From beginner-friendly PLA to industrial-grade nylon, these are the best 3D printing filaments.From beginner-friendly PLA to industrial-grade nylon, these are the best 3D printing filaments. From beginner-friendly PLA to industrial-grade nylon, these are the best 3D printing filaments.
Whether you just bought your first 3D printer or want to try out a new filament, there are tons of options out there to choose from. After you’ve prepared your build files and cleaned your build plate, you need to find the best 3D printing filament for your needs. Without the right filament, all of your careful preparation can come to a cloggy, stringy, flailing halt.
Filament is the material we use for FDM 3D printing, and it’s pretty easy to find. However, there are many types of filament and several factors to consider, such as heat and chemical resistance, to achieve good print quality. You can notice major quality changes in the finished creation as a result of these minor differences, so having reliable filament is key to a quality 3D printing experience. Some filaments also require certain precautions or printer requirements. You want to ensure you’re using the best filament for the job. We’ve done the work to find the best options for you.
What is the best 3D printing filament?
Almost everyone who uses a 3D printer uses PLA for most of their prints. You might use other materials for certain things, but day-to-day printing is likely done with PLA. The best PLA for most use cases is Build Series PLA from MatterHackers. I’ve used over 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of it by now, and it’s still my favorite. It sands very well and prints easily on just about any FDM printer.
I’ve put together this primer on different types of filament, including the best PLA filament, as well as choices of the best filaments from my favorite brands. This will be updated regularly and has some great choices to help you start. I use around 8 kilograms (17.5 pounds) of filament each week — and have for the last four years — so I know I’m offering you the best options around.
It’s important to choose both the right type of material and the right brand of that type, be it PLA, ABS or something more exotic. Here are the best of each of the five main filament types.
Read more: Best 3D Printers
Polylactic acid, or PLA
Polylactic acid, or PLA, is the most common 3D printing filament, and it’s the easiest to use. Unlike most plastics, it’s made from corn starches so it’s nontoxic and, in theory, compostable, though it takes an industrial composter to do it. PLA uses a fairly low heat — between 190 and 215 degrees Celsius (374 and 419 degrees Fahrenheit) — to melt the plastic for extrusion, so it is the safest of the filaments. Almost every FDM 3D printer in the world can print PLA.
PLA pros
- No awful smell
- Easy to use for a beginner
- Almost universally available
- Nontoxic
- Usable on any FDM printer
- Cheap
PLA cons
- Can require a lot of sanding
- May warp in the sun or high-temp environments
- Can be brittle
Build PLA from MatterHackers is great for projects that require finishing (sanding, painting and so on). I have about 12 rolls of it in my workshop and use it for large projects, including my Mandalorian armor or cosplay swords. The dimensional accuracy — how consistent the diameter is along the length of the roll — is good, though nothing mind-blowing. It’s well within the sweet zone.
Post-processing is where Build Series PLA shines. It is simple to sand and holds paint well, as long as you use a good primer and filler first. Like all PLA, it holds together well using superglue and even takes putty and Bondo without complaint.
The color of this PLA is hard to describe, but it is beautiful. It has a purple-blue-green hue and looks like metal that’s been heated up. Right now, it’s probably my favorite-looking filament.
It’s also easy to print with, and because of the shifting colors, it hides layer lines well. If you’re looking for a dark filament that you aren’t painting over, I’d pick up a few rolls of this today.
The bigger your 3D printer gets, the more you need one continuous roll of filament to make parts. Sure, you can trust the filament runout sensor on your machine and hope that multiple rolls of filament look the same color, but often the machines fail, or the color changes. Overture is helping to solve that issue with large rolls of filament. The company has several of its most popular colors available in 2 and 3 kilogram rolls so you can stock up, ready for your huge, ambitious projects.
I really enjoy the color of this PLA from Inland. It prints very well and the shimmer from the gold/red highlights hides any layer lines after it has printed. Beautiful colored filament always makes me happy, and this is one of my favorites.
With the advent of ultra-fast 3D printers, companies including Elegoo have started to create materials that work better at high speeds. Rapid PLA Plus works extremely well at high speeds due to its high fluidity when melted. It printed very well on several of my fastest machines and sands very well if you are looking to finish your prints with paint.
Ataraxia Art already makes excellent PLA and flexible PLA, but its new range of tri-color filament is some of its best yet. Tri-color uses three colored filaments along its width to create a beautiful shimmering effect as you move the model, so it’s perfect for projects you aren’t going to be painting.
This PLA comes in four different color combinations and is one of my favorite filaments to use.
For projects you can show off without paint, PolyTerra might be for you. The colors are vivid, and because they are matte, you don’t lose details in the reflections like with shiny filament.
PolyTerra also comes in recycled cardboard reels, and the creator, Polymaker, will plant a tree in the area where the roll was bought to help offset the cardboard used. This filament is still plastic, but it helps my conscience to use this one.
In an article about this flexible PLA, I explained how, although this isn’t technically PLA, it does print much easier than TPU, a more common flexible filament. I used it to print an amazing Mandalorian Blacksmith helmet for my 4-year-old. She can’t break it because it’s so bouncy.
This isn’t for newbies, though. It took a lot of trial and error to get the setting for my 3D printer right, and because it is so soft, the accuracy can be pretty wonky. But for something that’s different from normal PLA, it’s worth checking out.
I’ve been meaning to buy some of this beautiful filament for some time now, and I’m really happy I did. The color is almost exactly the same as mint chocolate chip ice cream, and the tiny flecks of marble color enhance the look even more. It prints great, with a nice glossy finish, and I found printing it at a higher temperature brings out that gloss really well.
Aside from the print quality, I love the way it makes me feel. The color just makes me happy and reminds me of days at the beach with my kids. It’s gorgeous.
Rainbow filament tends to transition between colors very slowly. This means you often get only one or two colors per model. Creality’s latest rainbow filament has a much shorter transition, so you get a much nicer rainbow effect across your models. It looks great on this amazing dragon from Fotis Mint.
Inland makes good filament across the board, and its ABS is no different. I’ve never had issues with the dimensions, and the final product has consistent layer lines. Sanding Inland ABS is a joy as the material can be wet-sanded to a smooth finish.
Fillamentum is one of my favorite ABS makers. The colors are always so vibrant, and while it costs a little more than the competition, it keeps that vibrancy even after the model is finished printing. If you’re looking for ABS that you don’t need to paint, Fillamentum is a great place to start.
Overture PETG is a favorite because it comes in an economical two-pack, making it ideal for multiple or larger jobs. I’ve used a lot of Overture products, including PETG and PLA, and they always print well. I once printed an 11-foot-long Masamune sword using Overture and it came out looking awesome.
The Pro series filament from MatterHackers is a much nicer product than a lot of standard PETG. Yes, it costs a little more, but it’s designed to help reduce some of the issues that filament suffers from. It reduces shrinkage, so the part you make is as close to the part you designed as possible. This is a great material for those who make 3D-printed models for a living rather than a hobby.
This US-made PETG has an excellent glassy look that is hard to achieve in melted plastic. The aqua color is subtle and gives the appearance of a stained glass window when printed at the high end of its temperature scale.
Printing with it was easy, though the roll is a little big for printers like the Bambu Lab X1, which has an enclosed filament system.
MatterHackers Build Series Materials perfectly balance usability and cost. Yes, I’ve had failures with the Build Series, but once you get it dialed into your printer, you can make dozens of fun, springy models.
I like to use it to make fun toys for my kid’s preschool — they can be thrown around without breaking into small, sharp pieces.
There is so much to love about this TPU from Inland. It’s colorful, and the rainbow transitions look beautiful. It’s flexible and can be used as a phone case. And it’s almost translucent, so it has a glassy look. It is great for projects that need to stand out.
Exotic filaments
Glow-in-the-dark filament normally comes in a standard “radioactive” green, but this beautiful roll transitions through multiple colors. It’s simply gorgeous.
It’s also worthwhile to buy some replacement brass nozzles for your printer. Glow-in-the-dark filament can chew them up pretty quickly because the glowing material is more abrasive than standard colors.
This filament isn’t the cheapest, but it is fascinating. This PLA has dense iron powder mixed into it so it is magnetic, and it can rust if you spray it with salt and vinegar. Being able to easily print any model as normal and then rust it allows you to create some brilliant effects.