3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Stone vs PP-CF

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

Stone-filled PLA guideCarbon-fibre PP (PP-CF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Stone comparisonsMore PP-CF comparisons
PLA Stone vs PP-CF — documented properties and sources
PropertyStone-filled PLAPLACarbon-fibre PP (PP-CF)POLYOLEFIN
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$22.99/kg median; $15.99–$49.16/kg across 6 dated product listings$107.68/kg median; $57.13–$120.00/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA filled with stone or mineral powder — Formfutura StoneFil declares 40–50 wt% stone powder[1][2]Polypropylene reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.22 (Bambu Lab PLA Marble) and 1.50–1.70 (Formfutura StoneFil), ISO 1183[2][1]0.91 (Prusament PP Carbon Fiber, ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 21[5][6]1 kg-equivalent spools span 57–138; the middle of the market is about 108[7][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg16–49 across brands; SUNLU 16, ELEGOO 19, Polymaker 21, Bambu Lab 25, Prusament 38, Filament PM MarbleJet 49 on 0.5 kg spools[10][6][5][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[7][11][8][9]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[5][6][10]Available from several mainstream brands[8][11]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools plus refills[6][1]1.75 mm; 0.65 kg spools[11][8]
Typical applicationsArchitectural models, sculpture and props with a matte mineral surface[2]Lightweight chemical-resistant parts, automotive clips and ducting that must survive above 150 °C[14]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.04 (Prusament)[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C190–230 (Bambu Lab)[2]270 ± 10 (Prusament)[3]
Bed temperature°C35–45 (Bambu Lab)[2]85 ± 10 (Prusament)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[2]Enclosure recommended — Simplify3D lists an enclosure as a hardware requirement and Polymaker advises one below 70 °C ambient to stop warping and cracking[15][16]
Part cooling fanFan on[2]Off — Prusa runs 0 % except 100 % on bridges[3]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented3.2 at Prusa's 40 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3][17]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedHigh — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a brim[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedVery difficult — special plates or slurry required[3]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; 0.2 mm nozzles are not usable[18]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[3]
Extruder requirementNozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible (Bambu Lab)[18]Prusa states a hardened nozzle is necessary and recommends a brim[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work — Bambu Lab's compatibility table says no hardened nozzle is needed while the note under the same table groups PLA Marble with particle-filled materials that should always use one[18]Hardened steel required — Prusa states plainly that a hardened nozzle is necessary[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — stone fill[18][1]Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[18]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][19]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.44 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[2]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%0.44 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2]0.03 after 24 h and 0.04 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[3]
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[20]Not applicable in practice at 0.04 % equilibrium uptake[3]
Storage requirementNot documentedNo special storage needed[3]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa33 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[2]21 ± 0.4 filament tensile yield (Prusament, ISO 527)[3]
Young's modulusMPa2330 ± 240 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Elongation at break%6.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa75 ± 5 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2920 ± 180 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²9.5 ± 2.6 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Bambu Lab)[2]14.5 ± 0.3 printed horizontal and 10.5 ± 0.8 printed vertical XZ (ISO 179-1, notched)[3]
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 24.0 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179)[2]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa30 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning[2]Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[3]
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 carbon-fibre PP filament[21]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no stone-filled creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[22][23][24]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 and the mineral filler leaves a brittle compound[25][2]Good[26]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[2]Slightly flexible in thin sections[3]
Z strength as % of XY%91 by tensile, 73 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C56 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[2]158 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — far above unfilled PP and above most engineering filaments[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2]115 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C56 (DSC)[2]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C156 peak melt (DSC); Formfutura gives a 120–170 melting range for StoneFil[2][1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[27]Not documented
Chemical resistanceNot documentedExcellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents[16]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedExcellent — essentially unaffected[3]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[28]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[28]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[28]Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[28]
Dust & fibre handling hazardFormfutura's SDS sets an occupational limit of 1 mg/m³ for the stone powder and lists it as both a fibre and a particulate — do not dry-sand without extraction[1]Carbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands to a stone-like matte surface[1]Not documented
Support material pairingSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detailMatte mineral surface hides layer lines; 55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges as for plain PLA[2]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[29]None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves the matrix at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C, leaving the fibre.[30][31]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[29][32]Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[30]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[33][32]None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[30]

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. StoneFil safety data sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · msds
  2. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Marble Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · 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. PLA Marble — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Black 650g — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Reli3D Carbon Fiber PP Filament 1.75 mm 700 g Black — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. SUNLU High Speed PLA Marble 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Filament PM PLA MarbleJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
  14. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  16. PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  18. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  22. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  23. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  24. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  25. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  26. Centaur PP Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · tds
  27. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  28. 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
  29. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  30. Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
  31. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  32. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  33. 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