3D Printing Toolkit › Filament settings

Filament settings chart

Nozzle and bed temperature, part cooling, enclosure need, drying, shrinkage and density for the 12 filaments people actually print. Every row links to the full page for that material.

FilamentNozzleBedCoolingEnclosureDryDensity
PLA190–220 °C20–60 °C80–100 %Not needed45 °C / 4 h1.24 g/cm³
PLA+ / Tough PLA205–230 °C45–60 °C60–100 %Not needed45 °C / 4 h1.24 g/cm³
PETG230–250 °C70–85 °C30–50 %Helps65 °C / 4 h1.27 g/cm³
ABS230–260 °C90–110 °C0–20 %Required65 °C / 4 h1.04 g/cm³
ASA240–265 °C90–110 °C0–20 %Required65 °C / 4 h1.07 g/cm³
TPU (95A)220–235 °C30–50 °C30–60 %Not needed50 °C / 6 h1.21 g/cm³
Nylon (PA)240–270 °C70–90 °C0–20 %Required70 °C / 12 h1.14 g/cm³
Nylon + carbon fibre abrasive250–280 °C70–90 °C0–20 %Required70 °C / 12 h1.18 g/cm³
Polycarbonate260–300 °C100–120 °C0–10 %Required80 °C / 6 h1.20 g/cm³
HIPS230–245 °C100–110 °C0–20 %Required65 °C / 4 h1.04 g/cm³
PVA (dissolvable)190–210 °C45–60 °C40–70 %Not needed45 °C / 6 h1.23 g/cm³
Wood-fill PLA abrasive190–220 °C45–60 °C80–100 %Not needed45 °C / 4 h1.25 g/cm³

These are widely-published starting points for the generic material, not a specification. Individual spools vary by brand, colour and additive package — always defer to the figures printed on your spool.

Every filament in detail

PLA

The default. Easiest material to print, stiff but brittle, and it softens in a hot car.

PLA+ / Tough PLA

PLA with a toughening additive. Prints nearly like PLA but survives a drop.

PETG

The practical middle ground: tougher and more heat-tolerant than PLA, far easier than ABS.

ABS

Heat-resistant and machinable, but it warps hard and the fumes need extraction.

ASA

ABS reformulated for outdoors — same strength and heat range, but it does not yellow in sun.

TPU (95A)

Rubbery and near-unbreakable. Prints slowly and hates Bowden tubes.

Nylon (PA)

The toughest common filament — but it drinks water out of the air and must be printed dry.

Nylon + carbon fibre

Nylon with chopped carbon fibre: stiffer, far more dimensionally stable, and it destroys brass nozzles.

Polycarbonate

Engineering grade: the highest heat resistance and impact strength you will print on a hobby machine.

HIPS

Mostly used as dissolvable support for ABS — limonene washes it away.

PVA (dissolvable)

Water-soluble support material. Prints easily, but ruins itself in humid air.

Wood-fill PLA

PLA loaded with wood flour. Sands and stains like timber, and wears nozzles doing it.

Printing badly?

Temperature is only half of it — the print-defect troubleshooting guide covers stringing, warping, under-extrusion, layer shifts and the rest, each with its likely causes in order.

Every number on this page is in the app too — next to the calculators that use it, working offline at the printer.

Get it onGoogle Play