3D printing materials chart: compare PLA, PETG, ABS, resins and metals
Search by name, such as PLA, TPU or resin, or pick a type of material and open its card: temperatures, strength, heat resistance and uses, where they exist. Compare up to four materials in one table.
Opens without an account 3 times a day. A free account removes the limit.
- 60 materialsin four types: filament, resin, powder, alloy
- Print temperaturesa range and the profile count
- Search and compareup to 4 materials in a table
- Learning sectionfive short parts
Periodic table of 3D printing materials: what is in it
The periodic table of 3D printing materials from EduFacturing puts 60 materials in one table laid out like the chemical periodic table: 31 FDM filaments (the plastic strands a printer melts), 11 photopolymer resins, 7 SLS/MJF powders and 11 metal alloys.
Each material is a tile with a symbol and a card of properties. Filaments carry nozzle and bed temperatures, resins the wavelength, metals the technology. A missing value is not filled in, so the fields differ.
The description says what the material is and what limits it, and the source sits in brackets: a material page in EDi Brain or an alloy property table.
3D printing materials chart: what each card shows
Shows 3D printing materials by type
FDM filaments (31), photopolymer resins (11), SLS/MJF powder (7) and metal alloys (11), each type with its own color. Search covers the symbol, the name and the tags, so TPU finds both the filament and the powder.
Shows print temperatures for PLA, PETG and ABS
For 11 filament cards, including PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, nylon, PC, PP, HIPS and PVA, two ranges sit side by side, each with its profile count. For PLA the nozzle is 210 to 230 °C (Orca and Bambu, 2132 profiles) and 190 to 240 °C (four sets, 5307 profiles).
Opens a card with the properties of a material
A click opens the fields, the description and the links, where they exist, and the ← and → keys switch the material.
Compares materials and links to technologies
Compare mode puts up to four materials in one table. 28 of the 60 cards point to the technology, 13 also to a typical defect, and 4 to a DFAM rule.
Choosing a 3D printing material: when the table helps
A material is chosen by what the part has to withstand.
Choosing a material for a part
Open the two or three candidates and compare them by temperature, strength, heat resistance and how hard they are to print.
A starting point for print temperatures
The nozzle and bed range is a starting point: begin in the middle, print a temperature tower and find the optimum for your brand.
A lesson on 3D printing materials
A teacher shows why PLA softens at 55 to 60 °C while PEEK holds from 250 °C continuously.
A brief for metal printing
The brief names the alloy and the post-processing: stress relief before the part is cut from the plate, and hot isostatic pressing for fatigue loads.
Where the print temperatures and properties come from
The table does not calculate. It sorts the materials and shows their properties, where they come from and how many profiles stand behind a temperature range.
Type of material
Four groups, each with its own set of fields: filament has nozzle and bed, resin has a wavelength, metal has a technology.
Temperatures
The ranges come from slicer profiles (the ready-made settings of print preparation programs), from the 5th to the 95th percentile. Where a second source exists, both are shown.
Properties and source
Strength, heat resistance and uses come from the material pages in EDi Brain or from the alloy tables. A missing value means the field is not shown.
| Applies to | Formula | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Prototype, teaching, looks | PLA or PLA Silk | easy and biodegradable; Silk gives a sheen |
| Functional part, chemicals | PETG; outdoors ASA | ASA is UV resistant |
| Impact or flexibility | ABS with a chamber; TPU 95A | ABS is printed with a chamber |
| High temperature | PC up to 135 °C; PEEK from 250 °C | aerospace: PEEK, PEI/ULTEM |
| Metal part | 316L, AlSi10Mg, Ti-6Al-4V, Inconel 718, H13, CoCr | corrosion, lightweighting, aerospace, turbines, tooling, dental |
Print temperatures with the profile count behind each
Print temperatures with the profile count
A range comes with the number of profiles behind it, and for 11 cards from two sources, so you can see how firm the figure is.
An empty field instead of an invented value
If the source has no value, the field is not shown, so cards have 4 to 9 fields.
Filament, resin, powder and alloy in one place
You search and compare across the types of material in a single table.
The reference does not recommend a material and has no price field: it shows properties, not a selection. For a recommendation after a few questions there is the separate tool Which filament should I use?
The values are typical for the material, not for a brand: additives and the optimum temperature differ, and a printer's thermocouple can be off by up to ±10-15 °C. The learning section advises a temperature tower.
Questions about 3D printing materials: PLA, PETG, ABS, resin
What 3D printing materials are in the table?
Sixty: 31 FDM filaments, 11 photopolymer resins, 7 SLS/MJF powders and 11 metal alloys. Search runs through all of them at once.
What is the print temperature for PLA, PETG and ABS?
By the Orca and Bambu profiles the nozzle is 210 to 230 °C for PLA, 230 to 265 °C for PETG and 235 to 270 °C for ABS. By the wider merge of four profile sets it is 190 to 240, 220 to 265 and 225 to 270 °C.
What is the difference between PLA and PETG?
PLA is for prototypes and teaching: easy and biodegradable, but it softens at 55 to 60 °C. PETG is for functional parts and chemical environments. Compare the two cards in the table.
What is the difference between filament and resin?
Filament melts in a nozzle and is laid down layer by layer. Resin is liquid and cures under 405 nm UV light, with a resolution down to 25 µm, and needs an IPA wash and a second cure.
How to choose a 3D printing material?
By what the part has to withstand: PLA for a prototype, PETG for chemicals, ASA outdoors, ABS or TPU for impact and flexibility, PC or PEEK for high temperature. The tool does not recommend for you.
Is the materials table free?
Yes. Without an account it opens 3 times a day. With a free account there is no limit.
The 3D printing materials table is free. Pro opens the rest
Pro costs 15 EUR a month and opens 45 Pro tools.
Related tools
Types of 3D printing technologyTypes of 3D printing technology: 19 processes from FDM and SLA to SLS and DMLS, with principle, supports and uses. Free, 3 times a day without an account.
3D printing design rules3D printing design rules: 32 rules for wall, overhang, bridge, hole and clearance for FDM, resin, SLS and metal, with a citation for each. Free online.
3D printing defectsFree 3D printing defects and solutions: 277 defects in 29 technologies with symptom, cause and fix, 242 with drawings. Stringing, warping, layer separation.
Filament databaseFilament database you fill in yourself: save maker, color, price per kg, rating and print settings, search the list and compare two. Free account.
Compare materials for your part
Opens without an account 3 times a day. A free account removes the limit.