Glass-fibre PA12: 7.8 GPa tensile modulus with 4.5 % elongation at break, nearly double the ductility of glass-filled PA6, and far less humidity drift because of the PA12 matrix.
Open in interactive comparisonStiff, humidity-stable structural parts — the glass gives the modulus, the PA12 matrix limits the moisture drift
Glass-fibre PA12: 7.8 GPa tensile modulus with 4.5 % elongation at break, nearly double the ductility of glass-filled PA6, and far less humidity drift because of the PA12 matrix.
PA12-GF serves the same broad engineering role as other reinforced nylons: rigid housings, fixture bodies and structural supports. Glass fibre supplies bending stiffness, while the PA12 matrix helps retain properties in humidity better than a PA6-based composite. 3DXTech emphasizes this combination of moisture resistance, low shrinkage and repeatable dimensions for its FibreX Nylon 12+GF30. It is useful when a part needs to hold geometry rather than act as a spring.
Glass reinforcement does not preserve all the ductility of unfilled nylon. The published elongation is limited, so sharp snap features and force-fit inserts are poor places to assume rubber-like compliance. The grade is also abrasive to printing hardware. Fatigue and creep depend on the particular nylon matrix, fibre alignment and layer bonds, so PA12-GF needs its own loading assessment rather than an assumption based on molded glass-filled nylon.
Check the model’s material and process notes before choosing a filament.
Representative catalog values. Check the exact grade and its linked conditions before using a setting.
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—Open a topic to explore the complete data. Each value keeps its original conditions, units and dated sources.
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Base polymer / chemistry | PA12 reinforced with chopped glass fibre — 3DXTech's grade is nominally 30 wt% | 1 source
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| Density (g/cm³) | 1.23 (ISO 1183) | 1 source
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| Typical price (USD/kg) | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 46–140; the middle of the market is about 88 | 3 sources
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| Price range across brands (USD/kg) | 46–140 across brands; IEMAI 3D 46, 3DXTech 131 at 750 g and 130 at 2 kg, PrimaCreator NylonPower Glass Fiber 140 at 500 g | 3 sources
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| Market availability (1–5) | Available from several mainstream brands | 2 sources
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| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 2 kg spools | 2 sources
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| Typical applications | Stiff, humidity-stable structural parts — the glass gives the modulus, the PA12 matrix limits the moisture drift | 2 sources
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| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Enclosure / chamber requirement (1–5) | Enclosure required (passive) | 1 source
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| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo | 2 sources
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| Bed-adhesion difficulty (1–5) | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive | 1 source
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| Stringing / oozing tendency (1–5) | Moderate — retraction tuning needed | 1 source
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| Overall printing difficulty (1–5) | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning | 1 source
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| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle hardness required (1–4) | Hardened steel required — no nozzle-life figure is published for a PA12-GF30 grade; Polymaker measures about 9 h of brass nozzle life on its comparable fibre-filled nylons | 1 source
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| Abrasiveness (1–5) | Highly abrasive — standard GF composite | 1 source
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| Nozzle clog risk (1–5) | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles | 1 source
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| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity (1–5) | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed | 1 source
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| Hotend requirement | May require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D) | 1 source
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| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity) (1–5) | High (0.8–2 %) — the PA12 matrix takes up far less than PA6, on the evidence of Polymaker's 1.5 % for PA12-CF10 against 3.33 % for PA6-GF25 | 2 sources
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| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker's PA12 grades change little between wet and dry, unlike PA6; the CoPA dry-to-wet blocks show the PA6-type response | 2 sources
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| Storage requirement | Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant | 1 source
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| Hydrolysis at melt temperature | Polymaker specifies an 80–100 °C dry and storage below 20 % RH; no molecular-weight loss figure is published, and the wet data it does publish is conditioning rather than melt hydrolysis | 2 sources
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| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength (XY) (MPa) | 82 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) | 1 source
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| Young's modulus (MPa) | 7800 (printed XY, ISO 527) | 1 source
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| Elongation at break (%) | 4.5 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — nearly double the 2.4 % of Polymaker's PA6-GF25 | 2 sources
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| Flexural strength (MPa) | 94 (printed XY, ISO 178) | 1 source
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| Flexural modulus (MPa) | 7550 (printed XY, ISO 178) | 1 source
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| Brittleness (1–5) | Moderate | 1 source
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| Hardness (scale-specific) (Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell) | Rockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a glass-fibre PA12 filament | 1 source
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| Creep resistance / sustained load (1–5) | Good. Ensinger lists high creep resistance for extruded PA66-GF30 stock, and the PA12 matrix absorbs far less water than PA6, so a PA12-GF part holds load better in a humid environment | 2 sources
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| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance (1–5) | Good. Ensinger lists high fatigue strength as a headline property of extruded PA66-GF30 stock | 1 source
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| Elasticity / flexibility (1–5) | Rigid | 1 source
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| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal expansion (CTE) (µm/m·K) | 48.6 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D696; source states 2.7e-5 in/in/°F) — no figure is published for a glass-fibre PA12 filament | 1 source
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| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed | 1 source
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| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| UV resistance (1–5) | Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV | 1 source
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| Chemical resistance | Withstands oils, fuels and alkalis | 1 source
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| Water / humidity resistance in service (1–5) | Good — minor absorption relative to PA6-based composites | 1 source
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| Food contact | Not food-contact certified as filament | 1 source
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| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable | 1 source
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| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection | 1 source
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| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257) | 1 source
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| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Fume toxicity (1–5) | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised | |
| VOC emission rate (µg/min) | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study | |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rate (particles/min) | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured | |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament | |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement (1–5) | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended | |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Glass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust | 1 source
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| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Sanding & machining | Sands poorly — gums rather than powders | 1 source
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| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide | 1 source
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| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing | 1 source
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| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents. | 1 source |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it. | 1 source |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway. | 1 source |
Values describe representative grades, not every spool. Manufacturer datasheets and independent tests retain their source labels and dates. Printed orientation, test method, conditioning and formulation can change results. Unknown values are —. A listed use is not a certification. Shore A, Shore D and Rockwell hardness are separate scales.
