3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PP vs PPA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Polypropylene (PP)POLYOLEFIN | PPA (polyphthalamide)PA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $46.56/kg median; $31.99–$53.00/kg across 4 dated product listings | $45.49/kg median; $45.49–$45.49/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polypropylene — a semi-crystalline polyolefin with no polar groups, so it neither absorbs water nor bonds to most bed surfaces[1][2] | Polyphthalamide — a semi-aromatic polyamide in which aromatic diacid units replace part of the aliphatic backbone; Raise3D and Bambu Lab both label it high-temperature nylon[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 0.91 (Prusa PP composite, ISO 1183) — the lightest common filament[5] | 1.21 (ISO 1183, Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA)[6] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 27–53; the middle of the market is about 44[7][8][9][10] | One 1 kg listing on the market, at 45[11] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 27–53 across brands; Reli3D 32 on Amazon, SUNLU 44 at 0.8 kg, Fiberlogy 49 at 750 g, IEMAI 3D 53, and the 3DJake PP listing spans 27–49[7][12][8][9][10] | 45 for the only unfilled PPA filament found — Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA at 1 kg; every other PPA in retail is carbon- or glass-filled[11] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[12][8][7] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — Siraya Tech is the only brand found selling unfilled PPA filament[11] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75 kg spools are common[8] | 1.75 mm, 1 kg[11] |
| Typical applications | Living hinges, chemical-resistant containers, automotive clips and packaging prototypes[1] | Gears, bearings and tooling that must hold load above the reach of PA6 or PA12, and parts exposed to fuels and industrial chemicals[6] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 210–230 (Braskem-type PE/PP window); Formfutura's Centaur PP melts at 205 ± 15 °C[1] | 280–300 (Siraya Tech)[6] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 70–80 (Siraya Tech)[6] |
| 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][2] | Enclosure recommended — Siraya Tech advises an enclosure to hold temperature and limit warping on larger prints[6] |
| Part cooling fan | Part cooling fan required (Simplify3D)[13] | 20–60 % (Siraya Tech)[6] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Packing tape, a polypropylene sheet, or a PP-specific adhesive such as Magigoo PP — ordinary PLA and ABS adhesives do not hold it[13][2] | PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating[6] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; PP's crystallinity drives shrinkage and Prusa recommends a brim on its PP grades[5][14] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Very difficult — special plates or slurry required. PP bonds to almost nothing; a polypropylene-specific tape or adhesive is the normal answer[5][2] | Not documented |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[2] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; bed adhesion is the whole problem[2][5] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; needs a 300 °C-class hot end and a dry spool[6] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades — Simplify3D states no special hotend is required[13] | Brass fine indefinitely — Siraya Tech states a hardened steel nozzle is not needed for the unfilled grade[6] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive when unfilled[13] | Non-abrasive when unfilled[6] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — Simplify3D lists no special hotend requirement for PP and clogging is not among its listed drawbacks[15][13] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Siraya Tech tells users to dry only when moisture symptoms appear, rather than before every print[6] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[13] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required (Simplify3D)[13] | High-quality metal nozzle, 0.4–1.0 mm; hardened steel not required (Siraya Tech)[6] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Negligible (<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[5] | High (0.8–2 %) — Siraya Tech publishes 2.59 % by ISO 62 immersion for the unfilled grade; on the equilibrium basis Bambu Lab uses, its 15 % carbon-filled PPA reaches 1.30 % against 2.35 % for the same maker's PA6-CF[6][4][16] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.03 after 24 h and 0.04 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers, measured on its PP composite)[5] | 2.59 by ISO 62 water immersion (Siraya Tech, unfilled) — an immersion figure, not the 25 °C / 55 % RH equilibrium basis the filled grades are quoted on, so the two are not directly comparable[6] |
| Drying temperature & time | No drying step is published for PP; uptake is below the level that affects printing[5] | 80–100 °C for 4–6 h (Siraya Tech)[6] |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle; Polymaker still advises a 70 °C dry for 4–6 h despite the low uptake[2] | Oozing, bubbles and a rough surface finish (Siraya Tech)[6] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not applicable in practice — with equilibrium uptake at 0.04 %, there is no moisture-driven strength loss to measure. Polymaker's sensitivity tiers put polyolefins below even PLA[5][15] | Siraya Tech publishes dry against saturated for the same grade: tensile 70 → 60 MPa, flexural 114 → 87 MPa, HDT at 1.8 MPa 73.5 → 48.5 °C, while Charpy rises 10 → 14.5 kJ/m²[6][11] |
| Storage requirement | No special storage needed[5] | Dry box below 15 % RH (Siraya Tech)[6] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 12 at yield (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D638)[1] | 72 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech); the product page quotes 70 dry and 60 saturated[6][11] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 724 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D638; converted from 105,000 psi)[17] | 3600 (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[6] |
