Filament comparison
PP-GF vs PPS
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Glass-fibre PP (PP-GF)POLYOLEFIN | PPSHIGHTEMP |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $49.09/kg median; $46.27–$86.01/kg across 3 dated product listings | $116.97/kg median; $84.00–$200.00/kg across 3 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polypropylene reinforced with chopped glass fibre[1][2] | Polyphenylene sulfide — a semi-crystalline high-temperature polymer[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.12 (Prusament PP Glass Fiber, ISO 1183) — the glass lifts it above water[1] | 1.28 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech) and 1.33 (ISO 1183, Spectrum PPS AM230)[3][5] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 49[6][7][8] | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 84–200; the middle of the market is about 117[9][10][11] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 46-86 across brands; BCN3D PP GF30 46 at 700 g, BASF Ultrafuse PP GF30 49 at 2.2 kg, Prusament PP Glass Fiber 86 at 850 g[6][7][8] | 84-200 across brands and diameters; IEMAI 3D 84 at 1 kg, Spectrum PPS AM230 117 at 750 g, 3DXTech ThermaX PPS 140 at 2.85 mm and 200 at 1.75 mm[9][10][11] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[6][7][8] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[9][10] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 700 g, 850 g and 2.2 kg spools[6][7][8] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[9][10] |
| Typical applications | Stiff, chemically resistant parts where PP-CF's cost or conductivity is unwanted[2] | Chemical-plant and under-bonnet parts needing solvent resistance above 200 °C[4] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | ±0.04 (Prusament)[1] | Not documented |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 245 ± 10 (Prusament) — 25 °C below the carbon-fibre grade[1][12] | 335-345 (3DXTech printed-specimen conditions); 300-330 (Spectrum)[3][5] |
| Bed temperature°C | 95 ± 10 (Prusament)[1] | 110-130 (3DXTech); 100-120 (Spectrum)[3][5] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure 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] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | Not documented | 60-80 actively heated (Spectrum PPS AM230)[5] |
| Part cooling fan | Off — Prusa runs 0 % except 100 % on bridges[1] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Adhesive required — Spectrum specifies Magigoo Pro HT[5] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 4 at Prusa's 50 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1][17] | Not documented |
| Warping tendency1–5 | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a brim[1] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Very difficult — special plates or slurry required[1] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[1] | Expert / industrial hardware only[15][16] |
| Extruder requirement | Prusa states a hardened nozzle is necessary and recommends a brim[1] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Hardened steel required[1] | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[15] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[1] | Non-abrasive when unfilled[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists higher risk of nozzle clogging for glass-filled composites[18] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 110 °C pre-dry before every print[19] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Low (0.1–0.3 %) — 0.11 % at both 24 h and 7 days, higher than the carbon-fibre grade's 0.04 % but still very low[1][12] | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Polymaker states minimal water absorption at 0.05 %[4] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.11 after 24 h and 0.11 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[1] | 0.01 in 24 h on extruded stock (ASTM D570) — effectively non-absorbing[20] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | At least 3 h at 90 °C in hot dry air if the filament has taken up moisture (Spectrum)[5] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not applicable in practice at 0.11 % equilibrium uptake[1] | Little to measure — equilibrium uptake is 0.05 %; 3DXTech still specifies a 110 °C, 4 h pre-dry before printing[4][19] |
| Storage requirement | No special storage needed[1] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 46.6 ± 1.3 filament tensile yield (Prusament, ISO 527) — more than double the carbon-fibre grade's 21[1][12] | 50 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 65 at break injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 94 at yield on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[3][5][20] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2650 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 3650 injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 5769 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[3][5][20] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) against 2.0 injection-moulded (Spectrum) and 2.5 on extruded stock — the suppliers disagree by nearly an order of magnitude[3][5][20] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 52 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech); 141 on extruded stock (ASTM D790)[3][20] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2540 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 7.9 ± 0.4 printed horizontal and 9.9 ± 0.8 printed vertical XZ (ISO 179-1, notched)[1] | 1.3 notched injection-moulded (ISO 179-1eA, Spectrum); unnotched 18[5] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Izod notched 33 J/m on extruded PPS stock, converted from 0.62 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[20] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[1] | Moderate[3] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Rockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded unfilled PP stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a glass-fibre PP filament[21] | Rockwell 105 (and R124) on extruded PPS stock (ASTM D785)[20] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — holds load for years. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PPS stock, and Spectrum states that rigidity, strength and creep resistance are unchanged under continuous load at high temperature[20][5] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid[3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 138.3 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1] | 90 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech); 129 injection-moulded (ISO 75, Spectrum); 204 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi)[3][5][20] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 112.6 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1] | 107 injection-moulded (ISO 75 at 1.81 MPa, Spectrum); 104 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[5][20] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 283 melting (ISO 11357, 3DXTech) and 280 on extruded stock; Vicat softening 236 at 50 N injection-moulded (ISO 306, Spectrum)[3][5][20] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 170 long-term service on extruded PPS stock, converted from 338 °F[20] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 59.4 (extruded PPS stock, 22-60 °C, ASTM D696; source states 3.3e-5 in/in/°F)[20] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin[3] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Excellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents[14] | Outstanding — PPS resists essentially all solvents below 200 °C[4] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Excellent — essentially unaffected[1] | Excellent — essentially unaffected; extruded stock takes up 0.01 % water in 24 h[20] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | 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[22] | 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[22] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[22] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[22] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Glass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves the matrix at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C, leaving the fibre.[23][24] | None — PPS does not dissolve in any known solvent below 200 °C.[25][26] |
| Softened or crazed by | Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[23] | Nothing at 23 °C; Ensinger rates it only conditionally resistant to benzene, dichloromethane, toluene and pyridine.[26] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[23] | None — no solvent welds or smooths PPS.[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
- Prusament PP Glass Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Prusament PP Glass Fiber — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- ThermaX PPS Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- PPS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Spectrum PPS AM230 Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2022-04 · tds
- BASF Ultrafuse PP GF30 Black 2.85 mm 2.200 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- BCN3D PP GF30 Black 2.85 mm 700 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa Prusament PP Glass Fiber Natural (NFC), 1.75 mm / 850 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Spectrum PPS AM230 Natural, 1.75 mm / 750 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D PPS 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
- Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- THERMAX PPS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- TECATRON natural (PPS) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
- US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
- PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds