3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PP-CF vs PPSU

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

Carbon-fibre PP (PP-CF) guidePPSU guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PP-CF comparisonsMore PPSU comparisons
PP-CF vs PPSU — documented properties and sources
PropertyCarbon-fibre PP (PP-CF)POLYOLEFINPPSUHIGHTEMP
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$107.68/kg median; $57.13–$120.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$337.40/kg median; $223.00–$732.56/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolypropylene reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[1][2]Polyphenylsulfone — an amorphous high-temperature sulfone polymer[3]
Densityg/cm³0.91 (Prusament PP Carbon Fiber, ISO 1183)[1]1.28 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech; ASTM D792, Stratasys PPSF)[3][4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 57–138; the middle of the market is about 108[5][6][7]1 kg-equivalent spools span 223–733; the middle of the market is about 425[6][8][9][10]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg57–138 across brands; Reli3D 57 at 700 g on Amazon, Prusament 108 direct from Prusa and 138 at Printed Solid, 3DXTech CarbonX PP+CF 120[5][11][6][7]223-733 across brands; IEMAI 3D 223 at 1 kg, 3DXTech ThermaX PPSU 250 at 500 g, 3D4Makers 425 at 750 g, Kimya PPSU-S 733 at 500 g[6][8][9][10]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[6][11]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6][8][9]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 0.65 kg spools[11][6]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 200 g to 750 g spools[6][8][9]
Typical applicationsLightweight chemical-resistant parts, automotive clips and ducting that must survive above 150 °C[12]Steam-sterilisable medical and dental tooling, and aircraft interior parts[3]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.04 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C270 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Bed temperature°C85 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]130–150 (3DXTech)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended — Simplify3D lists an enclosure as a hardware requirement and Polymaker advises one below 70 °C ambient to stop warping and cracking[13][14]Actively heated chamber required[15][16]
Part cooling fanOff — Prusa runs 0 % except 100 % on bridges[1]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s3.2 at Prusa's 40 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1][17]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a brim[1]Severe — heated chamber needed[15]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Very difficult — special plates or slurry required[1]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[1]Expert / industrial hardware only[15][16]
Extruder requirementPrusa states a hardened nozzle is necessary and recommends a brim[1]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required — Prusa states plainly that a hardened nozzle is necessary[1]Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[15]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[1]Non-abrasive when unfilled[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — 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[2][18]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry before every print[19]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Negligible (<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[1]Not documented
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.03 after 24 h and 0.04 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[1]0.37 in 24 h and 1.1 at saturation on extruded stock (ASTM D570)[20]
Effect of moisture on strengthNot applicable in practice at 0.04 % equilibrium uptake[1]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry before every print because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[19]
Storage requirementNo special storage needed[1]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa21 ± 0.4 filament tensile yield (Prusament, ISO 527)[1]55 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) and 55 (printed on side long edge, ASTM D638, Stratasys PPSF); 79 at yield on extruded stock[3][4][20]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented2100 (printed, ASTM D638, Stratasys PPSF) and 2310 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 2344 on extruded stock[3][4][20]
Elongation at break%Not documented3 (printed, ISO 527 and ASTM D638) against 60 on extruded stock — printing costs PPSU almost all of its ductility[3][4][20]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented110 (printed, ISO 178 and ASTM D790, 3DXTech and Stratasys PPSF agree); 91 on extruded stock[3][4][20]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2200 (printed, ASTM D790, Stratasys PPSF) and 2215 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech)[3][4]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²14.5 ± 0.3 printed horizontal and 10.5 ± 0.8 printed vertical XZ (ISO 179-1, notched)[1]Not documented
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod notched 58.7 J/m and unnotched 165.5 J/m (printed, ASTM D256 Method A, Stratasys PPSF); 160 J/m notched on extruded stock[4][20]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Brittle — snaps with little warning[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded unfilled PP stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a carbon-fibre PP filament[21]Rockwell M86 on printed PPSF (ASTM D785, Stratasys); M96 on extruded PPSU stock (and an unlabelled 123)[4][20]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedGood. Printed PPSF holds 189 °C heat deflection at 1.8 MPa (ASTM D648) and extruded stock is rated 149 °C long-term service, but Ensinger does not claim the creep resistance it claims for PSU and PPS[4][20]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good[22]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Slightly flexible in thin sections[1]Rigid[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C158 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — far above unfilled PP and above most engineering filaments[1]190 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C115 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]189 (printed, ASTM D648 at 264 psi, Stratasys PPSF); 207 on extruded stock, converted from 405 °F[4][20]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented230 (DSC) — the highest glass transition in the dataset[3]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented149 long-term service on extruded PPSU stock, converted from 300 °F[20]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented55.0 (printed PPSF, ASTM D696; source states 5.5e-5 mm/mm/°C) and 55.8 on extruded stock (ASTM D696, from 3.1e-5 in/in/°F)[4][20]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedUL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin[3]
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceExcellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents[14]Withstands repeated steam autoclaving, the usual reason to choose PPSU over PSU; Stratasys also lists PPSF as passing 24 h stress-crack exposure to antifreeze, petrol, motor oil, power-steering, transmission and washer fluid at 23 °C and 100 °C[3][4]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Excellent — essentially unaffected[1]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedVolume resistivity 5e13 to 1.5e14 ohm-cm and dielectric strength 80-290 V/mil on printed PPSF (ASTM D257, D149)[4]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low 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[23]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[23]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[23]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[23]
Dust & fibre handling hazardCarbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[1]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inNone at room temperature; chloroform dissolves the matrix at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C, leaving the fibre.[24][25]Dichloromethane dissolves it at 23 °C at every stress level; acetone solvates and softens unstressed PPSU (Solvay ESCR).[26]
Softened or crazed byXylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[24]MEK ruptures stressed parts and toluene crazes them above 13.8 MPa; glass-filled grades survive where unfilled craze.[26]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[24]Dichloromethane cements PPSU and NMP softens residual resin; both are laboratory reagents, not workshop stock.[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. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
  2. CarbonX PP+CF — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. ThermaX PPSU Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  4. PPSF (polyphenylsulfone) — FDM Data Sheet Stratasys · 2018-06 · tds
  5. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Black 650g — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Reli3D Carbon Fiber PP Filament 1.75 mm 700 g Black — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Kimya PPSU-S Natural 1.75 mm 500 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. IEMAI 3D PPSU 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  16. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  19. THERMAX PPSU — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  20. TECASON P black (PPSU) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  22. Centaur PP Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · tds
  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. Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
  25. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  26. Radel PPSU, Veradel PESU, Acudel modified PPSU Design Guide — environmental stress cracking tables Solvay Specialty Polymers · 2026-08 · tds