Filament comparison
PETG-ESD vs PLA HS
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | ESD-safe PETGPETG | High-Speed PLAPLA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $102.99/kg median; $65.98–$140.00/kg across 2 dated product listings | $19.99/kg median; $11.49–$32.99/kg across 10 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PETG compounded with a conductive filler to bring surface resistivity into the static-dissipative range[1][2] | PLA with rheology and crystallisation tuned for high volumetric flow; melt index 15.4 g/10 min vs 7–11 for standard PLA[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.24 (Fiberon) and 1.28 (3DXTech), ISO 1183[1][2] | 1.23 (ISO 1183, at 21.5 °C)[3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 66–140; the middle of the market is about 103[5][6] | Mainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[7][8][9] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 66–140 across brands; Fiberon PETG-ESD 66, 3DXSTAT ESD-PETG 140[5][6] | 11–33 across brands; budget house brands 11–18, Prusament 33[10][11][12] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][6] | Stocked by most mainstream brands[13][9][14] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 3 kg spools[5][6] | 1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[7][9] |
| Typical applications | Electronics fixtures, trays and jigs handled around static-sensitive components[1][2] | Large or repetitive prints on printers that can sustain high flow[15][13] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | ±0.03 (Bambu Lab PLA Basic, rated to 258 mm/s)[16] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 250–290 (Fiberon)[1] | 210–230 for high-speed work; 190–210 at classic speeds[3][13] |
| Bed temperature°C | 70–80 (Fiberon); 70 (3DXTech)[1][2] | 30–60 (Polymaker); 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[3][17] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine — Fiberon specifies room-temperature chamber[1] | Open frame is fine[3] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Fan on[3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Textured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets; on smooth PEI a glue stick acts as a release agent[18][19] | Not documented |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Fiberon rates the material to 500 mm/s, equivalent to 40 on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer — a machine-limited headline rather than a measured melt rate[1][20] | ≈24 at 300 mm/s with a 0.4 mm nozzle and 0.2 mm layer; 30 % more flow than regular PLA at the same temperature[3][13][15][20] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | None[3] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[18][19] | Sticks to anything[21] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker names stringing as PETG's common quirk[19] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; resistivity depends on getting the nozzle temperature right[1] | Easy — minor profile tuning; needs a printer that can actually reach the flow rate[13][3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Hardened steel required[1] | Brass fine indefinitely[22] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1] | Non-abrasive[23][22] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns and no minimum layer height for its ESD-PETG, only a 65 °C pre-dry[24] | Very low[22] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[25] | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[26] |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[25] | No special hot-end required[21] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate (0.3–0.8 %) — the PETG matrix reaches 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH and 3DXTech specifies a 65 °C, 4 h pre-dry[18][24] | Moderate — 0.40 % equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH[3] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.41 equilibrium water absorption (Fiberon PETG-ESD)[1] | 0.40 equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH (Polymaker PolySonic)[3] |
| Drying temperature & time | 65 °C for 3 h (Fiberon)[1] | 55 °C for 6 h; 50 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab)[3][17] |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[27] | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[27] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | 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[27] | Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[27] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[27][19] | Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[17][21] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 36.1 ± 0.9 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 50 at break[1][2] | 43.9 at 300 mm/s and 46.0 at 46.7 mm/s (printed XY, ISO 527); 58.6 on My Tech Fun bars for Creality Hyper PLA[3][28] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 1983 ± 75 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon)[1] | 2650 at 300 mm/s, 2878 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[3] |
| Elongation at break% | 7.3 ± 0.7 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 13 at break[1][2] | 15.1 at 300 mm/s, 21.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[3] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 54.0 ± 2.5 printed XY, ISO 178 (Fiberon)[1] | 71.4 at 300 mm/s, 76.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[3] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 1651 ± 141 printed XY, ISO 178 (Fiberon)[1] | 2798 at 300 mm/s, 2868 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[3] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Fiberon)[1] | 5.0 at 300 mm/s, 6.1 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 179, notched)[3] |
