3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PP vs PSU
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Polypropylene (PP)POLYOLEFIN | PSUHIGHTEMP |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $46.56/kg median; $31.99–$53.00/kg across 4 dated product listings | $168.00/kg median; $168.00–$168.00/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] | Polysulfone — the lowest-temperature and cheapest of the sulfone family[3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 0.91 (Prusa PP composite, ISO 1183) — the lightest common filament[4] | 1.24 (ISO 1183)[3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 27–53; the middle of the market is about 44[5][6][7][8] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 250[9] |
| 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[5][10][6][7][8] | 168-250 across formats; 250 g spool $42 (168/kg), 500 g $125 (250/kg) — 3DXTech is the only filament supplier found[9] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[10][6][5] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[9] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75 kg spools are common[6] | 1.75 mm; 250 g and 500 g spools[9] |
| Typical applications | Living hinges, chemical-resistant containers, automotive clips and packaging prototypes[1] | Transparent high-temperature housings, medical trays and hot-water fittings[3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 210–230 (Braskem-type PE/PP window); Formfutura's Centaur PP melts at 205 ± 15 °C[1] | Not documented |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 120–140 (3DXTech)[3] |
| 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[11][2] | Actively heated chamber required[12][13] |
| Part cooling fan | Part cooling fan required (Simplify3D)[11] | Not documented |
| 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[11][2] | Not documented |
| Warping tendency1–5 | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; PP's crystallinity drives shrinkage and Prusa recommends a brim on its PP grades[4][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[4][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][4] | Expert / industrial hardware only[12][13] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades — Simplify3D states no special hotend is required[11] | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[12] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive when unfilled[11] | Non-abrasive when unfilled[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — Simplify3D lists no special hotend requirement for PP and clogging is not among its listed drawbacks[15][11] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry before every print[16] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[11] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required (Simplify3D)[11] | Not documented |
| 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[4] | 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, measured on its PP composite)[4] | 0.30 in 24 h on extruded stock (ASTM D570)[17] |
| Drying temperature & time | No drying step is published for PP; uptake is below the level that affects printing[4] | Not documented |
| 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] | Not documented |
| 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[4][15] | 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[16] |
| Storage requirement | No special storage needed[4] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 12 at yield (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D638)[1] | 52 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 81 at break on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[3][17] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 724 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D638; converted from 105,000 psi)[18] | 2100 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3] |
| Elongation at break% | Above 600 at break (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D638)[1] | 8 (printed XY, ISO 527) against 50 on extruded stock — nearly three times PPSU's printed 3 %[3][19][17] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 31.0 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D790; converted from 4500 psi)[18] | 87 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 402 flexural modulus (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D790) — an order of magnitude below any rigid filament[1] | 2050 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3] |
| Other impact data | Izod notched 112 J/m on extruded PP stock, converted from 2.1 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[18] | Izod notched 69 J/m on extruded PSU stock, converted from 1.3 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[17] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Very ductile — bends far before failing[1] | Moderate[3] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Rockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded PP stock (ASTM D785)[18] | Rockwell M120 on extruded PSU stock (ASTM D785)[17] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Below average[1] | Good. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PSU stock, which is rated to 173 °C heat deflection at 1.8 MPa[17] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Excellent — living hinges viable, the classic polypropylene application[1] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Semi-flexible[1] | Rigid[3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 74 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 165 °F)[18] | 172 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech); 181 on extruded stock, converted from 358 °F at 66 psi[3][17] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 174 on extruded PSU stock, converted from 345 °F at 264 psi (ASTM D648)[17] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 187 (DSC, 3DXTech) and 185 on extruded stock (ASTM D3418), against 230 for PPSU[3][19][17] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 205 ± 15 melting (Formfutura Centaur PP)[1] | Not documented |
| 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][4] | 141 long-term service on extruded PSU stock, converted from 285 °F[17] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 55.8 (extruded PSU stock, ASTM D696; source states 3.1e-5 in/in/°F)[17] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[4] | UL 94 V-0 on extruded PSU stock[17] |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Excellent — essentially unaffected[4] | Not documented |
| 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 |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — an insulator (IEC 60093)[3] |
| 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[20] | 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[20] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[20] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[20] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands poorly — the waxy surface loads abrasive paper[11] | 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[11] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | Prints its own supports; no soluble support is rated for PP[11] | Not documented |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Shrinkage and warping dominate; the low modulus means parts flex rather than hold tolerance[4] | 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.[21][22] | Chlorinated hydrocarbons — dichloromethane, chloroform — dissolve polysulfone; ketones and esters attack it as well.[23][24] |
| Softened or crazed by | Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[21] | Acetone, MEK, ethyl acetate, benzene and toluene craze or stress-crack it; methanol and isopropanol only marginally.[24][23] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[21] | Dichloromethane cement welds PSU and NMP softens residual resin. Both are laboratory reagents.[23] |
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
- ThermaX PSU Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · 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
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- PP filament listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 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
- Prusament PP Glass Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- THERMAX PSU — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- TECASON S natural (PSU) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- ThermaX PPSU Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 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
- Radel PPSU, Veradel PESU, Acudel modified PPSU Design Guide — environmental stress cracking tables Solvay Specialty Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds