3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Stone vs TPU soft

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

Stone-filled PLA guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Stone comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
PLA Stone vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyStone-filled PLAPLASoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$22.99/kg median; $15.99–$49.16/kg across 6 dated product listings$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA filled with stone or mineral powder — Formfutura StoneFil declares 40–50 wt% stone powder[1][2]Very soft thermoplastic elastomers below 85 Shore A. Fiberlogy's FiberFlex 30D measures 81 Shore A, the softest grade with a published datasheet found here[3]
Densityg/cm³1.22 (Bambu Lab PLA Marble) and 1.50–1.70 (Formfutura StoneFil), ISO 1183[2][1]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 21[4][5]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[6][7][8]
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[9][5][4][10][11][12]110–122 at 1 kg-equivalent; Recreus 70A 110 and 60A 116 at 500 g, NinjaTek Edge 83A 112, NinjaTek Chinchilla 75A 122; the Recreus 3 kg spools fall to 70–73[6][8][7]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[4][5][9]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][13][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools plus refills[5][1]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[3][6][14][7]
Typical applicationsArchitectural models, sculpture and props with a matte mineral surface[2]Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C190–230 (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Bed temperature°C35–45 (Bambu Lab)[2]50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[2]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fanFan on[2]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedPEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[15][16]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; 0.2 mm nozzles are not usable[17]Expert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[14][16]
Extruder requirementNozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible (Bambu Lab)[17]Direct drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[14][13]
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[17]Brass fine indefinitely[18]
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — stone fill[17][1]Non-abrasive[18]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[17]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; below 85 Shore A the filament buckles and compresses, and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates most likely end in a jam[15][16][19]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedVery high — softens in the cold zone readily[16]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[15]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.44 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[2]Moderate[19]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.44 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[19]
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[19]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[19]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[19]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa33 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
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]870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[3]
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]Not documented
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]Very ductile — bends far before failing[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[3]
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[20][21][22]Poor — no creep test at this hardness; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[23]
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[24][2]Excellent — living hinges viable[16]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[2]Rubbery / highly elastic[3]
Z strength as % of XY%91 by tensile, 73 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedTear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C56 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[2]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2]Not documented
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]170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[3]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[25]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[16]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedWithstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[16]
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[16]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[16]
RecyclabilityNot documentedNot accepted in household plastic collection[16]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[26]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[26]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[26]Open a window / occasional ventilation[26]
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]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands to a stone-like matte surface[1]Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[16]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[16]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[16]
Support material pairingSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[2]Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[16]
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.[27]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[28]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[27][29]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[28]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[30][29]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[28]

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. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  4. PLA Marble — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. SUNLU High Speed PLA Marble 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Filament PM PLA MarbleJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
  13. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  15. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  16. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  19. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  20. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  21. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  22. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  23. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  24. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  25. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  26. 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
  27. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  28. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  29. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  30. 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