Filament comparison
rPETG vs PP-GF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Recycled PETG (rPETG)PETG | Glass-fibre PP (PP-GF)POLYOLEFIN |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $28.99/kg median; $17.24–$39.98/kg across 4 dated product listings | $49.09/kg median; $46.27–$86.01/kg across 3 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PETG regranulated from recycled polyester waste; Polymaker's Fiberon PETG-rCF08 adds 8 wt% recycled carbon fibre[1][2][3] | Polypropylene reinforced with chopped glass fibre[4][5] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.27 (Prusament) and 1.30 (Fiberon PETG-rCF08), ISO 1183[1][3] | 1.12 (Prusament PP Glass Fiber, ISO 1183) — the glass lifts it above water[4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 29[6][7][8][9] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 49[10][11][12] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 17–40 across brands; Filament PM RePETG 17, 3DXTech ECOMAX 26, GreenGate3D 32, Fiberon rCF08 40[6][7][8][9] | 46-86 across brands; BCN3D PP GF30 46 at 700 g, BASF Ultrafuse PP GF30 49 at 2.2 kg, Prusament PP Glass Fiber 86 at 850 g[10][11][12] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[6][7][8] | Available from several mainstream brands[10][11][12] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 1 and 3 kg spools[8][7] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 700 g, 850 g and 2.2 kg spools[10][11][12] |
| Typical applications | Not documented | Stiff, chemically resistant parts where PP-CF's cost or conductivity is unwanted[5] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | ±0.05 (Prusament PETG Recycled), against ±0.02 for virgin Prusament PETG[1][13] | ±0.04 (Prusament)[4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 250 ± 10 (Prusament); 230–255 (Spectrum)[1][2] | 245 ± 10 (Prusament) — 25 °C below the carbon-fibre grade[4][14] |
| Bed temperature°C | 80 ± 10 (Prusament); 60–80 (Spectrum)[1][2] | 95 ± 10 (Prusament)[4] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine — Spectrum states a closed chamber is not necessary[2] | Enclosure recommended — Simplify3D lists an enclosure as a hardware requirement and Polymaker advises one below 70 °C ambient to stop warping and cracking[15][16] |
| Part cooling fan | 50 % (Prusament); up to 100 % (Spectrum)[1][2] | Off — Prusa runs 0 % except 100 % on bridges[4] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Textured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets; on smooth PEI a glue stick acts as a release agent[13][17] | Not documented |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 4 at Prusa's 50 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[4][18] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a brim[4] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[13][17] | Very difficult — special plates or slurry required[4] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker names stringing as PETG's common quirk[17] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Easy — minor profile tuning; Spectrum describes printing as similar to standard PETG[2] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[4] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Prusa states a hardened nozzle is necessary and recommends a brim[4] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[1] | Hardened steel required[4] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Not documented | Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[4] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — recycled PETG prints on the same hardware as virgin PETG: no special hot-end, no drybox and no hardened nozzle[19][20] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists higher risk of nozzle clogging for glass-filled composites[21] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[19] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[19] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate (0.3–0.8 %) — recycled PETG shares the virgin matrix, which reaches 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[13] | Low (0.1–0.3 %) — 0.11 % at both 24 h and 7 days, higher than the carbon-fibre grade's 0.04 % but still very low[4][14] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.07 after 24 h and 0.10 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[1] | 0.11 after 24 h and 0.11 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[4] |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[22] | 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[22] | Not applicable in practice at 0.11 % equilibrium uptake[4] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[22][17] | No special storage needed[4] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 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[1][13][2] | 46.6 ± 1.3 filament tensile yield (Prusament, ISO 527) — more than double the carbon-fibre grade's 21[4][14] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 1500 printed horizontal, 1600 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 527-1) — the same as virgin Prusament PETG[1][13] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | 4.5 at yield printed (Prusament); Spectrum quotes 400 at break on moulded specimens[1][2] | Not documented |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 63 ± 1 printed horizontal, ISO 178 (Prusament), against 66 ± 2 for virgin Prusament PETG[1][13] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 1800 printed horizontal, ISO 178 (Prusament)[1] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 12 ± 1 printed horizontal and 15 ± 3 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament)[1] | 7.9 ± 0.4 printed horizontal and 9.9 ± 0.8 printed vertical XZ (ISO 179-1, notched)[4] |
| Other impact data | Charpy unnotched 25 ± 3 printed horizontal and 38 ± 11 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 179-1)[1] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 15 ± 5 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test), against 18 ± 4 for virgin Prusament PETG[1][13] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[1] | Moderate[4] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | 74 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method) — the same as virgin Prusament PETG[1][13] | Rockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded unfilled PP stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a glass-fibre PP filament[23] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | 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[24][25][26][27] | Not documented |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Moderate — no recycled-grade S-N curve; virgin printed PETG ran 79 000–193 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[28] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Slightly flexible in thin sections[1] | Rigid[4] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 68 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the same as virgin Prusament PETG; Spectrum quotes 70[1][13][2] | 138.3 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 68 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1] | 112.6 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[4] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard grades[29] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Withstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure[17] | Excellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents[16] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — essentially unaffected[4] |
| Food contact | Not certified for food contact as filament[17] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[17] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | The feedstock itself — Spectrum describes collecting, shredding and re-homogenising PETG waste[2] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[30] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission. Inferred: no polyolefin was among the nine filaments in the Azimi chamber study, so this is a family-level judgement rather than a measurement[30] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[30] | Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[30] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Glass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[4] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands poorly — the material is tough and gums rather than powders[19] | Not documented |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[19] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[19] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | Prints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[19] | 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.[31][32] | None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves the matrix at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C, leaving the fibre.[33][34] |
| 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.[31] | Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[33] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Dichloromethane brushed on is the only agent that smooths PETG — a controlled carcinogen, not workshop stock.[32] | None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[33] |
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
- 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
- Prusament PP Glass Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Prusament PP Glass Fiber — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- BASF Ultrafuse PP GF30 Black 2.85 mm 2.200 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- BCN3D PP GF30 Black 2.85 mm 700 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa Prusament PP Glass Fiber Natural (NFC), 1.75 mm / 850 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- PET and PETG — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
- US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper