3D Printing InfoWhere it is used
General-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor
Sources
- PLA/PHA technical data sheet · 2026-08 · tds
PLA · Material guide
PLA/PHA blend
PLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a fermented bio-polyester that colorFabb adds to reduce brittleness; elongation at break reaches 11 % against 4 % for the stiffer grade.
Open in interactive comparisonUnderstand the material
At a glance
Before you print
- Setup difficulty
- Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box
- Nozzle wear
- Non-abrasive
Read the full material overview
PLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a fermented bio-polyester that colorFabb adds to reduce brittleness; elongation at break reaches 11 % against 4 % for the stiffer grade.
Applications
PLA/PHA blends are intended to make ordinary PLA printing less brittle while retaining a rigid part. That is useful in general model making and handled prototypes, where a small amount of additional ductility can matter more than squeezing out the highest stiffness. The blend is an adjustment to PLA’s balance of properties, rather than a flexible material or a universal upgrade.
The actual formulation matters: colorFabb uses a PLA/PHA base in products with other fillers too, and those composites should not inherit the unfilled blend’s properties. Published data do not establish improved creep performance for the blend, and outdoor durability remains limited. Selection should follow the chosen product’s mechanical data rather than an assumption that adding PHA solves all of PLA’s weaknesses.
Sources
- PLA/PHA technical data sheet · 2026-08 · tds
- BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet · 2026-08 · test
- Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet · 2026-08 · test
- Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet · 2026-08 · test
Find printable models
Check the model’s material and process notes before choosing a filament.
Plan your printer setup
All print settings ↓Printing quick reference
Representative catalog values. Check the exact grade and its linked conditions before using a setting.
Nozzle temperature (°C)
195–220 (colorFabb)
Bed temperature (°C)
50–60 (colorFabb)
Enclosure
Open frame is fine
Drying
—
Full value & sources
—
—Go deeper when you need to
33 documented fieldsProperties & source data
Open a topic to explore the complete data. Each value keeps its original conditions, units and dated sources.
Material & market5 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Base polymer / chemistry | PLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester | 1 source
|
| Density (g/cm³) | 1.2 (ISO 1183) | 1 source
|
| Market availability (1–5) | Niche, a handful of specialist brands | 2 sources
|
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 2200 g spools | 1 source
|
| Typical applications | General-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor | 1 source
|
Print settings6 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle temperature (°C) | 195–220 (colorFabb) | 1 source
|
| Bed temperature (°C) | 50–60 (colorFabb) | 1 source
|
| Enclosure / chamber requirement (1–5) | Open frame is fine | 1 source
|
| Part cooling fan | 0–100 %; colorFabb states the blend runs on both heated and unheated beds | 2 sources
|
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions) (mm³/s) | 3.2–8 at colorFabb's 40–100 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer | 2 sources
|
| Overall printing difficulty (1–5) | Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box | 1 source
|
Nozzle wear & reliability3 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle hardness required (1–4) | Brass fine indefinitely | 1 source
|
| Abrasiveness (1–5) | Non-abrasive | 1 source
|
| Nozzle clog risk (1–5) | Very low — unfilled PLA blend; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle for PLA | 1 source
|
Moisture & drying2 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity) (1–5) | Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend | 2 sources
|
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion | 1 source
|
Strength & mechanical properties9 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength (XY) (MPa) | 62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted) | 1 source
|
| Young's modulus (MPa) | 2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb) | 1 source
|
| Elongation at break (%) | 4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted) | 1 source
|
| Flexural modulus (MPa) | 2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb) | 1 source
|
| Charpy impact, notched (kJ/m²) | 2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb) | 1 source
|
| Brittleness (1–5) | Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades | 1 source
|
| Creep resistance / sustained load (1–5) | Poor — no PLA/PHA creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg | 3 sources
|
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance (1–5) | Below average — no S-N curve for the blend; colorFabb positions it as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA, which ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength | 2 sources |
| Elasticity / flexibility (1–5) | Rigid | 1 source
|
Heat & temperature1 field
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Melting point / Vicat (°C) | Above 155 melting (ISO 3146-C) | 1 source
|
Weather & chemical resistance2 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| UV resistance (1–5) | Degrades within weeks outdoors | 1 source
|
| Biodegradability / compostability | colorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable | 1 source
|
Health & safety2 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Fume toxicity (1–5) | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission | |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement (1–5) | None needed in a normal room |
Solvents & solubility3 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Soluble in | Chloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents. | 1 source |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts. | 2 sources
|
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all. | 2 sources |
How to read these values
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.
Find a specific filament
1 listingProduct listings and datasheets
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.
Browse 1 product from 1 brand
colorFabbwoodFill (PLA/PHA base)76.40 USD/kg
$45.84 / 600 g spool = $76.40/kg, colorfabb.us, Aug 2026
colorFabb builds woodFill on its PLA/PHA blend; the wood-free PLA/PHA grade itself is sold in 750 g and 2200 g spools.
Open product listing ↗- woodFill — product page · 2026-08 · vendor
- woodFill technical data sheet · 2026-08 · tds
- colorFabb woodFill Technical datasheet v1.0 · 2024-11 · tds
| Density (g/cm³) | 1.18 (ISO 1183, raw-material supplier data) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Diameter tolerance (± mm) | ±0.05 max roundness deviation |
|
| Nozzle temperature (°C) | 210–230 |
|
| Bed temperature (°C) | 50–60 |
|
| Tensile strength (XY) (MPa) | 26.9 (printed XY, ISO 527-1A); injection-moulded 28.4 |
|
| Young's modulus (MPa) | 2390 (printed XY, ISO 527-1A) |
|
| Elongation at break (%) | 4.0 (printed XY, ISO 527-1A) |
|
| Flexural strength (MPa) | 51.2 (printed XY, ISO 178) |
|
| Flexural modulus (MPa) | 2350 (printed XY, ISO 178) |
|
| Charpy impact, notched (kJ/m²) | 3.38 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched) |
|
| Other impact data | Izod notched 3.81 kJ/m² (injection-moulded, ISO 180) |
|
| HDT at 0.45 MPa (°C) | 53 (printed XY, HDT-B, ISO 75) |
|
| Melting point / Vicat (°C) | Vicat 60 (ISO 306) |
|
Keep exploring
All PLA guides ↗Related materials
PLA
High-Speed PLA
PLA with a raised melt index and tuned crystallisation so it can be extruded at roughly 24 mm³/s, about 30 % more flow than…
10 product listingsMouse Figure Remix ↗Printables listing uploaded by Q · CC BY 4.0Mouse Figure remix: Q (credit source) · Original Mouse Figure design: Whitney Richmond (credit source)Source image · Image bytes unchanged; displayed in full.
PLA
Matte PLA
PLA compounded with a chalk-type mineral filler for a diffuse finish; density rises to 1.31–1.38 g/cm³ and flexural strength…
10 product listingsOctonauts Fish Biscuit ↗Printables listing uploaded by Geoff · CC BY 4.0
PLA
PLA (standard)
A familiar starting point for models, prototypes and everyday prints at room temperature.
25 product listingsPen Holder — Desk Organizer ↗Printables listing uploaded by kaje · CC0 1.0Source image · Image bytes unchanged; displayed in full.
