3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PC-CF vs PLA Silk

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

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

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PC-CF comparisonsMore PLA Silk comparisons
PC-CF vs PLA Silk — documented properties and sources
PropertyCarbon-fibre PC (PC-CF)PCSilk PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$62.58/kg median; $34.99–$117.33/kg across 6 dated product listings$19.49/kg median; $9.75–$24.99/kg across 15 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolycarbonate reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[1][2]PLA with a gloss-forming additive package; suppliers publish the composition as polylactic acid only[3]
Densityg/cm³1.22 (Prusament) and 1.36 (3DXTech), ISO 1183[1][2]1.27 (ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 35–117; the middle of the market is about 63[4][5][6][7][8]Mainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[9][10][11]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg35–117 across brands; Ambrosia 35, IEMAI 39, YXPOLYER 55, Spectrum PC CF 70, Prusament 94, 3DXTech 117[4][5][6][7][8]10–25 across brands; CHCKX 10 in a 16-roll bundle, SUNLU 13, LANDU 18, YXPOLYER 20, Polymaker 22, Devil Design 25[12][13][14][15][16]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][6][17]Stocked by most mainstream brands[9][12][18]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.8 and 1 kg spools[4][6]1.75 mm; 1 and 1.1 kg spools; dual- and tri-colour coextruded variants[19][20]
Typical applicationsStiff high-temperature structural parts — jigs, drone frames and under-bonnet brackets[1][2]Decorative prints where surface gloss matters more than strength[3]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.04 (Prusament PC Blend Carbon Fiber)[1]±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[21]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C285 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]210–240 — 20 °C above the plain PLA window[3]
Bed temperature°C110 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]35–45[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1][22]Open frame is fine[3][23]
Part cooling fanOff — Prusa allows 0–20 % and warns cooling significantly reduces interlayer adhesion[1]Fan on[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI with a glue stick or a commercial adhesive[24]Cool Plate SuperTack, smooth PEI or textured PEI[3]
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; the fibre reduces warping against unfilled PC[1][22]None[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[24][25]Sticks to anything[26]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[25]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[22][1]Easy — minor profile tuning; hotter nozzle and slower cap of 250 mm/s[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[22]Brass fine indefinitely[23]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[22]Non-abrasive[27][23]
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[28][24][29]Very low[23]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[24]Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[30]
Hotend requirementAll-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[24]No special hot-end required[26]
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[31][32][28]Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.11 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[1]0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 65–75 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed[3][33]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[34]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[34]
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[25][34]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[34]
Storage requirementAirtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[25]Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[35][26]
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]33 (printed XY, ISO 527); eSun Silk broke 22 % below the 16-brand PLA mean on identical 4×4 mm bars[3][36]
Young's modulusMPa2600 printed horizontal and 3200 printed vertical, ISO 527-1 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 6980[1][2]2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3]
Elongation at break%4.6 at yield printed horizontal (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 2.1 at break[1][2]2.8 (printed XY, ISO 527) — a quarter of PLA Basic at 12.2[3][35]
Flexural strengthMPa94 ± 3 printed horizontal and 130 ± 2 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 85[1][2]75 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa3500 printed horizontal and 4200 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 6540[1][2]2460 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²12 ± 1 printed horizontal and 17 ± 2 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament)[1]10.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 18.5[3]
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 32 ± 5 printed horizontal and 35 ± 4 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 179-1)[1]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa23 ± 2 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test) — above the 21 ± 2 of unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][32]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][36][37]
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1][2]Brittle — snaps with little warning[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell83 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method), against 79 for unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][32]Not documented
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[38][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[39][40]
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[38]Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[41][30]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[3]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented76 by tensile, 40 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C114 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Prusament)[1]60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C106 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Prusament), against 93 for unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][32]56 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C127 (3DXTech, DSC)[2]57 (DSC)[3]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented158 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 66 °C[3]
Continuous service temperature°C113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[32]50 — a loaded bar begins to move at this temperature (My Tech Fun, eSun eSilk PLA)[37]
Annealing responseNot documented50–55 °C for 6–12 h[3]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[35][42]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors unless stabilised[25]Degrades within weeks outdoors[30][43]
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[25]Good against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[42][30]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — insoluble in water[35]
Food contactBisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[25]Base resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[30]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[25]Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[44][30]
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[25]Mechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[44]
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[45]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[45]
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[45]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[45][22]None needed in a normal room[45]
Dust & fibre handling hazardCarbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[2]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[24]Wet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[43][30]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[24]Cyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[30][46]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[24]No practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[30]
Support material pairingPrints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[24]Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[3]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documented55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges; gloss hides fine detail and is destroyed by sanding[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the matrix and leave the fibre; DMF and dioxane do the same (Covestro).[47]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[48]
Softened or crazed byMethanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[47]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[48][49]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[50]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[51][49]

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. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Silk+ Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Spectrum PC CF Carbon Black, 1.75 mm / 250 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. IEMAI CF-PC 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. YXPOLYER PC CF product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Panchroma Silk PLA collection Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Spectrum PLA Silk — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. 3DJake ecoPLA Silk Black 1.75mm 1000g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Sunlu Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1kg Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Bambu Lab PLA Silk 1.75mm 1kg 3D Universe · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. CHCKX 16 Pack Silk Dual Color PLA Filament Bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. YXPOLYER Silk PLA Black&Gold product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. LANDU Silk Tri-Color PLA Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg LANDU (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. Filastruder product catalogue Filastruder · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. Overture Silk PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  19. eSUN PLA-Silk Magic 1.75mm eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  20. JAYO Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1.1kg JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  21. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  22. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  25. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  26. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  28. CARBONX ezPC+CF — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  29. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  30. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  31. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  32. Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  33. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  34. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  35. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  36. 16 PLA brand comparison test — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2022-10 · test
  37. Testing eSun PLA filaments: PLA-ST vs PLA+ vs Silk PLA My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  38. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  39. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  40. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  41. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  42. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  43. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  44. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  45. 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
  46. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  47. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  48. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  49. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  50. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds
  51. 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