3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PC-CF vs PLA Wood

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

Carbon-fibre PC (PC-CF) guideWood-filled PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PC-CF comparisonsMore PLA Wood comparisons
PC-CF vs PLA Wood — documented properties and sources
PropertyCarbon-fibre PC (PC-CF)PCWood-filled PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$62.58/kg median; $34.99–$117.33/kg across 6 dated product listings$34.49/kg median; $13.99–$76.40/kg across 6 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolycarbonate reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[1][2]PLA filled with wood powder — 10–18 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS); colorFabb woodFill uses a PLA/PHA base with recycled wood fibre[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.22 (Prusament) and 1.36 (3DXTech), ISO 1183[1][2]1.15 (colorFabb) to 1.23 (Fiberlogy), ISO 1183; Bambu Lab 1.21[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 cluster near 25; counting the 0.5 kg specialty spools the middle of the market is about 34[12][13][14]
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]14–76 across brands; SUNLU 14, ELEGOO 19, Bambu Lab 25, Prusament 44, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools, colorFabb 76[13][12][7][15][16][14]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[7][9][17]Stocked by most mainstream brands[12][13][15][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.8 and 1 kg spools[7][9]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.6, 0.85 and 1 kg spools[15][6][12]
Typical applicationsStiff high-temperature structural parts — jigs, drone frames and under-bonnet brackets[1][2]Decorative and model-making prints that are sanded and stained like timber[5][4]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.04 (Prusament PC Blend Carbon Fiber)[1]±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[5]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C285 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]190–240 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb advises 195–220 for its PLA/PHA base[5][4]
Bed temperature°C110 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–70 (Fiberlogy)[5][6]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1][18]Open frame is fine[5]
Part cooling fanOff — Prusa allows 0–20 % and warns cooling significantly reduces interlayer adhesion[1]Fan on[5]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI with a glue stick or a commercial adhesive[19]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; the fibre reduces warping against unfilled PC[1][18]None[5]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[19][20]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[20]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[18][1]Easy — minor profile tuning; pre-drying is required and the wood content chars if it sits hot[21][5]
Extruder requirementNot documentedNozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible; Bambu Lab does not recommend the AMS lite[21]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[18]Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work — Bambu Lab's PLA compatibility table lists no hardened-nozzle requirement, but its nozzle guide names wood among the abrasive filaments hardened steel exists for[21][22]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[18]Moderately abrasive — wood fill[21]
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[23][19][24]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; wood particles char and block small nozzles[21]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[19]Not documented
Hotend requirementAll-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[19]Not documented
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[25][26][23]High — 1.25 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH, the highest in the PLA family[5]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.11 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[1]1.25 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[5]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer; Bambu Lab lists pre-drying as required[5][21]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[27]Bambu Lab flags pre-drying and ventilation as specific requirements for this grade[21]
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[20][27]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. At 1.25 % saturated uptake the practical loss shows as poor layer adhesion, rough surface and weak layers[27][5]
Storage requirementAirtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[20]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]26 ± 5 (Bambu Lab) and 28.4 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy quotes 35 at yield[5][4][6]
Young's modulusMPa2600 printed horizontal and 3200 printed vertical, ISO 527-1 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 6980[1][2]2360 ± 190 (Bambu Lab) and 2479 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 2950[5][4][6]
Elongation at break%4.6 at yield printed horizontal (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 2.1 at break[1][2]4.5 (colorFabb) to 15.3 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 6.5[5][4][6]
Flexural strengthMPa94 ± 3 printed horizontal and 130 ± 2 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 85[1][2]55 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[5]
Flexural modulusMPa3500 printed horizontal and 4200 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 6540[1][2]2780 ± 120 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²12 ± 1 printed horizontal and 17 ± 2 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament)[1]3.81 (colorFabb) and 6.3 ± 2.2 (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 12.28 (colorFabb) and 15.7 (Bambu Lab), printed, ISO 179[5][4]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa23 ± 2 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test) — above the 21 ± 2 of unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][26]15 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); flexural Z falls to 28 against 55 in XY[5]
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1][2]Brittle — snaps with little warning[5]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell83 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method), against 79 for unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][26]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[28][1]Poor — no wood-filled creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[29][30][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[28]Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength and the wood filler cuts elongation and the parts snap without warning[32][5]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[5]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented58 by tensile, 51 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[5]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C114 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Prusament)[1]60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[5]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C106 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Prusament), against 93 for unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][26]57 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[5]
Glass transition (Tg)°C127 (3DXTech, DSC)[2]54 (Bambu Lab, DSC); Fiberlogy quotes 55–60[5][6]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented156 peak melt (DSC)[5]
Continuous service temperature°C113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[26]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors unless stabilised[20]Degrades within weeks outdoors[33]
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[20]Not documented
Food contactBisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[20]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[20]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[20]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[34]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[34]
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[34]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[34][18]None needed in a normal room; Bambu Lab specifically advises ventilation for this grade[21]
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[19]Sands and stains like timber — the usual reason for choosing it[4]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[19]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[19]Not documented
Support material pairingPrints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[19]Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[5]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedWood grain hides layer lines; colour darkens with nozzle temperature[5][4]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the matrix and leave the fibre; DMF and dioxane do the same (Covestro).[35]Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[36]
Softened or crazed byMethanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[35]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[36][37]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[38]Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[39][37]

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 SDS20250723SA16 — Bambu PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2025-07 · msds
  4. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  6. FiberWood technical data sheet Fiberlogy · 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 Wood — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. PLA+ WOODJet - Natur (1,75 mm; 0,5 kg) Filament PM shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. woodFill — product page colorFabb US · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. SUNLU Optimized Wood PLA 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. Filastruder product catalogue Filastruder · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  20. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  23. CARBONX ezPC+CF — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  25. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  26. Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  27. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  28. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  29. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  30. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  31. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  32. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  33. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  34. 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
  35. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  36. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  37. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  38. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds
  39. 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