3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
TPU 98A vs TPU-CF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | TPU 98A / hard TPUFLEX | Carbon-fibre TPUFLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $94.99/kg median; $34.99–$149.99/kg across 3 dated product listings | $107.05/kg median; $107.05–$107.05/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Hard thermoplastic polyurethane at 98 Shore A to about 60 Shore D — the rigid end of the TPU range[1][2] | Carbon-fibre reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane at the hard end of the range[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.23 (Fillamentum Flexfill 98A); 1.2 (Extrudr FLEX HARD, ISO 2781)[1][2] | 1.22 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 2781)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 150[3] | 107 for the only retail listing found (Extrudr 0.5 kg coil, incl. VAT)[4] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 95–150 across brands; Proto-pasta Clear Rigid TPU 95, Push Plastic TPU 100A 150[5][3] | One listing only: EUR 49.56 incl. VAT per 0.5 kg coil, direct from Extrudr; no reseller or second brand found[4] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[3][5][2] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands — Extrudr's FLEX HARD CF is the only carbon-filled flexible with a published datasheet found here[2] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 1 kg spools[5][3] | 1.75 mm; 0.5 and 2 kg coils[4] |
| Typical applications | Drive belts, wheels, snap-fits and bumpers that need to flex but hold shape under load[1] | Stiffened flexible parts — damping mounts and semi-rigid brackets[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 230–260 (Extrudr FLEX HARD)[2] | 230–260 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | 50–90 (Extrudr FLEX HARD)[2] | 50–90 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[2] | Open frame is fine[2] |
| Part cooling fan | 0–30 % (Extrudr FLEX HARD)[2] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[6][7] | PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[6][7] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 4.6 (Extrudr FLEX HARD, stated max volumetric speed on a 0.4 mm nozzle)[2] | 1.6–8 at the 20–100 mm/s Extrudr specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | None[2] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Easy — minor profile tuning; at this hardness the filament pushes like a rigid material[2] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle needed[2] |
| Extruder requirement | Bowden viable at this hardness — Extrudr rates FLEX HARD to 100 mm/s where its soft grades cap lower[2] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[2] | Hardened steel required — Extrudr marks FLEX HARD CF as needing a hardened nozzle where its unfilled FLEX grades do not[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[2] | Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low[8] | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; a flexible base plus chopped carbon fibre, which Prusa lists as a higher nozzle-clogging risk, and Extrudr requires a hardened nozzle[9][2][6] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[7] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[6] | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[6] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate — the TPU family absorbs readily; Extrudr specifies a 12 h dry at 60 °C for FLEX HARD[2][8] | Moderate[8] |
| Drying temperature & time | 60 °C for 12 h (Extrudr FLEX HARD)[2] | 60 °C for 6 h (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[2] |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[8] | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[8] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[8] | Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[8] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[8] | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[8] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 53.7 at break (Fillamentum Flexfill 98A, DIN 53504)[1] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 35 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 527-2/5A/500)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | 318 at break (Fillamentum Flexfill 98A, DIN 53504); Extrudr FLEX HARD 490 (ISO 527-2)[1][2] | 380 ultimate elongation (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 527-2/5A/500), against 490 for the unfilled FLEX HARD[2] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Very ductile — bends far before failing[1] | Very ductile — bends far before failing[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | 98 Shore A and 60 Shore D (Fillamentum, ISO 7619-1); Extrudr FLEX HARD 58 Shore D (ISO 868)[1][2] | 70 Shore D (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 868), against 58 Shore D for the unfilled FLEX HARD[2] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Poor — no 98A creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[10] | Below average — no CF-grade creep test; the grade is 70 Shore D where a 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[2][10] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Excellent — living hinges viable[7] | Good — 380 % ultimate elongation and a damping application set (Extrudr cites longboard wheels), below the unfilled grades[2] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Semi-flexible[1][2] | Semi-flexible[2] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Abrasion 23 mm³ (Fillamentum, ISO 4649 method A) and 26 mm³ (Extrudr FLEX HARD, ISO 4649-A) — the best abrasion figures in the group[1][2] | Abrasion 26 mm³ (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 4649-A) — the same as the unfilled FLEX HARD[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | -24 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[2] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 190–210 melting (Extrudr FLEX HARD, ISO 3146-C); Vicat A 140 (ISO 306)[2] | Vicat A 140 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 306)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[7] | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[7] |
| Chemical resistance | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[7] | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[7] |
| Food contact | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[7] | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[7] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[7] | Not biodegradable[7] |
| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection[7] | Not accepted in household plastic collection[7] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[11] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[11] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[11] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[11] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Carbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[2] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[7] | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[7] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[7] | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[7] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[7] | No practical vapour smoothing[7] |
| Support material pairing | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[7] | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[7] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Tear strength 170 kN/m (Fillamentum, ISO 34-1) and 175 kN/m (Extrudr FLEX HARD, ISO 34-1B)[1][2] | Tear strength 165 kN/m (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 34-1B)[2] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[12] | DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve the TPU matrix and leave the fibre; ketones are partial solvents. Laboratory reagents.[12] |
| Softened or crazed by | Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[12] | Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[12] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[12] | None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[12] |
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
- Flexfill TPU 98A Technical Data Sheet Fillamentum · 2019-08 · tds
- Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
- Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- Extrudr TPU FLEX Hard CF — product page (1.75 mm, 0.5 and 2 kg coils, price) Extrudr (FD3D GmbH) · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
- 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
- Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds