3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

TPU 85A vs TPU soft

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

TPU 85A guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore TPU 85A comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
TPU 85A vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyTPU 85AFLEXSoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$89.89/kg median; $31.99–$106.05/kg across 6 dated product listings$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistrySoft thermoplastic polyurethane at 82–85 Shore A[1][2][3]Very soft thermoplastic elastomers below 85 Shore A. Fiberlogy's FiberFlex 30D measures 81 Shore A, the softest grade with a published datasheet found here[4]
Densityg/cm³1.11 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A) to 1.19 (NinjaFlex 85A), ISO 1183 / ASTM D792[3][1]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 32–106; the middle of the market is about 90[5][6][1]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[7][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg32–106 across brands; Siraya Tech Flex TPU 85A 32 at 1 kg, add:north TPU Pro Matte 85A 72, Recreus Filaflex 82A 90 at 500 g, Proto-pasta Clear Flexible TPU 90, 3DXTech 3DXFLEX 85A 96, NinjaTek NinjaFlex 106[10][5][6][11][1]110–122 at 1 kg-equivalent; Recreus 70A 110 and 60A 116 at 500 g, NinjaTek Edge 83A 112, NinjaTek Chinchilla 75A 122; the Recreus 3 kg spools fall to 70–73[7][9][8]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[5][10]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4][2][7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[5][10][1]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[4][7][1][8]
Typical applicationsSoft-touch grips, seals, wearables and anything that must compress and rebound[1][2]Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[4]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C200–220 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A, 210 typical)[3]Not documented
Bed temperature°C40 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A)[3]50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[4]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[3]Open frame is fine[4]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[12][13]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[12][13]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s1.2–3.2 at the 15–40 mm/s BASF specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5None[3]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Sticks to anything — Recreus states its 82A grade has excellent bed adhesion without a heated bed or additives[2]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5High — drying plus tuning needed[14][13]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; at this hardness the filament will not push through a Bowden tube[1][2]Expert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[1][13]
Extruder requirementDirect drive only. NinjaTek calls its 85A grade ideal for direct-drive extruders and Recreus specifies direct-drive printers for 82A; BASF caps print speed at 15–40 mm/s with a nozzle of 0.4 mm or larger[1][2][3]Direct drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[1][2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[15]Brass fine indefinitely[15]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[15]Non-abrasive[15]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[14][13]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; below 85 Shore A the filament buckles and compresses, and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates most likely end in a jam[12][13][14]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Very high — softens in the cold zone readily; soft filament buckles between the drive gear and the melt zone[13][1]Very high — softens in the cold zone readily[13]
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[12]No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[12]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — NinjaTek measures 0.22 % in 24 h (ASTM D570) and BASF specifies a 70 °C dry for at least 5 h[1][3]Moderate[14]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.22 after 24 h water immersion (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D570) — an immersion figure, not an equilibrium moisture content at 50 % RH[1]Not documented
Drying temperature & time70 °C for at least 5 h in a hot-air dryer or vacuum oven (BASF)[3]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[14]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[14]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; wet TPU prints with poor layer adhesion and weak, brittle layers[14]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[14]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[14]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[14]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa26 ultimate (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D638)[1]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa12 (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D638) — two orders of magnitude below any rigid filament; NinjaTek's 95A Cheetah reaches 26 by the same method[1][16]Not documented
Elongation at break%650 at break (Filaflex 82A) and 660 (NinjaFlex 85A); BASF measures 600 in XY and 320 in ZX[2][1][3]870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[4]
Brittleness1–5Very ductile — bends far before failing[1]Very ductile — bends far before failing[4]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell29 Shore D / 85 Shore A (BASF Ultrafuse 85A, ISO 7619-1); 85 Shore A (NinjaFlex, ASTM D2240); 82 A nominal for Filaflex[1][3][2]81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[4]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no 85A creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg, and softer grades creep more[17]Poor — no creep test at this hardness; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[17]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[13]Excellent — living hinges viable[13]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rubbery / highly elastic[1][2]Rubbery / highly elastic[4]
Z strength as % of XY%53 — BASF measures 320 % elongation at break in ZX against 600 % in XY[3]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionAbrasion 0.08 g mass loss over 10 000 cycles (NinjaFlex, ASTM D4060); 82 mm³ (BASF, ISO 4649)[1][3]Tear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[4]
Thermal Properties
Melting point / Vicat°C216 melting (NinjaFlex 85A, DSC)[1]170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[4]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[13]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[13]
Chemical resistanceWithstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[13]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[13]
Food contactNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[13]Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[13]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[13]Not biodegradable[13]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[13]Not accepted in household plastic collection[13]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[18]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[18]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[18]Open a window / occasional ventilation[18]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningDifficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[13]Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[13]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[13]Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[13]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[13]No practical vapour smoothing[13]
Support material pairingPolymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[13]Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[13]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[19]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[19]
Softened or crazed byToluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[19]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[19]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[19]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[19]

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. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  2. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Ultrafuse TPU 85A Technical Data Sheet (Version 3.0) BASF Forward AM · 2022-08 · tds
  4. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Siraya Tech Flex TPU 85A Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. add:north TPU Pro Matte 85A product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  13. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  16. NinjaTek technical specs comparison chart (Cheetah, NinjaFlex, Armadillo, Alloy 910, Nylon 645) NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  17. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  18. 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
  19. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds