4 min read
PLA vs PETG vs ABS: Which Filament Should You Use?
Strength, heat resistance, ease, food safety, and cost — a side-by-side comparison of the three filaments you'll actually print with, from a print farm that uses tens of kilograms a month.
By SuperAwesome Team
There are dozens of 3D printing filaments, but in practice three of them cover 95% of what you'll ever print: PLA, PETG, and ABS. We go through 30+ kilograms of each in a typical month. Here's how to decide which one to load.
Quick decision
- Decoration, models, toys, anything that sits indoors → PLA
- Functional parts, outdoor use, food-adjacent items → PETG
- High heat, high impact, automotive → ABS
If you're not sure, use PLA. It's the easiest to print and the failure mode (a part softens in a hot car) is rare in real life.
Side-by-side
| PLA | PETG | ABS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Print difficulty | Easy | Medium | Hard |
| Strength | Stiff, brittle | Strong, slightly flexible | Strong, tough |
| Heat resistance | 50°C softens | 70°C softens | 95°C softens |
| UV resistance | Poor | Good | Good |
| Ease of finishing | Sandable | Awkward to sand | Sands beautifully, acetone-smoothable |
| Smell | None | Mild | Strong (needs enclosure / venting) |
| Food safe? | No (porous + biodegradable) | Yes (food-safe variants) | No |
| Cost (per kg) | $18–$25 | $22–$30 | $20–$28 |
| Bed temp | 60°C | 80°C | 100°C |
| Nozzle temp | 200–215°C | 235–245°C | 240–250°C |
| Enclosure required? | No | No | Yes |
PLA in detail
Why we use it: It's effortless. It sticks to any prepared bed, doesn't warp, doesn't smell, and costs the least. ~70% of what we print is PLA.
Where it fails: Anything outdoor, in a car, or under load over time. PLA has bad creep — it slowly deforms under continuous stress. A PLA hook holding a coat will eventually droop.
Variants we recommend:
- PLA+ / PLA Pro (Polymaker, eSun) — stronger, slightly tougher. Same temps.
- Silk PLA — looks expensive, prints like PLA. Stunning for vases.
- Matte PLA — photographic, no shine. Hides layer lines.
- Wood-fill, marble-fill — fun, but eat through nozzles. Use a hardened-steel nozzle.
PETG in detail
Why we use it: PETG is the functional sweet spot. Stronger than PLA, more heat-resistant, doesn't smell, and it's tough — it bends rather than snaps.
Where it fails: It strings. A lot. PETG is more sensitive to retraction, temperature, and moisture than PLA. Plan to spend an hour tuning your slicer profile.
Variants we recommend:
- PETG-CF (carbon-fiber filled) — stiffer, dimensionally stable, eats hardened nozzles. For functional brackets.
- PETG-HF (high-flow) — Bambu's accelerated PETG, runs at PLA speeds.
ABS in detail
Why we use it: Heat. If a part will sit in a sun-baked car or near a motor, ABS is the answer.
Where it fails: Without an enclosure, ABS warps. Every time. The first layer pulls off the bed mid-print as the part cools. Even with an enclosure, ABS demands attention.
The other big issue: smell. ABS releases styrene during printing — it smells like burning model glue and is suspected to cause headaches. Always print ABS in a ventilated room or with the printer venting outside.
Variants we recommend:
- ASA — UV-resistant ABS. Same printability, won't yellow outdoors. The right choice for outdoor or garden parts.
What about TPU, nylon, PC, polycarbonate?
- TPU (flexible) — phone cases, gaskets, anything that bends. Tricky to print on Bowden printers.
- Nylon — incredibly strong but absorbs water like a sponge. For specific functional parts.
- PC (polycarbonate) — heat- and impact-resistant. Niche.
- PETG-CF, PA-CF — carbon-fiber composites. Print on a hardened-steel nozzle and treat them like PETG.
These are fine choices for specific jobs, but PLA, PETG, and ABS will cover almost everything you make.
Storage matters more than you think
All three filaments absorb moisture from the air. Wet filament prints with popping sounds, frosted surfaces, and stringing.
- Open the spool, print it, and re-seal it in an airtight bag with silica gel within 48 hours.
- For active use, a filament dry box (AMS, Sunlu S2, or DIY with desiccant) keeps things printable.
- If a spool sat in open air for more than a week, dry it before reprinting: PLA at 50°C for 4–6 hours, PETG at 65°C for 6–8 hours, ABS at 70°C for 4 hours.
What our STL bundles default to
Almost all of our STL bundles are designed for PLA first. Anything functional (cable organizers, brackets, mounts) is dual-tested in PLA and PETG. We note the recommended filament on each product page.
Print in what you have, but for first-print success, start with PLA.