3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PP vs Breakaway

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

Polypropylene (PP) guideBreak-away support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PP comparisonsMore Breakaway comparisons
PP vs Breakaway — documented properties and sources
PropertyPolypropylene (PP)POLYOLEFINBreak-away supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$46.56/kg median; $31.99–$53.00/kg across 4 dated product listings$42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolypropylene — a semi-crystalline polyolefin with no polar groups, so it neither absorbs water nor bonds to most bed surfaces[1][2]Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[3][4]
Densityg/cm³0.91 (Prusa PP composite, ISO 1183) — the lightest common filament[5]1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[3][4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 27–53; the middle of the market is about 44[6][7][8][9]1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[10][11][12]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg27–53 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[6][13][7][8][9]26–80 across brands and grades; IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE 26, Polymaker PolySupport for PLA 40 at 750 g, YXPOLYER 45, PolySupport for PA12 80 at 500 g[10][11][12]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[13][7][6]Available from several mainstream brands[10][14]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75 kg spools are common[7]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[10]
Typical applicationsLiving hinges, chemical-resistant containers, automotive clips and packaging prototypes[1]Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C210–230 (Braskem-type PE/PP window); Formfutura's Centaur PP melts at 205 ± 15 °C[1]220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[3]
Bed temperature°CNot documented25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[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[15][2]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan required (Simplify3D)[15]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidPacking tape, a polypropylene sheet, or a PP-specific adhesive such as Magigoo PP — ordinary PLA and ABS adhesives do not hold it[15][2]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3]
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; PP's crystallinity drives shrinkage and Prusa recommends a brim on its PP grades[5][16]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Very 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 tendency1–5Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[2]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; bed adhesion is the whole problem[2][5]Easy — minor profile tuning[3]
Extruder requirementNot documentedA second extruder or a tool changer[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades — Simplify3D states no special hotend is required[15]Brass fine indefinitely[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[15]Non-abrasive[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — Simplify3D lists no special hotend requirement for PP and clogging is not among its listed drawbacks[17][15]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Polymaker specifies a 55 °C dry for the PLA grade and warns brass nozzle life falls to about 9 h on the PA12 grade[3][4]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[15]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required (Simplify3D)[15]Not documented
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[5]Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[3]
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]0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[3]
Drying temperature & timeNo drying step is published for PP; uptake is below the level that affects printing[5]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBubbling 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 strengthNot 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][17]Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[17]
Storage requirementNo special storage needed[5]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa12 at yield (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D638)[1]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa724 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D638; converted from 105,000 psi)[18]Not documented
Elongation at break%Above 600 at break (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D638)[1]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa31.0 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D790; converted from 4500 psi)[18]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa402 flexural modulus (Formfutura Centaur PP, ASTM D790) — an order of magnitude below any rigid filament[1]Not documented
Other impact dataIzod notched 112 J/m on extruded PP stock, converted from 2.1 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[18]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Very ductile — bends far before failing[1]Not documented
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded PP stock (ASTM D785)[18]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Below average[1]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable, the classic polypropylene application[1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[1]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C74 on extruded PP stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 165 °F)[18]43 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, PolySupport for PA12). Polymaker's sheet prints a higher figure at the higher load, which is physically inverted; treat both HDT numbers as approximate[4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, PolySupport for PA12) — printed above the 0.45 MPa figure on Polymaker's own sheet, which cannot be right; treat both as approximate[4]
Melting point / Vicat°C205 ± 15 melting (Formfutura Centaur PP)[1]Vicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[4]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded 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
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[5]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polypropylene chalks under UV[2]Not documented
Chemical resistanceExcellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents — the usual reason to choose PP[2]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Excellent — essentially unaffected[5]Not documented
Food contactPolypropylene is a common food-packaging polymer, but no filament here carries a food-contact certification[2]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[2]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable as resin code 5, but printed waste is not accepted in household collection[2]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedSurface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[19][20]
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[21]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[21]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[21]Open a window / occasional ventilation[21]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — the waxy surface loads abrasive paper[15]Not documented
Painting & finishingPaint and adhesives do not key to untreated PP; flame or plasma treatment is normally needed first[2]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingNothing common bonds untreated PP; flame or plasma treatment is needed before adhesives key[2]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[15]Not documented
Support material pairingPrints its own supports; no soluble support is rated for PP[15]This is the support material. Polymaker publishes an adhesion matrix per model material, from very good to unusable, because break-away supports only work against the polymer they were matched to[3][4]
Dimensional accuracy & detailShrinkage and warping dominate; the low modulus means parts flex rather than hold tolerance[5]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inNone at room temperature; chloroform dissolves it at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C — the xylene-solubles route.[22][23]None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[24]
Softened or crazed byXylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[22]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[22]None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[24]

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. Centaur PP Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  3. PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  5. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
  6. SUNLU product catalogue SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Fiberlogy PP Natural — product page 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Reli3D Low Warp PP Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg Black — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. IEMAI 3D PP 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. PP filament listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Prusament PP Glass Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
  17. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  19. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  20. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  21. 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
  22. Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
  23. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  24. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor