3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PE vs TPU soft

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

Polyethylene (PE) guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PE comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
PE vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyPolyethylene (PE)POLYOLEFINSoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$87.72/kg median; $87.72–$87.72/kg across 1 dated product listings$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyethylene — 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]Very soft thermoplastic elastomers below 85 Shore A. Fiberlogy's FiberFlex 30D measures 81 Shore A, the softest grade with a published datasheet found here[3]
Densityg/cm³1.10 (Spectrum HDPE filament, ISO 1183) against 0.95 for extruded HDPE stock — the filament is a modified formulation[1][2]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 88[4]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[5][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg87.72 — Spectrum's 500 g spools at 3DJAKE are the only PE filament listing found[4]110–122 at 1 kg-equivalent; Recreus 70A 110 and 60A 116 at 500 g, NinjaTek Edge 83A 112, NinjaTek Chinchilla 75A 122; the Recreus 3 kg spools fall to 70–73[5][7][6]
Market availability1–5Niche, 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][10][4]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][11][5]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 500 g spools in six colours[4][8]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[3][5][12][6]
Typical applicationsChemically resistant containers, packaging prototypes and consumer goods where HDPE is the production material[1]Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C240-290 (Spectrum HDPE)[1]Not documented
Bed temperature°C80-100 (Spectrum HDPE)[1]50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended — Spectrum recommends a closed chamber for larger prints[1]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fan0-50 % part cooling (Spectrum HDPE)[1]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidSpectrum states no adhesive is necessary for its low-warp HDPE, depending on geometry[1]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[13][14]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — 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 difficulty1–5Needs 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 difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; Spectrum sells the grade as desktop-printable with no dry box and no hardened nozzle[1]Expert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[12][14]
Extruder requirementNot documentedDirect drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[12][11]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely — Spectrum states a ruby or hardened nozzle is not required[1]Brass fine indefinitely[15]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[1]Non-abrasive[15]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — Spectrum lists no drybox and no ruby or hardened nozzle for HDPE, and very low moisture absorption[1]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; below 85 Shore A the filament buckles and compresses, and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates most likely end in a jam[13][14][16]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedVery high — softens in the cold zone readily[14]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[13]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Spectrum lists very low moisture absorption and no dry box[1]Moderate[16]
Drying temperature & timeNo drying step published; Spectrum lists a dry box as not required[1]Not documented
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16]
Effect of moisture on strengthNot applicable in practice — Spectrum lists very low moisture absorption and no drybox requirement for HDPE[1]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[16]
Storage requirementStore dry at 18-25 °C out of sunlight; Spectrum quotes a 24-month shelf life[1]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[16]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa29 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]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa3500 (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]Not documented
Elongation at break%18 at break (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527) against above 100 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[1][2]870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[3]
Flexural strengthMPa27.6 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D790; converted from 4000 psi)[2]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa3200 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 178) against 965 on extruded stock (ASTM D790, from 140,000 psi)[1][2]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy 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]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking; 18 % elongation at break on the filament and above 100 % on extruded stock[1][2]Very ductile — bends far before failing[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellShore 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]81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no creep test at this hardness; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[17]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good — 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]Excellent — living hinges viable[14]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Slightly 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]Rubbery / highly elastic[3]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedTear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C75 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 167 °F)[2]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[3]
Continuous service temperature°C110 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·K117 (extruded HDPE stock, ASTM D696; source states 6.5e-5 in/in/°F)[2]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Moderate — a season or two. Spectrum describes its HDPE as UV-stable and weather-resistant but publishes no exposure data[1]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[14]
Chemical resistanceExcellent chemical resistance to acids, bases, oils and solvents (Spectrum); Ensinger lists broad chemical compatibility for HDPE stock[1][2]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[14]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Excellent — essentially unaffected; Ensinger lists low moisture absorption for HDPE stock and Spectrum very low absorption for the filament[1][2]Not documented
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[14]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[14]
RecyclabilitySpectrum states the filament is fully recyclable; HDPE is resin code 2[1]Not accepted in household plastic collection[14]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Not documentedLow hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[18]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Not documentedOpen a window / occasional ventilation[18]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningEasy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of HDPE stock[2]Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[14]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[14]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[14]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[14]
Dimensional accuracy & detailSpectrum lists a shiny surface finish and no adhesive requirement; shrinkage remains the limit on large flat parts[1]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inNone at room temperature; xylene dissolves HDPE at about 105 °C and LDPE at 75 °C. Hot decalin does the same.[19][20]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[21]
Softened or crazed byToluene, xylene, styrene, chloroform, dichloromethane, MEK and trichloroethylene are all unsatisfactory at 21 °C.[20]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[21]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — polyethylene has no room-temperature solvent, so joints are made by heat welding.[20][19]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[21]

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. Spectrum HDPE Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2025-10 · tds
  2. TECAFINE HDPE natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  3. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Spectrum HDPE Traffic Black, 1.75 mm / 500 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  13. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  18. 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
  19. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  20. HDPE Chemical Resistance Guide (21 °C and 60 °C) INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA · 2026-08 · tds
  21. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds