3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

rPETG vs Breakaway

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

Recycled PETG (rPETG) guideBreak-away support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore rPETG comparisonsMore Breakaway comparisons
rPETG vs Breakaway — documented properties and sources
PropertyRecycled PETG (rPETG)PETGBreak-away supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$28.99/kg median; $17.24–$39.98/kg across 4 dated product listings$42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPETG regranulated from recycled polyester waste; Polymaker's Fiberon PETG-rCF08 adds 8 wt% recycled carbon fibre[1][2][3]Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[4][5]
Densityg/cm³1.27 (Prusament) and 1.30 (Fiberon PETG-rCF08), ISO 1183[1][3]1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[4][5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 29[6][7][8][9]1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[8][10][11]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg17–40 across brands; Filament PM RePETG 17, 3DXTech ECOMAX 26, GreenGate3D 32, Fiberon rCF08 40[6][7][8][9]26–80 across brands and grades; IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE 26, Polymaker PolySupport for PLA 40 at 750 g, YXPOLYER 45, PolySupport for PA12 80 at 500 g[8][10][11]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[6][7][8]Available from several mainstream brands[8][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 1 and 3 kg spools[8][7]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[8]
Typical applicationsNot documentedSupport that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[4]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.05 (Prusament PETG Recycled), against ±0.02 for virgin Prusament PETG[1][12]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C250 ± 10 (Prusament); 230–255 (Spectrum)[1][2]220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[4]
Bed temperature°C80 ± 10 (Prusament); 60–80 (Spectrum)[1][2]25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[4]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine — Spectrum states a closed chamber is not necessary[2]Open frame is fine[4]
Part cooling fan50 % (Prusament); up to 100 % (Spectrum)[1][2]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidTextured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets; on smooth PEI a glue stick acts as a release agent[12][13]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[4]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[12][13]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker names stringing as PETG's common quirk[13]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; Spectrum describes printing as similar to standard PETG[2]Easy — minor profile tuning[4]
Extruder requirementNot documentedA second extruder or a tool changer[4]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[1]Brass fine indefinitely[4]
Abrasiveness1–5Not documentedNon-abrasive[4]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — recycled PETG prints on the same hardware as virgin PETG: no special hot-end, no drybox and no hardened nozzle[14][15]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Polymaker specifies a 55 °C dry for the PLA grade and warns brass nozzle life falls to about 9 h on the PA12 grade[4][5]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[14]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[14]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate (0.3–0.8 %) — recycled PETG shares the virgin matrix, which reaches 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[12]Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[4]
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]0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[4]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker 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[16]Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[16]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[16][13]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa43 ± 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][12][2]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa1500 printed horizontal, 1600 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 527-1) — the same as virgin Prusament PETG[1][12]Not documented
Elongation at break%4.5 at yield printed (Prusament); Spectrum quotes 400 at break on moulded specimens[1][2]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa63 ± 1 printed horizontal, ISO 178 (Prusament), against 66 ± 2 for virgin Prusament PETG[1][12]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa1800 printed horizontal, ISO 178 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²12 ± 1 printed horizontal and 15 ± 3 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 25 ± 3 printed horizontal and 38 ± 11 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 179-1)[1]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa15 ± 5 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test), against 18 ± 4 for virgin Prusament PETG[1][12]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Not documented
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell74 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method) — the same as virgin Prusament PETG[1][12]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Below average — no recycled-grade creep test; virgin PETG sagged from 12 to 17.1–20.4 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[17][18][19][20]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate — no recycled-grade S-N curve; virgin printed PETG ran 79 000–193 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[21]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Slightly flexible in thin sections[1]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C68 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the same as virgin Prusament PETG; Spectrum quotes 70[1][12][2]43 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, PolySupport for PA12). Polymaker's sheet prints a higher figure at the higher load, which is physically inverted; treat both HDT numbers as approximate[5]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C68 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, PolySupport for PA12) — printed above the 0.45 MPa figure on Polymaker's own sheet, which cannot be right; treat both as approximate[5]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documentedVicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[5]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard grades[22]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceWithstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure[13]Not documented
Food contactNot certified for food contact as filament[13]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[13]Not documented
RecyclabilityThe feedstock itself — Spectrum describes collecting, shredding and re-homogenising PETG waste[2]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedSurface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[23][24]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[25]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[25]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[25]Open a window / occasional ventilation[25]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — the material is tough and gums rather than powders[14]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[14]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[14]Not documented
Support material pairingPrints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[14]This is the support material. Polymaker publishes an adhesion matrix per model material, from very good to unusable, because break-away supports only work against the polymer they were matched to[4][5]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inNo common workshop solvent; 1,2-dichloroethane destroys it inside a week and dichloromethane — a carcinogen — dissolves the surface.[26][27]None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[28]
Softened or crazed byAcetone (+16 % weight over 1 year at 23 °C), ethyl acetate, toluene and DMF swell and soften it; methanol crazes it.[26]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane brushed on is the only agent that smooths PETG — a controlled carcinogen, not workshop stock.[27]None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[28]

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. Prusament PETG Recycled Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  2. Spectrum r-PETG Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Fiberon PETG-rCF08 Technical Data Sheet V1.0 Polymaker · 2026-08 · tds
  4. PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  5. PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. GreenGate3D Recycled PET-G — product data GreenGate3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Filament PM RePETG technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
  10. YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  13. PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PET and PETG — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PCTG vs PETG comparison — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  18. Extrudr PETG vs PCTG vs XPETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  19. Prusament PETG-CF vs PETG V0 vs PETG — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  20. BambuLab PETG Basic vs Translucent vs PETG-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  21. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  22. Prusament PETG V0 Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  23. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  24. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  25. 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
  26. Eastman Spectar copolyester — Chemical resistance (unstressed bars, 1 year at 23 °C) Eastman Chemical Company · 2026-08 · tds
  27. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  28. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor