3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Wood vs PMMA

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

Wood-filled PLA guidePMMA (acrylic) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Wood comparisonsMore PMMA comparisons
PLA Wood vs PMMA — documented properties and sources
PropertyWood-filled PLAPLAPMMA (acrylic)ENGINEERING
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$34.49/kg median; $13.99–$76.40/kg across 6 dated product listings$49.99/kg median; $49.99–$49.99/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA filled with wood powder — 10–18 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS); colorFabb woodFill uses a PLA/PHA base with recycled wood fibre[1][2]Poly(methyl methacrylate) — acrylic, sold for 3D printing as a transparent glass substitute[3]
Densityg/cm³1.15 (colorFabb) to 1.23 (Fiberlogy), ISO 1183; Bambu Lab 1.21[4][2][5]Not documented
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 25; counting the 0.5 kg specialty spools the middle of the market is about 34[6][7][8]1 kg spools cluster near 50[9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg14–76 across brands; SUNLU 14, ELEGOO 19, Bambu Lab 25, Prusament 44, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools, colorFabb 76[7][6][10][11][12][8]50 at Push Plastic's 1 kg listing; 3 kg spools run the same per kilogram[9]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[6][7][11][5]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[9]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.6, 0.85 and 1 kg spools[11][5][6]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[9]
Typical applicationsDecorative and model-making prints that are sanded and stained like timber[4][2]Transparent covers and light guides where PC's yellowing or cost rules it out[3]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[4]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C190–240 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb advises 195–220 for its PLA/PHA base[4][2]Not documented
Bed temperature°C35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–70 (Fiberlogy)[4][5]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[4]Not documented
Part cooling fanFan on[4]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5None[4]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; pre-drying is required and the wood content chars if it sits hot[13][4]Not documented
Extruder requirementNozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible; Bambu Lab does not recommend the AMS lite[13]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work — Bambu Lab's PLA compatibility table lists no hardened-nozzle requirement, but its nozzle guide names wood among the abrasive filaments hardened steel exists for[13][14]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — wood fill[13]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; wood particles char and block small nozzles[13]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High — 1.25 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH, the highest in the PLA family[4]Not documented
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%1.25 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[4]Not documented
Drying temperature & time55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer; Bambu Lab lists pre-drying as required[4][13]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBambu Lab flags pre-drying and ventilation as specific requirements for this grade[13]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthNo dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. At 1.25 % saturated uptake the practical loss shows as poor layer adhesion, rough surface and weak layers[15][4]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa26 ± 5 (Bambu Lab) and 28.4 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy quotes 35 at yield[4][2][5]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa2360 ± 190 (Bambu Lab) and 2479 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 2950[4][2][5]Not documented
Elongation at break%4.5 (colorFabb) to 15.3 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 6.5[4][2][5]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa55 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2780 ± 120 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²3.81 (colorFabb) and 6.3 ± 2.2 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 179, notched[4][2]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 12.28 (colorFabb) and 15.7 (Bambu Lab), printed, ISO 179[4][2]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa15 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); flexural Z falls to 28 against 55 in XY[4]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning[4]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no wood-filled creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[16][17][18]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 wood filler cuts elongation and the parts snap without warning[19][4]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[4]Not documented
Z strength as % of XY%58 by tensile, 51 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[4]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[4]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C57 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[4]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C54 (Bambu Lab, DSC); Fiberlogy quotes 55–60[4][5]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C156 peak melt (DSC)[4]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[20]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[21]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room; Bambu Lab specifically advises ventilation for this grade[13]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and stains like timber — the usual reason for choosing it[2]Not documented
Support material pairingSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[4]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detailWood grain hides layer lines; colour darkens with nozzle temperature[4][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.[22]Acetone, MEK, ethyl and butyl acetate, THF, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride dissolve it; the last two are laboratory reagents.[23]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[22][24]Alcohols, aliphatic hydrocarbons, oils and phthalate plasticisers craze it, and the threshold falls as stress rises.[23]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[25][24]Dichloromethane acrylic cement (IPS Weld-On 3): 2–5 min soak, 17.2 MPa lap shear at one week. Controlled carcinogen.[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. Safety Data Sheet SDS20250723SA16 — Bambu PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2025-07 · msds
  2. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  3. PMMA Filament 1.75mm 1kg — product page Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. FiberWood technical data sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  6. PLA Wood — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. PLA+ WOODJet - Natur (1,75 mm; 0,5 kg) Filament PM shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. woodFill — product page colorFabb US · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. SUNLU Optimized Wood PLA 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  17. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  18. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  19. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  20. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  21. 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
  22. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  23. Chemical resistance of PMMA products Mitsubishi Chemical (Acrypet) · 2026-08 · tds
  24. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  25. 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
  26. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds