3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PEBA vs rPETG
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PEBA (polyether block amide)FLEX | Recycled PETG (rPETG)PETG |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $60.99/kg median; $60.99–$60.99/kg across 1 dated product listings | $28.99/kg median; $17.24–$39.98/kg across 4 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyether block amide: rigid polyamide and flexible polyether blocks.[1] | PETG regranulated from recycled polyester waste; Polymaker's Fiberon PETG-rCF08 adds 8 wt% recycled carbon fibre[2][3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.01 g/cm³ (GB/T 1033; eSUN manufacturer data)[1] | 1.27 (Prusament) and 1.30 (Fiberon PETG-rCF08), ISO 1183[2][4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg spools cluster near 29[5][6][7][8] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 17–40 across brands; Filament PM RePETG 17, 3DXTech ECOMAX 26, GreenGate3D 32, Fiberon rCF08 40[5][6][7][8] |
| Market availability1–5 | Not documented | Available from several mainstream brands[5][6][7] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm diameter, 1 kg spool.[9] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 1 and 3 kg spools[7][6] |
| Typical applications | Manufacturer applications include footwear, sports equipment and cushioning.[1] | Not documented |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | ±0.05 (Prusament PETG Recycled), against ±0.02 for virgin Prusament PETG[2][10] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 230–260 °C; 240 °C recommended.[1] | 250 ± 10 (Prusament); 230–255 (Spectrum)[2][3] |
| Bed temperature°C | 60–90 °C[1] | 80 ± 10 (Prusament); 60–80 (Spectrum)[2][3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Not documented | Open frame is fine — Spectrum states a closed chamber is not necessary[3] |
| Part cooling fan | 10–50% fan recommended; mechanical-test specimens used 50–100%.[1] | 50 % (Prusament); up to 100 % (Spectrum)[2][3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI build plate[1] | Textured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets; on smooth PEI a glue stick acts as a release agent[10][11] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 9 mm³/s maximum in eSUN spiral-vase test; mechanical specimens used 2 mm³/s. Linear recommendation 25–110 mm/s is a separate quantity.[1] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[10][11] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker names stringing as PETG's common quirk[11] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Easy — minor profile tuning; Spectrum describes printing as similar to standard PETG[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Not documented | Brass fine indefinitely[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Not documented | Low — recycled PETG prints on the same hardware as virgin PETG: no special hot-end, no drybox and no hardened nozzle[12][13] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Slightly sensitive[12] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required[12] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | Moderate (0.3–0.8 %) — recycled PETG shares the virgin matrix, which reaches 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[10] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.07 after 24 h and 0.10 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[2] |
| Drying temperature & time | 70–75 °C for 6–8 h; re-dry after receiving or extended exposure.[1] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[14] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not documented | Polymaker groups PETG with nylon, PVA and TPU as highly hygroscopic; no dry-versus-conditioned strength figures are published for this grade and the loss shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[14] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[14][11] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | >16.5 MPa printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound, not an exact measurement.[1] | 43 ± 1.8 printed horizontal at yield, ISO 527-1 (Prusament), against 47 ± 2 for virgin Prusament PETG; Spectrum quotes 52 at yield on moulded specimens[2][10][3] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 1500 printed horizontal, 1600 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 527-1) — the same as virgin Prusament PETG[2][10] |
| Elongation at break% | >520% printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound.[1] | 4.5 at yield printed (Prusament); Spectrum quotes 400 at break on moulded specimens[2][3] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 63 ± 1 printed horizontal, ISO 178 (Prusament), against 66 ± 2 for virgin Prusament PETG[2][10] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 1800 printed horizontal, ISO 178 (Prusament)[2] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 12 ± 1 printed horizontal and 15 ± 3 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament)[2] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Charpy unnotched 25 ± 3 printed horizontal and 38 ± 11 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 179-1)[2] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 7.5 MPa printed Z, GB/T 1040 (manufacturer test)[1] | 15 ± 5 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test), against 18 ± 4 for virgin Prusament PETG[2][10] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Moderate[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | 90 Shore A nominal grade designation; do not compare numerically with Shore D or Rockwell.[9] | 74 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method) — the same as virgin Prusament PETG[2][10] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Below average — no recycled-grade creep test; virgin PETG sagged from 12 to 17.1–20.4 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[15][16][17][18] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — no recycled-grade S-N curve; virgin printed PETG ran 79 000–193 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[19] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Slightly flexible in thin sections[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 68 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the same as virgin Prusament PETG; Spectrum quotes 70[2][10][3] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 68 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 110 °C Vicat softening (GB/T 1633, 120 °C/h, 10 N); not HDT or a continuous-use rating.[1] | Not documented |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard grades[20] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure[11] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not certified for food contact as filament[11] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[11] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | The feedstock itself — Spectrum describes collecting, shredding and re-homogenising PETG waste[3] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[21] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Not documented | Open a window / occasional ventilation[21] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Sands poorly — the material is tough and gums rather than powders[12] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[12] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[12] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Prints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[12] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Not documented | No common workshop solvent; 1,2-dichloroethane destroys it inside a week and dichloromethane — a carcinogen — dissolves the surface.[22][23] |
| Softened or crazed by | Not documented | Acetone (+16 % weight over 1 year at 23 °C), ethyl acetate, toluene and DMF swell and soften it; methanol crazes it.[22] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Not documented | Dichloromethane brushed on is the only agent that smooths PETG — a controlled carcinogen, not workshop stock.[23] |
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
- eSUN PEBA-90A Technical Data Sheet v1.0 (Aug 2025), checked 2026-10-17 eSUN · 2025-08 · tds
- Prusament PETG Recycled Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
- Spectrum r-PETG Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2026-08 · tds
- Fiberon PETG-rCF08 Technical Data Sheet V1.0 Polymaker · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- GreenGate3D Recycled PET-G — product data GreenGate3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- Filament PM RePETG technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
- eSUN PEBA-90A official product page: 1 kg price and product identity eSUN · 2026-10-17 · vendor
- Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PET and PETG — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PCTG vs PETG comparison — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Extrudr PETG vs PCTG vs XPETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Prusament PETG-CF vs PETG V0 vs PETG — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- BambuLab PETG Basic vs Translucent vs PETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
- Prusament PETG V0 Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · 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
- Eastman Spectar copolyester — Chemical resistance (unstressed bars, 1 year at 23 °C) Eastman Chemical Company · 2026-08 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc