3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA-PHA vs PP-GF

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

PLA/PHA blend guideGlass-fibre PP (PP-GF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA-PHA comparisonsMore PP-GF comparisons
PLA-PHA vs PP-GF — documented properties and sources
PropertyPLA/PHA blendPLAGlass-fibre PP (PP-GF)POLYOLEFIN
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$76.40/kg median; $76.40–$76.40/kg across 1 dated product listings$49.09/kg median; $46.27–$86.01/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester[1]Polypropylene reinforced with chopped glass fibre[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.2 (ISO 1183)[1]1.12 (Prusament PP Glass Fiber, ISO 1183) — the glass lifts it above water[2]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 49[4][5][6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented46-86 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[4][5][6]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1][7]Available from several mainstream brands[4][5][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 2200 g spools[1]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 700 g, 850 g and 2.2 kg spools[4][5][6]
Typical applicationsGeneral-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor[1]Stiff, chemically resistant parts where PP-CF's cost or conductivity is unwanted[3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.04 (Prusament)[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C195–220 (colorFabb)[1]245 ± 10 (Prusament) — 25 °C below the carbon-fibre grade[2][8]
Bed temperature°C50–60 (colorFabb)[1]95 ± 10 (Prusament)[2]
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[9][10]
Part cooling fan0–100 %; colorFabb states the blend runs on both heated and unheated beds[1][11]Off — Prusa runs 0 % except 100 % on bridges[2]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s3.2–8 at colorFabb's 40–100 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[11][12]4 at Prusa's 50 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2][12]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedHigh — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a brim[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedVery difficult — special plates or slurry required[2]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[1]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[2]
Extruder requirementNot documentedPrusa states a hardened nozzle is necessary and recommends a brim[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[1]Hardened steel required[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[1]Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low — unfilled PLA blend; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle for PLA[13]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists higher risk of nozzle clogging for glass-filled composites[14]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend[15][16]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[2][8]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.11 after 24 h and 0.11 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[2]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[17]Not applicable in practice at 0.11 % equilibrium uptake[2]
Storage requirementNot documentedNo special storage needed[2]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[1]46.6 ± 1.3 filament tensile yield (Prusament, ISO 527) — more than double the carbon-fibre grade's 21[2][8]
Young's modulusMPa2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb)[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb)[1]7.9 ± 0.4 printed horizontal and 9.9 ± 0.8 printed vertical XZ (ISO 179-1, notched)[2]
Brittleness1–5Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades[1]Moderate[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded unfilled PP stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a glass-fibre PP filament[18]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no PLA/PHA creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[19][20][21]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Below average — no S-N curve for the blend; colorFabb positions it as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA, which ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[22][1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[2]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented138.3 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[2]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented112.6 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2]
Melting point / Vicat°CAbove 155 melting (ISO 3146-C)[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[23]Not documented
Chemical resistanceNot documentedExcellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents[10]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedExcellent — essentially unaffected[2]
Biodegradability / compostabilitycolorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[24]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[24]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[24]Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[24]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedGlass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[2]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[25]None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves the matrix at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C, leaving the fibre.[26][27]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[25][28]Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[26]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[29][28]None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[26]

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. PLA/PHA technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  2. Prusament PP Glass Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
  3. Prusament PP Glass Fiber — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  4. BASF Ultrafuse PP GF30 Black 2.85 mm 2.200 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. BCN3D PP GF30 Black 2.85 mm 700 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Prusa Prusament PP Glass Fiber Natural (NFC), 1.75 mm / 850 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  8. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
  9. Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  10. PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  11. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  12. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  16. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  17. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  19. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  20. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  21. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  22. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  23. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  24. 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
  25. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  26. Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
  27. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  28. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  29. 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