3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PETG-GF vs PMMA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Glass-fibre polyester (PETG-GF / PET-GF)PETG | PMMA (acrylic)ENGINEERING |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $27.38/kg median; $18.99–$29.99/kg across 3 dated product listings | $49.99/kg median; $49.99–$49.99/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Glass-fibre reinforced polyester. Polymaker's Fiberon PET-GF15 uses a PET rather than a PETG matrix and carries 15 wt% glass fibre[1] | Poly(methyl methacrylate) — acrylic, sold for 3D printing as a transparent glass substitute[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.43 (Fiberon PET-GF15, ISO 1183)[1] | Not documented |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 25[3][4] | 1 kg spools cluster near 50[5] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 19–30 across brands; ELEGOO 19, Polymaker Fiberon 30[3][4] | 50 at Push Plastic's 1 kg listing; 3 kg spools run the same per kilogram[5] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][4] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[5] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools[4] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[5] |
| Typical applications | Stiff, dimensionally stable fixtures; the Fiberon grade is designed to be annealed for heat resistance[1] | Transparent covers and light guides where PC's yellowing or cost rules it out[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Textured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets; on smooth PEI a glue stick acts as a release agent[6][7] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[6][7] | Not documented |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker names stringing as PETG's common quirk[7] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Hardened steel required[1] | Not documented |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[1] | Not documented |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists higher risk of nozzle clogging for glass-filled composites[8] | Not documented |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[9] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[9] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate (0.3–0.8 %) — the PETG matrix reaches 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH; no glass-filled grade publishes its own figure[6] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[10] | Not documented |
| 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[10] | Not documented |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[10][7] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 59.9 ± 0.8 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon PET-GF15)[1] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | 4144 ± 133 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon PET-GF15)[1] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | 4.0 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon PET-GF15)[1] | Not documented |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 104.2 ± 2.4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Fiberon PET-GF15)[1] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 3705 ± 85 printed XY, ISO 178 (Fiberon PET-GF15)[1] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 8.7 ± 0.6 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Fiberon PET-GF15)[1] | Not documented |
| Other impact data | Charpy unnotched 27.2 ± 2.0 printed XY (Fiberon PET-GF15, ISO 179)[1] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 48.2 ± 0.3 printed Z, ISO 527 (Fiberon PET-GF15)[1] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — snaps with little warning; elongation 4.0 % in XY and 2.6 % in Z[1] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Below average — no GF-grade creep test; the CF grades sagged to 14.8–16.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg against 17.1–20.4 mm unfilled[11][12][13] | Not documented |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Below average — no GF-grade S-N curve; elongation at break falls to 4.0 % in XY against 5.2–9.3 % unfilled[1][14] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Not documented |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 80 (Fiberon PET-GF15, printed Z against XY tensile)[1] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 81.6 as printed, 133.7 after annealing (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1] | Not documented |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 71.8 as printed, 87.3 after annealing (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1] | Not documented |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 59.5 (DSC)[1] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 231.6 melting (DSC); Vicat 232.6 (ISO 306)[1] | Not documented |
| Annealing response | Annealing lifts HDT at 0.45 MPa from 81.6 to 133.7 °C[1] | Not documented |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 20 along the print bead and 63–74 in the build direction at 30 °C (30 wt% GF, large-format printed, TMA)[15] | Not documented |
| Flammability / UL 94 | UL 94 HB at 1.5 mm (Fiberon PET-GF15)[1] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Withstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure[7] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not certified for food contact as filament[7] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[7] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection[7] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistivity above 10¹² ohm — insulating (Fiberon PET-GF15, ANSI/ESD S11.11)[1] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[16] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[16] | Not documented |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Glass fibre 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[9] | Not documented |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[9] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[9] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | Prints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[9] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | No common workshop solvent; dichloromethane — a carcinogen — dissolves the matrix surface, 1,2-dichloroethane destroys it in a week.[17][18] | Acetone, MEK, ethyl and butyl acetate, THF, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride dissolve it; the last two are laboratory reagents.[19] |
| 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.[17] | Alcohols, aliphatic hydrocarbons, oils and phthalate plasticisers craze it, and the threshold falls as stress rises.[19] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Dichloromethane reaches only the resin, so the fibre is left standing proud of the surface. Controlled carcinogen.[18] | Dichloromethane acrylic cement (IPS Weld-On 3): 2–5 min soak, 17.2 MPa lap shear at one week. Controlled carcinogen.[20] |
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 PET-GF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.0 Polymaker · 2026-08 · tds
- PMMA Filament 1.75mm 1kg — product page Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- PET and PETG — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- Effects of Fiber Orientation on the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of Fiber-Filled Polymer Systems in Large Format Polymer Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing Materials 15(8):2764 · 2022-04 · paper
- 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
- Chemical resistance of PMMA products Mitsubishi Chemical (Acrypet) · 2026-08 · tds
- Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds