Filament comparison
PLA HS vs PLA Wood
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | High-Speed PLAPLA | Wood-filled PLAPLA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $19.99/kg median; $11.49–$32.99/kg across 10 dated product listings | $34.49/kg median; $13.99–$76.40/kg across 6 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PLA with rheology and crystallisation tuned for high volumetric flow; melt index 15.4 g/10 min vs 7–11 for standard PLA[1][2] | PLA filled with wood powder — 10–18 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS); colorFabb woodFill uses a PLA/PHA base with recycled wood fibre[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.23 (ISO 1183, at 21.5 °C)[1] | 1.15 (colorFabb) to 1.23 (Fiberlogy), ISO 1183; Bambu Lab 1.21[5][4][6] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Mainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[7][8][9] | 1 kg spools cluster near 25; counting the 0.5 kg specialty spools the middle of the market is about 34[10][11][12] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 11–33 across brands; budget house brands 11–18, Prusament 33[13][14][15] | 14–76 across brands; SUNLU 14, ELEGOO 19, Bambu Lab 25, Prusament 44, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools, colorFabb 76[11][10][16][17][18][12] |
| Market availability1–5 | Stocked by most mainstream brands[19][9][20] | Stocked by most mainstream brands[10][11][17][6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[7][9] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.6, 0.85 and 1 kg spools[17][6][10] |
| Typical applications | Large or repetitive prints on printers that can sustain high flow[21][19] | Decorative and model-making prints that are sanded and stained like timber[5][4] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | ±0.03 (Bambu Lab PLA Basic, rated to 258 mm/s)[22] | ±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[5] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 210–230 for high-speed work; 190–210 at classic speeds[1][19] | 190–240 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb advises 195–220 for its PLA/PHA base[5][4] |
| Bed temperature°C | 30–60 (Polymaker); 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[1][23] | 35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–70 (Fiberlogy)[5][6] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Open frame is fine[5] |
| Part cooling fan | Fan on[1] | Fan on[5] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | ≈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[1][19][21][24] | Not documented |
| Warping tendency1–5 | None[1] | None[5] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Sticks to anything[25] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Easy — minor profile tuning; needs a printer that can actually reach the flow rate[19][1] | Easy — minor profile tuning; pre-drying is required and the wood content chars if it sits hot[26][5] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Nozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible; Bambu Lab does not recommend the AMS lite[26] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[27] | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work — Bambu Lab's PLA compatibility table lists no hardened-nozzle requirement, but its nozzle guide names wood among the abrasive filaments hardened steel exists for[26][28] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[29][27] | Moderately abrasive — wood fill[26] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very low[27] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; wood particles char and block small nozzles[26] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[30] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[25] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate — 0.40 % equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH[1] | High — 1.25 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH, the highest in the PLA family[5] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.40 equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH (Polymaker PolySonic)[1] | 1.25 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[5] |
| Drying temperature & time | 55 °C for 6 h; 50 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab)[1][23] | 55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer; Bambu Lab lists pre-drying as required[5][26] |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[31] | Bambu Lab flags pre-drying and ventilation as specific requirements for this grade[26] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[31] | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. At 1.25 % saturated uptake the practical loss shows as poor layer adhesion, rough surface and weak layers[31][5] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[23][25] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 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[1][32] | 26 ± 5 (Bambu Lab) and 28.4 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy quotes 35 at yield[5][4][6] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2650 at 300 mm/s, 2878 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[1] | 2360 ± 190 (Bambu Lab) and 2479 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 2950[5][4][6] |
| Elongation at break% | 15.1 at 300 mm/s, 21.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[1] | 4.5 (colorFabb) to 15.3 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 6.5[5][4][6] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 71.4 at 300 mm/s, 76.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[1] | 55 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[5] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2798 at 300 mm/s, 2868 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[1] | 2780 ± 120 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[5] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 5.0 at 300 mm/s, 6.1 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 179, notched)[1] | 3.81 (colorFabb) and 6.3 ± 2.2 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 179, notched[5][4] |
| Other impact data | Printing at 300 mm/s instead of 46.7 mm/s costs 4.6 % tensile strength and 18 % notched Charpy[1] | Charpy unnotched 12.28 (colorFabb) and 15.7 (Bambu Lab), printed, ISO 179[5][4] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 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[1][32] | 15 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); flexural Z falls to 28 against 55 in XY[5] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[1] | Brittle — snaps with little warning[5] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | 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[33] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Poor — 12 mm bar sagged to 17.7 mm over 6 days at 1.25 kg[32] | Poor — no wood-filled creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[34][35][33] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[36][30] | Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength and the wood filler cuts elongation and the parts snap without warning[36][5] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid[5] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 74 at 300 mm/s, 81 at classic speed (printed)[1] | 58 by tensile, 51 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[5] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 53 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1] | 60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[5] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1] | 57 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[5] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 59 (DSC)[1] | 54 (Bambu Lab, DSC); Fiberlogy quotes 55–60[5][6] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 164 peak melt (DSC); crystallisation 96 °C, Vicat 61 °C[1] | 156 peak melt (DSC)[5] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | 53 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[32] | Not documented |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[37] | Not documented |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[23][2] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Degrades within weeks outdoors[30][38] | Degrades within weeks outdoors[30] |
| Chemical resistance | Good against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis[1] | Not documented |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Good — insoluble in water[23] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Base resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[30] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[39][30] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Mechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[39] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[40] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[40] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | None needed in a normal room[40] | None needed in a normal room; Bambu Lab specifically advises ventilation for this grade[26] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Wet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[38][30] | Sands and stains like timber — the usual reason for choosing it[4] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[30][41] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[30] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | PolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker)[1] | Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[5] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Wood grain hides layer lines; colour darkens with nozzle temperature[5][4] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[42] | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[42] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[42][43] | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[42][43] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[44][43] | Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[44][43] |
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
- PolySonic PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Safety Data Sheet SDS20250723SA16 — Bambu PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2025-07 · msds
- woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- FiberWood technical data sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
- 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 Wood — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
- PLA+ WOODJet - Natur (1,75 mm; 0,5 kg) Filament PM shop · 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
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- woodFill — product page colorFabb US · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU Optimized Wood PLA 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 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
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 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
- BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-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 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
- Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- 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