[24]Rockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded unfilled PP stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a carbon-fibre PP filament[25]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PA66-GF30 stock; the rating is held below Excellent because equilibrium moisture uptake of 3.33 % softens the matrix in service[24][1]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. Ensinger lists high fatigue strength as a headline property of extruded PA66-GF30 stock[24]Good[26]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[2]Slightly flexible in thin sections[3]
Z strength as % of XY%36 (Bambu Lab) to 76 (Polymaker Fiberon), printed; Stratasys FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR gives 39-41 (ZX against XZ tensile at break, ASTM D638)[2][1][23]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C182 (Bambu Lab) and 191 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa. Stratasys FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR gives 161 printed XY and 185 XZ (ASTM D648 at 66 psi)[2][1][23]158 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — far above unfilled PP and above most engineering filaments[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C157 (Polymaker Fiberon) and 158 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[2][1]115 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C67 (Bambu Lab) and 70.4 (Polymaker Fiberon), DSC; Stratasys measures 51.5 on FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR (ASTM D7426)[2][1][23]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C214.5 (Polymaker Fiberon) and 219 (Bambu Lab) melting, DSC; Vicat 210–212 (ISO 306)[2][1]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K48.6 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D696; source states 2.7e-5 in/in/°F). Stratasys measures much higher on printed FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR — 95.4 over -20 to 5 °C and 214 over 25 to 80 °C in XY (ASTM E831)[24][23]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[21]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[16]Not documented
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[16]Excellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents[14]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift[20]Excellent — essentially unaffected[3]
Food contactNot food-contact certified as filament[16]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[16]Not documented
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[16]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistivity above 10¹² ohm — insulating (Polymaker Fiberon, ANSI/ESD S11.11)[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[27]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission. Inferred: no polyolefin was among the nine filaments in the Azimi chamber study, so this is a family-level judgement rather than a measurement[27]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[27]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[27]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[27]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[27]Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[27]
Dust & fibre handling hazardGlass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Carbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — gums rather than powders[15]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[15]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[15]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[28]None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves the matrix at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C, leaving the fibre.[29][30]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[28]Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[29]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[28]None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[29]

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-GF25 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  2. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PA6-GF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
  4. CarbonX PP+CF — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. SUNLU Nylon-6 Glass Fiber (PA6-GF) 3D Printer Filament 1 kg — product page SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Black 650g — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Reli3D Carbon Fiber PP Filament 1.75 mm 700 g Black — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. YXPOLYER PA6-GF Black 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  16. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  22. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  23. FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR — Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2026-07 · tds
  24. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  25. TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  26. Centaur PP Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · tds
  27. 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
  28. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  29. Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
  30. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper