3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PEEK-CF vs PLA-PHA

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

Fibre-reinforced PEEK guidePLA/PHA blend guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PEEK-CF comparisonsMore PLA-PHA comparisons
PEEK-CF vs PLA-PHA — documented properties and sources
PropertyFibre-reinforced PEEKHIGHTEMPPLA/PHA blendPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$597.50/kg median; $448.00–$695.00/kg across 5 dated product listings$76.40/kg median; $76.40–$76.40/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryShort-fibre reinforced PEEK. 3DXTech's CarbonX grade is nominally 10 wt% carbon and its FibreX grade 20 wt% glass; LEHVOSS Luvocom 3F PEEK CF 9676 is 15 wt% carbon; Ensinger's machining stock runs to 30 wt% carbon[1][2][3][4]PLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester[5]
Densityg/cm³1.39 (ISO 1183)[1]1.2 (ISO 1183)[5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 448–972; the middle of the market is about 598[2][3][6]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg448-972 across formats and filler types; IEMAI 3D CF-PEEK and GF-PEEK 448 at 1 kg, 3DXTech CarbonX PEEK+CF10 598 at 2 kg and FibreX PEEK+GF20 695 at 1 kg, Luvocom 3F PEEK CF 9676 648 at 2 kg[2][3][6][7]Not documented
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2][3]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 200 g to 2 kg spools[2][3]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 2200 g spools[5]
Typical applicationsStiff aerospace and oil-and-gas parts where PEEK alone is not rigid enough[1]General-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor[5]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented195–220 (colorFabb)[5]
Bed temperature°CNot documented50–60 (colorFabb)[5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Actively heated chamber required[9][10]Open frame is fine[5]
Part cooling fanNot documented0–100 %; colorFabb states the blend runs on both heated and unheated beds[5][11]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented3.2–8 at colorFabb's 40–100 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[11][12]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield; the fibre cuts PEEK's crystallisation shrinkage[1]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Expert / industrial hardware only[9][10]Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[5]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[1]Brass fine indefinitely[5]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[1]Non-abrasive[5]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; 3DXTech adds a hardened 0.4 mm minimum nozzle and 0.25 mm layers to the mandatory 120 °C pre-dry[13][14]Very low — unfilled PLA blend; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle for PLA[15]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Not documentedModerate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend[16][17]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.06 in 24 h on extruded CF30 stock (ASTM D570)[4]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthNo dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry before every print because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[13]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[18]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa105 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, CF10); 121 at yield on extruded CF30 stock (ASTM D638)[1][4]62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[5]
Young's modulusMPa8100 (printed XY, ISO 527, CF10) — more than double unfilled PEEK; 6343 on extruded CF30 stock (ASTM D638)[1][4]2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb)[5]
Elongation at break%3 at break (printed XY, ISO 527), against 28 for unfilled PEEK[1][19]4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[5]
Flexural strengthMPa136 (printed XY, ISO 178, CF10); 193 on extruded CF30 stock (ASTM D790)[1][4]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa8300 (printed XY, ISO 178, CF10); 7171 on extruded CF30 stock (ASTM D790)[1][4]2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb)[5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb)[5]
Other impact dataIzod notched 61.9 J/m on extruded CF30 stock, converted from 1.16 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[4]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; elongation falls from 28 % to 3 %[1][19]Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades[5]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell M107 on extruded PEEK-CF30 stock (ASTM D785), against M100 unfilled[4][20]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Excellent — holds load for years. Ensinger rates carbon-fibre PEEK stock as very highly creep resistant and specifies 260 °C continuous service[4]Poor — no PLA/PHA creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[21][22][23]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. Victrex rates PEEK for long-term fatigue as well as creep; the fibre cuts elongation at break from 28 % to 3 %, which limits repeated large-strain flexing[24][1][19]Below average — no S-N curve for the blend; colorFabb positions it as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA, which ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[25][5]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[5]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C265 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, CarbonX PEEK+CF10) against 140 for unfilled PEEK[1][19]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C316 on extruded CF30 stock, converted from 600 °F at 264 psi (ASTM D648)[4]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C143 (DSC, CarbonX PEEK+CF10) — the fibre does not move the glass transition[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C334 melting on extruded CF30 stock, converted from 633 °F[4]Above 155 melting (ISO 3146-C)[5]
Continuous service temperature°C260 long-term on extruded CF30 stock, converted from 500 °F; 300 short term[4]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K14.4 (extruded PEEK-CF30 stock, ASTM D696; source states 0.80e-5 in/in/°F) — about a third of unfilled PEEK[4][20]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-0 on the base resin; Ensinger lists extruded PEEK-CF30 stock as inherently flame resistant[19][4]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[26]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedcolorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable[5]
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10⁹ ohm/sq — not static-dissipative (ASTM D257)[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[27]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[27]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[27]None needed in a normal room[27]
Dust & fibre handling hazardCarbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[1]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble in95–98 wt% sulphuric acid dissolves the matrix at 40–70 °C and leaves the fibre. Nothing else touches PEEK.[28][29]Chloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[30]
Softened or crazed byConcentrated nitric, hydrofluoric, hydrobromic and hydriodic acids attack it; DCM, DMSO and THF swell thin-walled sections.[31][29]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[30][32]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — no solvent softens PEEK, so parts are joined thermally or mechanically, never chemically.[31][29]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[33][32]

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. CarbonX Carbon Fiber PEEK Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. TECAPEEK CF30 black (PEEK-CF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  5. PLA/PHA technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  6. IEMAI 3D CF-PEEK 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. IEMAI 3D GF-PEEK 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  9. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  10. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  11. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  12. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  13. CARBONX PEEK+CF10 — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  17. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  18. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. ThermaX PEEK Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  20. TECAPEEK natural (PEEK) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  22. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  23. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  24. PEEK polymers — product overview Victrex · 2026-08 · doc
  25. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  26. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  27. 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
  28. The Effects of Sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone) Ion Exchange Preparation Conditions on Membrane Properties Yee, Zhang & Ladewig, Membranes 3(3) 182–195 · 2013-07 · paper
  29. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  30. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  31. What solvents are not compatible with PEEK? — fluidics technical FAQ IDEX Health & Science · 2026-08 · doc
  32. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  33. 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