| Other impact data | Charpy unnotched 29.3 ± 2.2 printed XY (Fiberon, ISO 179)[1] | Printing at 300 mm/s instead of 46.7 mm/s costs 4.6 % tensile strength and 18 % notched Charpy[3] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 20.7 ± 0.6 printed Z, ISO 527 (Fiberon)[1] | 32.4 at 300 mm/s, 37.3 at classic speed (printed Z, ISO 527); 35.3 for Creality Hyper PLA vs 23.0 for average PLA on identical bars[3][28] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[1] | Moderate[3] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | 78.7 Shore D measured on printed bars for Sunlu PLA Meta (My Tech Fun), against 75.3 for the same maker's plain PLA[29] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Below average — no ESD-grade creep test; unfilled PETG sagged from 12 to 17.1–20.4 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[30][31][32][33] | Poor — 12 mm bar sagged to 17.7 mm over 6 days at 1.25 kg[28] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Moderate — no ESD-grade S-N curve; unfilled printed PETG ran 79 000–193 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[34] | Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[34][26] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Slightly flexible in thin sections[1] | Rigid[3] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 57 (Fiberon, printed Z against XY tensile)[1] | 74 at 300 mm/s, 81 at classic speed (printed)[3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 76 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Fiberon)[1] | 53 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[3] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 72 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Fiberon)[1] | 52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 77 (Fiberon) and 80 (3DXTech), DSC[1][2] | 59 (DSC)[3] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 86 (Fiberon, ISO 306)[1] | 164 peak melt (DSC); crystallisation 96 °C, Vicat 61 °C[3] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 53 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[28] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[35] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard grades[36] | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[17][4] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Degrades within weeks outdoors[26][37] |
| Chemical resistance | Withstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure[19] | Good against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis[3] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Good — insoluble in water[17] |
| Food contact | Not certified for food contact as filament[19] | Base resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[26] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[19] | Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[38][26] |
| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection[19] | Mechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[38] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistivity falls with nozzle temperature: 7.0×10⁶–1.6×10⁷ ohm at 250 °C, 3.2×10⁵–4.7×10⁵ at 270 °C and below 1×10⁴ at 290 °C (Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 10⁷–10⁹ ohm/sq[1][2] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[39] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[39] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[39] | None needed in a normal room[39] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Conductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands poorly — the material is tough and gums rather than powders[25] | Wet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[37][26] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[25] | Cyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[26][40] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[25] | No practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[26] |
| Support material pairing | Prints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[25] | PolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker)[3] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Nozzle temperature has to be held steady — it moves surface resistivity by three orders of magnitude[1] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | No common workshop solvent; 1,2-dichloroethane destroys it inside a week and dichloromethane — a carcinogen — dissolves the surface.[41][42] | Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[43] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone (+16 % weight over 1 year at 23 °C), ethyl acetate, toluene and DMF swell and soften it; methanol crazes it.[41] | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[43][42] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Dichloromethane brushed on is the only agent that smooths PETG — a controlled carcinogen, not workshop stock.[42] | Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[44][42] |
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
- Fiberon PETG-ESD Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXSTAT ESD-PETG Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- PolySonic PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- PolySonic PLA 1.75mm/1kg — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
- Overture High Speed PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- High Speed PLA filament collection Anycubic Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- PLA Meta filament collection Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI PLA Rapido 1.75mm 1kg 3D Printers Depot · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PLA Prusa Pro Green 1kg (NFC) Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
- PolySonic PLA — product page Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- Creality PLA filament collection Creality Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker Launches New High-Speed 3D Printing Filament — PolySonic PLA & PLA Pro Polymaker · 2023-11 · doc
- PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- 3DXSTAT ESD-PETG — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- PET and PETG — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Creality Hyper PLA filament review — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- 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
- Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
- Prusament PETG V0 Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
- Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
- Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
- 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
- Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
- 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
- Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
- 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