3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PC-CF vs PLA-CF

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

Carbon-fibre PC (PC-CF) guideCarbon-fibre PLA (PLA-CF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PC-CF comparisonsMore PLA-CF comparisons
PC-CF vs PLA-CF — documented properties and sources
PropertyCarbon-fibre PC (PC-CF)PCCarbon-fibre PLA (PLA-CF)PLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$62.58/kg median; $34.99–$117.33/kg across 6 dated product listings$29.99/kg median; $19.00–$79.98/kg across 9 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolycarbonate reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[1][2]PLA filled with chopped carbon fibre — 5–10 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS), 8 wt% (Polymaker)[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.22 (Prusament) and 1.36 (3DXTech), ISO 1183[1][2]1.22 (Bambu Lab) to 1.29 (Polymaker, 3DXTech), ISO 1183[5][4][6]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 35–117; the middle of the market is about 63[7][8][9][10][11]1 kg spools span 19–80; the middle of the market is about 31[12][13][6][14][15]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg35–117 across brands; Ambrosia 35, IEMAI 39, YXPOLYER 55, Spectrum PC CF 70, Prusament 94, 3DXTech 117[7][8][9][10][11]19–80 across brands; IEMAI 19, LANDU 24, SUNLU 27, Polymaker 30, Bambu Lab 32, 3DXTech 47, Proto-pasta 80[13][12][6][16][14][17][15]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[7][9][18]Stocked by most mainstream brands[12][13][6][16]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.8 and 1 kg spools[7][9]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 3 kg spools[16][6][19]
Typical applicationsStiff high-temperature structural parts — jigs, drone frames and under-bonnet brackets[1][2]Stiff jigs, drone and RC frames, tool holders — matte black finish, no gain in tensile strength[5][4]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.04 (Prusament PC Blend Carbon Fiber)[1]±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[12]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C285 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]210–240 (Bambu Lab); 190–230 (Polymaker)[5][4]
Bed temperature°C110 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]35–45 (Bambu Lab); 25–60 (Polymaker)[5][4]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1][20]Open frame is fine[4]
Part cooling fanOff — Prusa allows 0–20 % and warns cooling significantly reduces interlayer adhesion[1]Fan on[5][4]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI with a glue stick or a commercial adhesive[21]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented16 at Bambu Lab's 200 mm/s cap and 24 at Polymaker's 300 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer; Bambu Lab's own filament guide says 250 mm/s where its TDS says 200[5][22][4][23]
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; the fibre reduces warping against unfilled PC[1][20]None[5]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[21][24]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[24]Slight[4]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[20][1]Easy — minor profile tuning; needs a hardened nozzle and 0.4 mm or larger[22][4]
Extruder requirementNot documentedNozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible (Bambu Lab)[22]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[20]Hardened steel required[22][4]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[20]Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[22][25]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; PC already absorbs water from the air and 3DXTech adds a hardened 0.4 mm minimum nozzle, 0.25 mm layers and a 120 °C pre-dry[26][21][27]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[22]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[21]Not documented
Hotend requirementAll-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[21]Hardened steel nozzle; Bambu Lab lists PLA-CF among the filaments its hardened-steel nozzle exists for[25][22]
Other hardware wearNot documentedBambu Lab reports AMS wear; Polymaker advises against running PLA-CF through an AMS at all[22][4]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — the PC matrix takes up 0.15–0.25 % and 3DXTech specifies a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry[28][29][26]Moderate — 0.42 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab); 0.38 % equilibrium (Polymaker)[5][4]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.11 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[1]0.42 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab); 0.38 equilibrium (Polymaker)[5][4]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented55 °C for 6–8 h[5][4]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[30]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthNo dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic and requires a 70–80 °C dry for 6–8 h; run wet, the loss shows as surface defects and poor layer adhesion[24][30]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[30]
Storage requirementAirtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[24]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa64 ± 3 printed horizontal and 70 ± 3 printed vertical at yield, ISO 527-1 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 73 at break[1][2]31.2 (Polymaker) to 38 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; 48 at break for 3DXTech[5][4][6]
Young's modulusMPa2600 printed horizontal and 3200 printed vertical, ISO 527-1 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 6980[1][2]2790 (Bambu Lab) to 3281 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527; 4950 for 3DXTech[5][4][6]
Elongation at break%4.6 at yield printed horizontal (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 2.1 at break[1][2]8.4 (Bambu Lab) and 13.2 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527; 2 for 3DXTech[5][4][6]
Flexural strengthMPa94 ± 3 printed horizontal and 130 ± 2 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 85[1][2]51.7 (Polymaker) to 89 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 178[5][4]
Flexural modulusMPa3500 printed horizontal and 4200 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 6540[1][2]3381 (Polymaker) to 3950 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 178; 6320 for 3DXTech[5][4][6]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²12 ± 1 printed horizontal and 17 ± 2 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament)[1]5.5 (Polymaker) and 7.6 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 179, notched[5][4]
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 32 ± 5 printed horizontal and 35 ± 4 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 179-1)[1]Charpy unnotched 23.2 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179)[5]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa23 ± 2 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test) — above the 21 ± 2 of unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][29]15.1 (Polymaker) to 26 (Bambu Lab) printed Z, ISO 527[5][4]
