3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Wood vs POM

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

Wood-filled PLA guidePOM (acetal) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Wood comparisonsMore POM comparisons
PLA Wood vs POM — documented properties and sources
PropertyWood-filled PLAPLAPOM (acetal)ENGINEERING
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$34.49/kg median; $13.99–$76.40/kg across 6 dated product listingsNot documented
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]Polyoxymethylene, normally the copolymer POM-C. Apium's filament grade is POM-C with antistatic additives; no unfilled POM filament was found on sale[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.15 (colorFabb) to 1.23 (Fiberlogy), ISO 1183; Bambu Lab 1.21[5][2][6]1.41 (extruded POM-C stock)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 25; counting the 0.5 kg specialty spools the middle of the market is about 34[7][8][9]Not documented
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[8][7][10][11][12][9]Not documented
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[7][8][11][6]Special order, 1-2 makers worldwide — Apium sells a POM-C ESD filament through its own shop and states its printers are the only ones able to process POM-C; no POM filament appears in the 3DJAKE or igo3d product sitemaps, at MatterHackers or at Printed Solid[4][13][14][10]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.6, 0.85 and 1 kg spools[11][6][7]Not documented
Typical applicationsDecorative and model-making prints that are sanded and stained like timber[5][2]Gears, bushings, bearings, conveyor and food-machinery parts; Apium markets its POM-C ESD grade for semiconductor insulators, aerospace fasteners and sliding parts[3][4]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[5]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C190–240 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb advises 195–220 for its PLA/PHA base[5][2]Not documented
Bed temperature°C35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–70 (Fiberlogy)[5][6]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[5]Not documented
Part cooling fanFan on[5]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5None[5]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; pre-drying is required and the wood content chars if it sits hot[15][5]Not documented
Extruder requirementNozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible; Bambu Lab does not recommend the AMS lite[15]Apium states that the adaptive heating system on its industrial machines is what makes POM-C printable, and that no other 3D printer can process it[4]
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[15][16]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — wood fill[15]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; wood particles char and block small nozzles[15]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High — 1.25 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH, the highest in the PLA family[5]Low (0.1-0.3 %) — extruded POM-C stock takes up 0.18 % in 24 h and 0.80 % at saturation (ASTM D570)[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%1.25 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[5]Not documented
Drying temperature & time55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer; Bambu Lab lists pre-drying as required[5][15]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBambu Lab flags pre-drying and ventilation as specific requirements for this grade[15]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[17][5]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa26 ± 5 (Bambu Lab) and 28.4 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy quotes 35 at yield[5][2][6]66.9 at break and 64.1 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 9700 and 9300 psi)[3]
Young's modulusMPa2360 ± 190 (Bambu Lab) and 2479 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 2950[5][2][6]2275 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 330,000 psi)[3]
Elongation at break%4.5 (colorFabb) to 15.3 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 6.5[5][2][6]40 at break and 9 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638)[3]
Flexural strengthMPa55 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[5]89.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 13,000 psi)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa2780 ± 120 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[5]2758 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 400,000 psi)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²3.81 (colorFabb) and 6.3 ± 2.2 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 179, notched[5][2]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 12.28 (colorFabb) and 15.7 (Bambu Lab), printed, ISO 179[5][2]Izod 53 J/m on extruded POM-C stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa15 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); flexural Z falls to 28 against 55 in XY[5]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning[5]Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking; extruded stock elongates 40 % before failing. No printed figure is published[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell 86 (and R120) — the source names only the R scale on extruded POM-C stock (ASTM D785)[3]
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[18][19][20]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[21][5]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[5]Not documented
Z strength as % of XY%58 by tensile, 51 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[5]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedWear factor 65e-10 in3*min/(ft*lb*h) and a dynamic coefficient of friction of 0.21 at 40 psi and 50 fpm (ASTM D3702, extruded stock) — the properties that make acetal the default gear and bushing plastic; Apium lists good sliding properties as the reason for its grade[3][4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[5]158 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 316 °F)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C57 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[5]110 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 230 °F)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C54 (Bambu Lab, DSC); Fiberlogy quotes 55–60[5][6]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C156 peak melt (DSC)[5]165 melting (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 329 °F)[3]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented91 long term and 141 intermittent (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 195 °F and 285 °F)[3]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented84.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.7e-5 in/in/°F)[3]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedUL 94 HB on extruded POM-C stock[3]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[22]Not documented
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood chemical resistance, particularly to bases; Apium lists resistance to bases as a headline property[3][4]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — minor absorption; 0.80 % water at saturation (ASTM D570, extruded stock)[3]
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedVolume resistance 1e14 ohm-cm, dielectric strength 500 V/mil and dielectric constant 3.7 at 60 Hz on extruded stock (ASTM D257, D149, D150); Apium's filament grade adds antistatic agents[3][4]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[23]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room; Bambu Lab specifically advises ventilation for this grade[15]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and stains like timber — the usual reason for choosing it[2]Easy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of POM-C stock[3]
Support material pairingSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[5]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detailWood grain hides layer lines; colour darkens with nozzle temperature[5][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.[24]Hexafluoroisopropanol dissolves it at room temperature; NMP and DMF only when hot. Laboratory reagents.[25]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[24][26]Acids, oxidants, halogens and hot concentrated zinc chloride attack it; alcohols, ketones and esters do not.[25][27]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[28][26]None — no solvent softens POM below its melting point, which is why it is bolted or heat-welded rather than glued.[25]

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. TECAFORM AH natural (POM-C) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  4. POM-C ESD 3D printing — material page Apium 3D Technologies · 2026-08 · doc
  5. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  6. FiberWood technical data sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  7. PLA Wood — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. PLA+ WOODJet - Natur (1,75 mm; 0,5 kg) Filament PM shop · 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. 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  19. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  20. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  21. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  22. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  23. 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
  24. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  25. Resistance of Ultramid, Ultraform and Ultradur to chemicals (TI-KTU/AS-28 e) BASF · 2000-10 · tds
  26. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  28. 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