3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PE vs PVB
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Polyethylene (PE)POLYOLEFIN | PVBSPECIALTY |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $87.72/kg median; $87.72–$87.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $66.65/kg median; $49.32–$79.98/kg across 3 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyethylene — the simplest polyolefin, non-polar and highly crystalline. The one retailed filament grade, Spectrum HDPE, uses what Spectrum calls Low Warp technology and is denser and stiffer than plain HDPE[1][2] | Polyvinyl butyral — a printable thermoplastic whose surface can be smoothed with isopropyl alcohol instead of a hot solvent[3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.10 (Spectrum HDPE filament, ISO 1183) against 0.95 for extruded HDPE stock — the filament is a modified formulation[1][2] | 1.10 (Polymaker PolySmooth, ISO 1183); Prusament PVB 1.10[3][4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 88[5] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 80[6][7] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 87.72 — Spectrum's 500 g spools at 3DJAKE are the only PE filament listing found[5] | 49–102 across brands; Polymaker PolySmooth 49 at 750 g, Prusament PVB 80–102 at 500 g[6][7] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands — Spectrum HDPE in six colours is the only PE filament in the 3DJAKE and igo3d product sitemaps, at MatterHackers or at Printed Solid, but it is a normal stocked item rather than a special order[8][9][7][5] | Available from several mainstream brands[6][7] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm; 500 g spools in six colours[5][8] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[6][7] |
| Typical applications | Chemically resistant containers, packaging prototypes and consumer goods where HDPE is the production material[1] | Display models and light guides where a layer-free surface matters more than strength[3] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | +/- 0.03 (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 240-290 (Spectrum HDPE)[1] | 215 +/- 10 (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Bed temperature°C | 80-100 (Spectrum HDPE)[1] | 75 +/- 5 (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure recommended — Spectrum recommends a closed chamber for larger prints[1] | Open frame is fine[3] |
| Part cooling fan | 0-50 % part cooling (Spectrum HDPE)[1] | 100 % part cooling (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Spectrum states no adhesive is necessary for its low-warp HDPE, depending on geometry[1] | Smooth PEI sheet or satin sheet; Prusa states a brim is not generally necessary[4] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield. Spectrum's low-warp grade is sold as printable on desktop machines, which is not true of plain polyethylene[1] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive; Spectrum states no adhesive is necessary but recommends a closed chamber for large parts[1] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; Spectrum sells the grade as desktop-printable with no dry box and no hardened nozzle[1] | Easy — minor profile tuning; it prints close to PLA[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely — Spectrum states a ruby or hardened nozzle is not required[1] | Brass fine indefinitely[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[1] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — Spectrum lists no drybox and no ruby or hardened nozzle for HDPE, and very low moisture absorption[1] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa calls PVB very prone to absorbing moisture and requires a 60 °C, 4 h dry before every print[10][11] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Spectrum lists very low moisture absorption and no dry box[1] | Very high (>2 %) — 2.36 % equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth), above every PLA and PETG grade here[3] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 2.36 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth); 2.09 for PolyCast; Prusament PVB takes up 0.18 in 24 h and 0.35 in 7 days at 24 °C and 22 % RH[3][12][4] |
| Drying temperature & time | No drying step published; Spectrum lists a dry box as not required[1] | Maximum 60 °C for 4-8 h depending on how wet the filament is (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not applicable in practice — Spectrum lists very low moisture absorption and no drybox requirement for HDPE[1] | Polymaker publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; at 2.36 % equilibrium uptake the material has to be kept dry to print cleanly[3][11] |
| Storage requirement | Store dry at 18-25 °C out of sunlight; Spectrum quotes a 24-month shelf life[1] | Sealed with desiccant[11] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 29 at break (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527; specimen type not stated) against 25.5 at yield on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D638, from 3700 psi)[1][2] | 51.8 ± 0.7 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); 53.2 ± 1.1 for PolyCast; Prusament PVB gives 50 +/- 5 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1) and 57 +/- 1 on the filament (ISO 527)[3][12][4] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 3500 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527) against 965 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D638, from 140,000 psi) — the filament grade is nearly four times stiffer than plain polyethylene[1][2] | 2199 ± 43 printed XY and 2010 ± 69 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); Prusament PVB gives 1700 +/- 100 in both print directions (ISO 527-1)[3][4] |
| Elongation at break% | 18 at break (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527) against above 100 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[1][2] | 5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolyCast)[12] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 27.6 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D790; converted from 4000 psi)[2] | 72 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 73 +/- 3 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 3200 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 178) against 965 on extruded stock (ASTM D790, from 140,000 psi)[1][2] | 2233 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 2200 +/- 100 horizontal and 2300 +/- 100 vertical (ISO 178)[12][4] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 7 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 10 +/- 1 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Other impact data | Charpy 10 kJ/m2 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 179-1; notch condition not stated); Izod 104 J/m on extruded stock, converted from 1.94 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[1][2] | Charpy unnotched 55 +/- 7 printed horizontal and 59 +/- 12 printed vertical (Prusament PVB, ISO 179-1)[4] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 26.3 ± 2.1 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 49 +/- 5 at yield printed vertical (ISO 527-1) and 9 +/- 1 on Prusa's interlayer adhesion test[12][4] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking; 18 % elongation at break on the filament and above 100 % on extruded stock[1][2] | Moderate[3] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Shore D 67 and Rockwell R54 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D2240, D785); Spectrum quotes Rockwell 80 HRM for its filament (ISO 2039-2)[2][1] | Shore D 77 (Prusa Polymers method)[4] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Good — Spectrum lists outstanding abrasion and crack resistance for its HDPE, but no repeated-flex or fatigue test data was found for any PE filament[1] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Slightly flexible in thin sections — Spectrum's low-warp grade has a 3.5 GPa tensile modulus; plain extruded HDPE at 965 MPa is genuinely semi-flexible[1][2] | Rigid[3] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | Not documented | 98 (Prusament PVB, printed vertical against horizontal tensile yield, ISO 527-1: 49 +/- 5 against 50 +/- 5) — the most isotropic printed material in this dataset[4] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 75 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 167 °F)[2] | 68 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Prusament PVB 63 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[3][12][4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 66 (PolySmooth) and 53 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Prusament PVB 58 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[3][12][4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 70 (DSC) for both PolySmooth and PolyCast[3][12] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 70 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 306[3][12] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | 110 stated as heat resistance by Spectrum with no test standard given; extruded stock is rated 120 long-term maximum (converted from 248 °F) and brittle below -76[1][2] | Not documented |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 117 (extruded HDPE stock, ASTM D696; source states 6.5e-5 in/in/°F)[2] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Moderate — a season or two. Spectrum describes its HDPE as UV-stable and weather-resistant but publishes no exposure data[1] | Not documented |
| Chemical resistance | Excellent chemical resistance to acids, bases, oils and solvents (Spectrum); Ensinger lists broad chemical compatibility for HDPE stock[1][2] | Not documented |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Excellent — essentially unaffected; Ensinger lists low moisture absorption for HDPE stock and Spectrum very low absorption for the filament[1][2] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Spectrum states the filament is fully recyclable; HDPE is resin code 2[1] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Not documented | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[13] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Not documented | Open a window / occasional ventilation[13] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Easy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of HDPE stock[2] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | Isopropyl alcohol vapour smoothing is the point of the material — Polymaker markets PolySmooth for hands-free post-processing to a layer-free surface[3] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | PolyDissolve S1 is rated for PVB (Polymaker)[14] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Spectrum lists a shiny surface finish and no adhesive requirement; shrinkage remains the limit on large flat parts[1] | PolyCast is the investment-casting variant of the same chemistry — it burns out cleanly rather than being smoothed[12] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | None at room temperature; xylene dissolves HDPE at about 105 °C and LDPE at 75 °C. Hot decalin does the same.[15][16] | Isopropyl alcohol dissolves it; Prusa describes PVB as soluble only in IPA, and it is not water-soluble.[10] |
| Softened or crazed by | Toluene, xylene, styrene, chloroform, dichloromethane, MEK and trichloroethylene are all unsatisfactory at 21 °C.[16] | Not documented |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — polyethylene has no room-temperature solvent, so joints are made by heat welding.[16][15] | Isopropyl alcohol: brushed or sprayed on for speed, or several hours in IPA vapour for a glass-like surface.[17][10] |
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
- Spectrum HDPE Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2025-10 · tds
- TECAFINE HDPE natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- PolySmooth Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Prusament PVB Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- Spectrum HDPE Traffic Black, 1.75 mm / 500 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PVB — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyCast Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- 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
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
- HDPE Chemical Resistance Guide (21 °C and 60 °C) INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA · 2026-08 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc