3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Silk vs PP

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

Silk PLA guidePolypropylene (PP) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Silk comparisonsMore PP comparisons
PLA Silk vs PP — documented properties and sources
PropertySilk PLAPLAPolypropylene (PP)POLYOLEFIN
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$19.49/kg median; $9.75–$24.99/kg across 15 dated product listings$46.56/kg median; $31.99–$53.00/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with a gloss-forming additive package; suppliers publish the composition as polylactic acid only[1]Polypropylene — a semi-crystalline polyolefin with no polar groups, so it neither absorbs water nor bonds to most bed surfaces[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.27 (ISO 1183)[1]0.91 (Prusa PP composite, ISO 1183) — the lightest common filament[4]
Typical priceUSD/kgMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[5][6][7]1 kg-equivalent spools span 27–53; the middle of the market is about 44[8][9][10][11]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg10–25 across brands; CHCKX 10 in a 16-roll bundle, SUNLU 13, LANDU 18, YXPOLYER 20, Polymaker 22, Devil Design 25[12][13][14][15][16]27–53 across brands; Reli3D 32 on Amazon, SUNLU 44 at 0.8 kg, Fiberlogy 49 at 750 g, IEMAI 3D 53, and the 3DJake PP listing spans 27–49[8][17][9][10][11]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[5][12][18]Available from several mainstream brands[17][9][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 and 1.1 kg spools; dual- and tri-colour coextruded variants[19][20]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75 kg spools are common[9]
Typical applicationsDecorative prints where surface gloss matters more than strength[1]Living hinges, chemical-resistant containers, automotive clips and packaging prototypes[2]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[21]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C210–240 — 20 °C above the plain PLA window[1]210–230 (Braskem-type PE/PP window); Formfutura's Centaur PP melts at 205 ± 15 °C[2]
Bed temperature°C35–45[1]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1][22]Enclosure recommended — Simplify3D lists an enclosure as a hardware requirement and Polymaker advises one below 70 °C ambient to stop warping and cracking[23][3]
Part cooling fanFan on[1]Part cooling fan required (Simplify3D)[23]
Bed surface & adhesion aidCool Plate SuperTack, smooth PEI or textured PEI[1]Packing tape, a polypropylene sheet, or a PP-specific adhesive such as Magigoo PP — ordinary PLA and ABS adhesives do not hold it[23][3]
Warping tendency1–5None[1]High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; PP's crystallinity drives shrinkage and Prusa recommends a brim on its PP grades[4][24]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Sticks to anything[25]Very difficult — special plates or slurry required. PP bonds to almost nothing; a polypropylene-specific tape or adhesive is the normal answer[4][3]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Not documentedSlight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[3]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; hotter nozzle and slower cap of 250 mm/s[1]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; bed adhesion is the whole problem[3][4]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[22]Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades — Simplify3D states no special hotend is required[23]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[26][22]Non-abrasive when unfilled[23]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low[22]Low — Simplify3D lists no special hotend requirement for PP and clogging is not among its listed drawbacks[27][23]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[28]Slightly sensitive[23]
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[25]No special hot-end required (Simplify3D)[23]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % 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[4]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[1]0.03 after 24 h and 0.04 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers, measured on its PP composite)[4]
Drying temperature & time55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 65–75 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed[1][29]No drying step is published for PP; uptake is below the level that affects printing[4]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[27]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle; Polymaker still advises a 70 °C dry for 4–6 h despite the low uptake[3]
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[27]Not applicable in practice — with equilibrium uptake at 0.04 %, there is no moisture-driven strength loss to measure. Polymaker's sensitivity tiers put polyolefins below even PLA[4][27]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[30][25]No special storage needed[4]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa33 (printed XY, ISO 527); eSun Silk broke 22 % below the 16-brand PLA mean on identical 4×4 mm bars[1][31]12 at yield (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D638)[2]
Young's modulusMPa2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]724 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D638; converted from 105,000 psi)[32]
Elongation at break%2.8 (printed XY, ISO 527) — a quarter of PLA Basic at 12.2[1][30]Above 600 at break (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D638)[2]
Flexural strengthMPa75 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]31.0 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D790; converted from 4500 psi)[32]
Flexural modulusMPa2460 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]402 flexural modulus (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D790) — an order of magnitude below any rigid filament[2]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²10.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 18.5[1]Not documented
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod notched 112 J/m on extruded PP stock, converted from 2.1 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[32]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa25 (printed Z, ISO 527), and flexural Z collapses to 30 against 75 in XY; eSun Silk broke at 12.3 kg where twelve of the 16 plain PLAs managed 44.6–61.5 kg[1][31][33]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning[1]Very ductile — bends far before failing[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded PP stock (ASTM D785)[32]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no silk-specific creep data published; plain PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[34][35]Below average[2]
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)[36][28]Excellent — living hinges viable, the classic polypropylene application[2]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Semi-flexible[2]
Z strength as % of XY%76 by tensile, 40 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[1]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]74 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 165 °F)[32]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C56 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C57 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C158 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 66 °C[1]205 ± 15 melting (Formfutura Centaur PP)[2]
Continuous service temperature°C50 — a loaded bar begins to move at this temperature (My Tech Fun, eSun eSilk PLA)[33]Bounded by a melting point of 205 ± 15 °C and by the 158 °C heat deflection of the carbon-filled grade; no loaded-bar service figure is published for unfilled PP[2][4]
Annealing response50–55 °C for 6–12 h[1]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[30][37]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[4]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[28][38]Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polypropylene chalks under UV[3]
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[37][28]Excellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents — the usual reason to choose PP[3]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — insoluble in water[30]Excellent — essentially unaffected[4]
Food contactBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[28]Polypropylene is a common food-packaging polymer, but no filament here carries a food-contact certification[3]
Biodegradability / compostabilityIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[39][28]Not biodegradable[3]
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[39]Mechanically recyclable as resin code 5, but printed waste is not accepted in household collection[3]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[40]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[40]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[40]Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[40]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[38][28]Sands poorly — the waxy surface loads abrasive paper[23]
Painting & finishingNot documentedPaint and adhesives do not key to untreated PP; flame or plasma treatment is normally needed first[3]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[28][41]Nothing common bonds untreated PP; flame or plasma treatment is needed before adhesives key[3]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[28]No practical vapour smoothing[23]
Support material pairingSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[1]Prints its own supports; no soluble support is rated for PP[23]
Dimensional accuracy & detail55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges; gloss hides fine detail and is destroyed by sanding[1]Shrinkage and warping dominate; the low modulus means parts flex rather than hold tolerance[4]
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.[42]None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves it at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C — the xylene-solubles route.[43][44]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[42][45]Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[43]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[46][45]None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[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

  1. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Silk+ Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  2. Centaur PP Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · tds
  3. PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  4. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
  5. Panchroma Silk PLA collection Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Spectrum PLA Silk — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. 3DJake ecoPLA Silk Black 1.75mm 1000g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. SUNLU product catalogue SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Fiberlogy PP Natural — product page 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Reli3D Low Warp PP Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg Black — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. IEMAI 3D PP 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Sunlu Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1kg Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Bambu Lab PLA Silk 1.75mm 1kg 3D Universe · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. CHCKX 16 Pack Silk Dual Color PLA Filament Bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. YXPOLYER Silk PLA Black&Gold product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. LANDU Silk Tri-Color PLA Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg LANDU (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. PP filament listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. Overture Silk PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  19. eSUN PLA-Silk Magic 1.75mm eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  20. JAYO Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1.1kg JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  21. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  22. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Prusament PP Glass Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
  25. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  26. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  28. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  29. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  30. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  31. 16 PLA brand comparison test — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2022-10 · test
  32. TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  33. Testing eSun PLA filaments: PLA-ST vs PLA+ vs Silk PLA My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  34. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  35. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  36. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  37. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  38. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  39. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  40. 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
  41. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  42. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  43. Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
  44. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  45. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  46. 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