Start with where the part will live
Most people pick a material by name. It is easier to pick by situation: will the part sit on a shelf, get warm in a car or in the sun, bend, take knocks, or live outdoors? Answer that and the choice usually makes itself.
The short list
- PLA — the default for decor, gifts, figures, models and indoor organisers. Stiff, with crisp detail, the widest choice of layer heights here, and the most economical. Its weakness is heat: it softens at temperatures a car interior easily reaches in summer, so keep it away from warm places.
- PETG — tougher and less brittle than PLA, and copes better with warmth and moisture. A good choice for functional household parts, holders, clips and replacement parts. Fine detail is slightly softer than in PLA.
- TPU — flexible and rubber-like. For bumpers, feet, seals, cases and grips: anything that should bend and spring back. Not for parts that must hold a precise shape under load.
- ASA — for outdoors. Stands up to sunlight and heat far better than PLA, so it suits garden, balcony and car-exterior parts. ABS is its close relative, with similar heat resistance but less resistance to sunlight.
- PA (nylon) and PC — engineering materials for parts that must be tough, wear-resistant or heat-resistant. Nylon absorbs moisture from the air, which can move its dimensions slightly.
- Carbon- and glass-fibre grades (PLA-CF, PETG-CF, PA-CF, PAHT-CF, ASA-CF, ABS-GF) — noticeably stiffer, with a matte surface that hides layer lines well. The trade-off is that they are more brittle and do not like sudden knocks. Use them where bending is the problem, not impact.
PLA or PETG?
This is the question most first orders come down to, and the answer is usually about heat and knocks rather than strength on paper.
- Choose PLA when the part lives indoors, is mostly looked at rather than used hard, and you want the crispest detail at the lowest price — figures, vases, desk organisers, models, prototypes you only need to hold and look at.
- Choose PETG when the part is handled, clipped, bent slightly, gets wet or sits somewhere warm — a bracket, a hook, a clip, a bathroom or kitchen holder, a replacement knob. It gives a little before it breaks, where PLA tends to snap.
- Neither when it sits in direct sun all summer or near something hot: that is ASA (outdoors) or a nylon or polycarbonate grade (heat), described below and in more depth in the engineering guide.
Price is rarely the deciding factor between the two: on most parts the print time, not the filament, drives the price. Switch between them on the quote and compare.
If you are still unsure
- Decor, a gift, a model or an indoor organiser → PLA.
- Something that is handled, clipped or used around the house → PETG.
- It should bend → TPU.
- Outdoors or in the sun → ASA.
- It must be stiff and light, and will not be dropped → a carbon-fibre grade.
Good to know
We do not produce certified parts for food contact or medical use.
The full list, with the print profiles installed on our machines, is on the materials page. On the instant quote you can switch material and see the price change straight away. For the engineering view — heat, chemicals, fibre grades — read Engineering filaments.