Filament comparison
PLA Matte vs Breakaway
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Matte PLAPLA | Break-away supportSUPPORT |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $19.09/kg median; $10.99–$32.16/kg across 10 dated product listings | $42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PLA compounded with a mineral filler — Fiberlogy names chalk — that scatters light into a diffuse finish[1][2] | Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.31 (Bambu Lab, ISO 1183) to 1.38 (Fiberlogy PLA Mineral, method not stated) — above plain PLA from the filler[2][1] | 1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[3][4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Mainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 21[5][6][7] | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[8][9][10] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 11–32 across brands; budget house brands 11–19, Fiberlogy PLA Mineral 32[11][6][12] | 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][9][10] |
| Market availability1–5 | Stocked by most mainstream brands[11][7][5] | Available from several mainstream brands[8][13] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm; 1 kg spools plus spool-less refills[5][14] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[8] |
| Typical applications | Display models and visible parts where a matte, non-reflective finish matters[2] | Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[3] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | ±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[15] | Not documented |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 190–230 (Bambu Lab); 190–210 (Fiberlogy PLA Mineral)[2][1] | 220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[3] |
| Bed temperature°C | 35–45 (Bambu Lab); 60 (Fiberlogy)[2][1] | 25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[2][1] | Open frame is fine[3] |
| Part cooling fan | Fan on; Fiberlogy specifies 75–100 %[2][1] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Cool plate, high-temperature plate or textured PEI with glue (Bambu Lab); smooth PEI, textured PEI or glass (Fiberlogy)[2][1] | Not documented |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | None[2] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Sticks to anything[16] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[2][1] | Easy — minor profile tuning[3] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | A second extruder or a tool changer[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[17][2][1] | Brass fine indefinitely[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Slightly abrasive — mineral filler pushes density from 1.24 to 1.31–1.38[1][2][18] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very low[17] | 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[3][4] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[19] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[16] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[2] | Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[3] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2] | 0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[3] |
| Drying temperature & time | 50 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 60–70 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed; Fiberlogy specifies 50 °C for 6 h[2][1][20] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[21] | Not documented |
| 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[21] | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[21] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[18][16] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 30 (printed XY, ISO 527, Bambu Lab); 35.1 on My Tech Fun bars for PolyTerra PLA[2][22] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | 1960 (Bambu Lab, printed XY, ISO 527); Fiberlogy PLA Mineral quotes 3500 (ISO 527, specimen type not stated)[2][1] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | 14.8 (printed XY, ISO 527)[2] | Not documented |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 53 (printed XY, ISO 178) — 30 % below PLA Basic at 76[2][18] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2360 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 6.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 19.2[2] | Not documented |
| Other impact data | Izod 6.1 kJ/m² on My Tech Fun printed bars for PolyTerra PLA[22] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 22 (printed Z, ISO 527); flexural Z falls to 29 against 53 in XY; 12.9 on My Tech Fun layer-adhesion bars[2][22] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — snaps with little warning[2] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Poor — 12 mm bar sagged to 18.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[22] | Not documented |
| 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)[23][19] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[2] | Not documented |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 73 by tensile, 55 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[2] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 58 (Bambu Lab) and 48 (Fiberlogy PLA Mineral), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[2][1] | 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[4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2] | 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[4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 61 (DSC)[2] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 163 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 63 °C[2] | Vicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[4] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | 54 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[22] | Not documented |
| Annealing response | 50–60 °C for 6–12 h; some prints deform or warp, and a forced-air oven is required[2] | Not documented |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[18][24] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Degrades within weeks outdoors[19][25] | Not documented |
| Chemical resistance | Good against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[24][19] | Not documented |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Good — insoluble in water[18] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Base resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[19] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[26][19] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Mechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[26] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[27][28] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[29] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[29] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | None needed in a normal room[29] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[29] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Wet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[25][19] | Not documented |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[19][30] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[19] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[2] | 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[3][4] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Matte surface hides layer lines; 55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges as for plain PLA[2] | Not documented |
| 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.[31] | None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[32] |
| 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.[31][33] | Not documented |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[34][33] | None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[32] |
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
- PLA Mineral — product and technical data Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Matte Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Polymaker Panchroma Matte PLA — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
- Overture Matte PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- Matte PLA filament collection Anycubic Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- Matte PLA filament collection Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- Fiberlogy PLA Mineral — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Extrudr PLA NX2 Matt — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
- PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — 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
- PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
- Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
- THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 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
- 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
- THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- 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