Historical USD/kg snapshots. Read each listing’s sale/from qualifiers, spool mass, source date, shipping and tax notes. Product figures are separate from the material summary.
$46.00 / 1 kg spool, store.iemai3d.com, Aug 2026
UL 94 V-2 on the base resin.
Open product listing ↗| Density (g/cm³) | 1.16 at 21 °C (ISO 1183) |
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|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength (XY) (MPa) | 51 (printed XY, ISO 527); 18 in Z |
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| Elongation at break (%) | 9 at break (printed XY, ISO 527); 2.8 in Z |
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| Flexural strength (MPa) | 72 (printed XY, ISO 178); 19 in Z |
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| Flexural modulus (MPa) | 2720 (printed XY, ISO 178); 1224 in Z |
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| HDT at 1.8 MPa (°C) | 157 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa) |
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| Glass transition (Tg) (°C) | 70.4 (DSC, 10 °C/min) |
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| Flammability / UL 94 | UL 94 V-2 |
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$98.00 / 750 g spool = $130.67/kg; 2 kg spool $260.00, 3dxtech.com product catalogue, Aug 2026
Handle fibrex-nylon-12-gf30-1. Tensile 82 MPa at break and 4.5 % elongation.
Open product listing ↗| Density (g/cm³) | 1.23 (ISO 1183) |
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|---|---|---|
| Nozzle temperature (°C) | 285 (TDS printed-specimen condition) |
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| Bed temperature (°C) | 110 (TDS printed-specimen condition) |
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| Tensile strength (XY) (MPa) | 82 at break (ISO 527) |
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| Young's modulus (MPa) | 7800 (ISO 527) |
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| Elongation at break (%) | 4.5 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) |
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| Flexural strength (MPa) | 94 (printed XY, ISO 178) |
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| Flexural modulus (MPa) | 7550 (printed XY, ISO 178) |
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| HDT at 0.45 MPa (°C) | 150 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) |
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| Glass transition (Tg) (°C) | 158 (DSC) |
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| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistance >10^13 Ω/sq (ASTM D257) |
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EUR 64.90 / 500 g spool = EUR 129.80/kg ≈ $140.18/kg at 1.08 USD/EUR (1.75 mm, Natural), primacreator.com, Aug 2026
Nylon 12 with 16 % glass fibre, 500 g spools. PrimaCreator names no test standard for any mechanical value. Its stated density of 1.00 g/cm³ is omitted here — it is below unfilled PA12 and cannot describe a 16 % glass compound — and the 80 kJ/m² impact figure carries no test method.
Open product listing ↗| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm, 500 g |
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|---|---|---|
| Diameter tolerance (± mm) | 0.05 |
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| Nozzle temperature (°C) | 250–265 |
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| Bed temperature (°C) | 60–70 |
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| Part cooling fan | None — PrimaCreator specifies printing without cooling fans |
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| Hotend requirement | Hardened steel nozzle recommended; 0.6 or 0.8 mm gives stronger parts |
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| Drying temperature & time | 80 °C for 5–7 h |
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| Tensile strength (XY) (MPa) | 95 (PrimaCreator spec table; no test standard or specimen type stated) |
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| Young's modulus (MPa) | 4000 (PrimaCreator spec table; no test standard stated) |
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| HDT at 0.45 MPa (°C) | 160 (HDT/A, PrimaCreator spec table) |
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| Melting point / Vicat (°C) | 180 melting point (PrimaCreator spec table) |
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| Continuous service temperature (°C) | 105 long-term (90–120); 150 short-term (PrimaCreator spec table) |
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