3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA HS vs PP-CF

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

High-Speed PLA guideCarbon-fibre PP (PP-CF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA HS comparisonsMore PP-CF comparisons
PLA HS vs PP-CF — documented properties and sources
PropertyHigh-Speed PLAPLACarbon-fibre PP (PP-CF)POLYOLEFIN
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$19.99/kg median; $11.49–$32.99/kg across 10 dated product listings$107.68/kg median; $57.13–$120.00/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with rheology and crystallisation tuned for high volumetric flow; melt index 15.4 g/10 min vs 7–11 for standard PLA[1][2]Polypropylene reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.23 (ISO 1183, at 21.5 °C)[1]0.91 (Prusament PP Carbon Fiber, ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kgMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[5][6][7]1 kg-equivalent spools span 57–138; the middle of the market is about 108[8][9][10]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg11–33 across brands; budget house brands 11–18, Prusament 33[11][12][13]57–138 across brands; Reli3D 57 at 700 g on Amazon, Prusament 108 direct from Prusa and 138 at Printed Solid, 3DXTech CarbonX PP+CF 120[8][14][9][10]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[15][7][16]Available from several mainstream brands[9][14]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[5][7]1.75 mm; 0.65 kg spools[14][9]
Typical applicationsLarge or repetitive prints on printers that can sustain high flow[17][15]Lightweight chemical-resistant parts, automotive clips and ducting that must survive above 150 °C[18]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 (Bambu Lab PLA Basic, rated to 258 mm/s)[19]±0.04 (Prusament)[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C210–230 for high-speed work; 190–210 at classic speeds[1][15]270 ± 10 (Prusament)[3]
Bed temperature°C30–60 (Polymaker); 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[1][20]85 ± 10 (Prusament)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Enclosure recommended — Simplify3D lists an enclosure as a hardware requirement and Polymaker advises one below 70 °C ambient to stop warping and cracking[21][22]
Part cooling fanFan on[1]Off — Prusa runs 0 % except 100 % on bridges[3]
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][15][17][23]3.2 at Prusa's 40 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3][23]
Warping tendency1–5None[1]High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a brim[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Sticks to anything[24]Very difficult — special plates or slurry required[3]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; needs a printer that can actually reach the flow rate[15][1]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[3]
Extruder requirementNot documentedPrusa states a hardened nozzle is necessary and recommends a brim[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[25]Hardened steel required — Prusa states plainly that a hardened nozzle is necessary[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[26][25]Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low[25]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech specifies a hardened 0.4 mm minimum nozzle and 0.25 mm layers or higher, and Prusa lists composites as a higher clogging risk[4][27]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[28]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[24]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.40 % equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH[1]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Prusa measures 0.03 % in 24 h and 0.04 % in 7 days on its PP composite, the lowest figures it publishes for any filament[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.40 equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH (Polymaker PolySonic)[1]0.03 after 24 h and 0.04 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[3]
Drying temperature & time55 °C for 6 h; 50 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab)[1][20]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[29]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[29]Not applicable in practice at 0.04 % equilibrium uptake[3]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[20][24]No special storage needed[3]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa43.9 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][30]21 ± 0.4 filament tensile yield (Prusament, ISO 527)[3]
Young's modulusMPa2650 at 300 mm/s, 2878 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%15.1 at 300 mm/s, 21.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa71.4 at 300 mm/s, 76.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2798 at 300 mm/s, 2868 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²5.0 at 300 mm/s, 6.1 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 179, notched)[1]14.5 ± 0.3 printed horizontal and 10.5 ± 0.8 printed vertical XZ (ISO 179-1, notched)[3]
Other impact dataPrinting at 300 mm/s instead of 46.7 mm/s costs 4.6 % tensile strength and 18 % notched Charpy[1]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa32.4 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][30]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell78.7 Shore D measured on printed bars for Sunlu PLA Meta (My Tech Fun), against 75.3 for the same maker's plain PLA[31]Rockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded unfilled PP stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a carbon-fibre PP filament[32]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — 12 mm bar sagged to 17.7 mm over 6 days at 1.25 kg[30]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[33][28]Good[34]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Slightly flexible in thin sections[3]
Z strength as % of XY%74 at 300 mm/s, 81 at classic speed (printed)[1]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C53 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]158 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — far above unfilled PP and above most engineering filaments[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]115 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C59 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C164 peak melt (DSC); crystallisation 96 °C, Vicat 61 °C[1]Not documented
Continuous service temperature°C53 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[30]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[35]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[20][2]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[28][36]Not documented
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis[1]Excellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents[22]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — insoluble in water[20]Excellent — essentially unaffected[3]
Food contactBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[28]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[37][28]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[37]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[38]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[38]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[38]Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[38]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedCarbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[36][28]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[28][39]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[28]Not documented
Support material pairingPolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker)[1]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[40]None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves the matrix at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C, leaving the fibre.[41][42]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[40][43]Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[41]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[44][43]None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[41]

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. PolySonic PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  2. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
  4. CarbonX PP+CF — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. PolySonic PLA 1.75mm/1kg — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Overture High Speed PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. High Speed PLA filament collection Anycubic Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Black 650g — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Reli3D Carbon Fiber PP Filament 1.75 mm 700 g Black — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. PLA Meta filament collection Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. QIDI PLA Rapido 1.75mm 1kg 3D Printers Depot · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Prusament PLA Prusa Pro Green 1kg (NFC) Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. PolySonic PLA — product page Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. Creality PLA filament collection Creality Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. Polymaker Launches New High-Speed 3D Printing Filament — PolySonic PLA & PLA Pro Polymaker · 2023-11 · doc
  18. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  19. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  20. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  21. Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  22. PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  24. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  25. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  26. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  28. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  29. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  30. Creality Hyper PLA filament review — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  31. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  32. TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  33. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  34. Centaur PP Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · tds
  35. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  36. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  37. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  38. 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
  39. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  40. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  41. Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
  42. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  43. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  44. 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