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1][2]Brittle — snaps with little warning; elongation in Z falls to 0.9 % (Polymaker)[4][5]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell83 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method), against 79 for unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][29]71.5 Shore D measured on printed bars for Sunlu CF PLA (My Tech Fun), against 75.3 for the same maker's unfilled PLA[31]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Excellent — holds load for years. Room-temperature tensile creep of moulded unfilled PC ran unbroken at 41 MPa until the test was stopped; short carbon fibre raises the flexural modulus from about 2.1 to 3.5-6.5 GPa, which reduces creep strain further[32][1]Poor — 12 mm bars sagged to 15.1, 19.8 and 21.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg across three brands, against 16.2–21.8 mm for their unfilled PLA[33][34][31]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. No fatigue test data was found for a carbon-fibre PC filament; the unfilled polymer is rated Good on the same scale[32]Poor — no CF-grade S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength and elongation in Z falls to 0.9 %[35][4]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[4]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented48 (Polymaker) to 68 (Bambu Lab), printed[5][4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C114 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Prusament)[1]54 (Polymaker) to 55 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[5][4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C106 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Prusament), against 93 for unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][29]50 (Polymaker) to 54 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[5][4]
Glass transition (Tg)°C127 (3DXTech, DSC)[2]62–63 (DSC)[5][4]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented162–165 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 64 °C (Polymaker)[5][4]
Continuous service temperature°C113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[29]50–61 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature across three brands (Sunlu 50, Bambu Lab and Polymaker 61)[33][34][31]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors unless stabilised[24]Degrades within weeks outdoors[36]
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[24]Good against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis[4]
Food contactBisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[24]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[24]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[24]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10⁹ ohm/sq — not static-dissipative (3DXTech, ASTM D257)[2]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[37]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[37]
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[37]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[37][20]None needed in a normal room[37]
Dust & fibre handling hazardCarbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[2]Carbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[21]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[21]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[21]Not documented
Support material pairingPrints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[21]Support for PLA (Bambu Lab); PolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker)[5][4]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedMatte finish hides layer lines; stiffness is the gain — tensile strength stays at or below Bambu Lab PLA Basic's 35 MPa and Polymaker PolyLite PLA's 52.3 MPa[5][4][38][39]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the matrix and leave the fibre; DMF and dioxane do the same (Covestro).[40]Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[41]
Softened or crazed byMethanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[40]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[41][42]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[43]Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[44][42]

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. Prusament PC Blend Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v2.0 Prusa Polymers · 2023-04 · tds
  2. CarbonX Carbon Fiber ezPC Polycarbonate Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Safety Data Sheet SDS20251127A50 — Bambu PLA-CF Bambu Lab · 2025-11 · msds
  4. PolyLite PLA-CF Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  5. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V4.0 — PLA-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  6. CarbonX PLA+CF Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  7. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Spectrum PC CF Carbon Black, 1.75 mm / 250 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. IEMAI CF-PC 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. YXPOLYER PC CF product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. PLA-CF — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. PolyLite PLA-CF — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. IEMAI CF-PLA 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. SUNLU PLA-CF Carbon Fiber 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. LANDU Carbon Fiber PLA Filament 1.75 mm Black 1 kg LANDU (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. Filastruder product catalogue Filastruder · 2026-08 · vendor
  19. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  20. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  22. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  24. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  25. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  26. CARBONX ezPC+CF — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  28. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  29. Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  30. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  31. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  32. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  33. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  34. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  35. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  36. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  37. 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
  38. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  39. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  40. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  41. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  42. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  43. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds
  44. 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