| Elongation at break% | Above 600 at break (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D638)[1] | 10.5 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[6] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 31.0 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D790; converted from 4500 psi)[17] | 115 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech); 114 dry against 87 saturated on the product page[6][11] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 402 flexural modulus (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D790) — an order of magnitude below any rigid filament[1] | 3350 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech)[6] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 10.1 Charpy (printed, ISO 179, Siraya Tech); the data sheet does not state whether the specimen was notched[6] |
| Other impact data | Izod notched 112 J/m on extruded PP stock, converted from 2.1 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[17] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Very ductile — bends far before failing[1] | Moderate — 10.5 % elongation at break puts it between PA6 and the fibre-filled grades[6] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Rockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded PP stock (ASTM D785)[17] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Below average[1] | Good — Raise3D cites high creep resistance as a reason to choose the PPA matrix over other nylons[3] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Excellent — living hinges viable, the classic polypropylene application[1] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Semi-flexible[1] | Rigid — 3.6 GPa tensile modulus[6] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Siraya Tech describes the unfilled grade as low-friction and self-lubricating, aimed at gears and bearings[6][11] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 74 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 165 °F)[17] | 81 dry and 61 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa, Siraya Tech)[6] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 73.5 dry and 48.5 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa, Siraya Tech) — unfilled PPA deflects near its Tg; the 190–227 °C figures quoted for PPA are carbon-filled grades[6][4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 80 (ASTM D3418, Siraya Tech)[6] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 205 ± 15 melting (Formfutura Centaur PP)[1] | 231 melting point (ASTM D3418) and 230 Vicat (ISO 306), Siraya Tech[6] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Bounded by a melting point of 205 ± 15 °C and by the 158 °C heat deflection of the carbon-filled grade; no loaded-bar service figure is published for unfilled PP[1][5] | Not documented |
| Annealing response | Not documented | Siraya Tech's product page offers annealing for strength while its own data sheet says annealing is not recommended because the print can warp; on its 15 % carbon-filled PPA, annealing lifts HDT at 1.8 MPa from 82.5 to 119 °C[6][11][18] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[5] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polypropylene chalks under UV[2] | Not documented |
| Chemical resistance | Excellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents — the usual reason to choose PP[2] | Withstands fuels, oils and industrial chemicals; Bambu Lab rates semi-aromatic nylon better than general nylon against weak acids, weak alkalis and most organic solvents[6][4] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Excellent — essentially unaffected[5] | Absorbs water, properties shift — a saturated specimen loses about 15 % of its tensile strength and 25 °C of heat-deflection temperature[6][11] |
| Food contact | Polypropylene is a common food-packaging polymer, but no filament here carries a food-contact certification[2] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[2] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Mechanically recyclable as resin code 5, but printed waste is not accepted in household collection[2] | Not documented |
| 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[19] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[19] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands poorly — the waxy surface loads abrasive paper[13] | Not documented |
| Painting & finishing | Paint and adhesives do not key to untreated PP; flame or plasma treatment is normally needed first[2] | Not documented |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Nothing common bonds untreated PP; flame or plasma treatment is needed before adhesives key[2] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[13] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | Prints its own supports; no soluble support is rated for PP[13] | Compatible with quick-release support materials (Siraya Tech)[6] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Shrinkage and warping dominate; the low modulus means parts flex rather than hold tolerance[5] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves it at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C — the xylene-solubles route.[20][21] | Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[22] |
| Softened or crazed by | Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[20] | Mineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not.[22] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[20] | None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[22] |
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
- Centaur PP Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · tds
- PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Raise3D Industrial PPA CF Technical Data Sheet V2.0 Raise3D · 2022-04 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PPA-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
- SUNLU product catalogue SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- Fiberlogy PP Natural — product page 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
- Reli3D Low Warp PP Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg Black — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D PP 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
- PP filament listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusament PP Glass Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 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
- Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds