Material Comparison
PLA vs PETG vs ASA vs Nylon: Which Material for Which Part
Four materials cover most functional printed parts. They differ most in heat resistance, UV life, toughness and price — and in North Texas, heat usually decides it.
The short answer
- PLA for fit checks, visual models and rigid parts that stay indoors at room temperature. Stiff, accurate and cheapest, but it softens at roughly 50–60 °C.
- PETG for tough, chemical-resistant indoor parts — covers, guards, clips, enclosures. Easy to print, heat limit of roughly 65–75 °C.
- ASA for anything that lives outdoors or in a vehicle. UV-stable, with a heat limit of roughly 85–100 °C.
- Nylon and carbon-fiber nylon for parts that carry load, run hot or stand in for machined parts. Carbon-fiber grades such as PA6-CF are commonly published at 150 °C or more when dry.
Side by side
| Property | PLA | PETG | ASA | Nylon & Carbon-Fiber Nylon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat deflection (typical, low load) | 50–60 °C | 65–75 °C | 85–100 °C | 150 °C + (carbon-fiber grades) |
| In a closed car, Texas summer | No | Marginal | Yes, away from direct dash sun | Yes |
| Outdoors in Texas | No | Shade or short-term | Yes — first choice | Yes (CF grades) |
| Strength | Good in-plane, brittle | Good, ductile | Good | High |
| Stiffness | High | Medium | Medium | High (CF) · Medium (unfilled) |
| Impact toughness | Low | Good | Good | High |
| UV resistance | Fair — fades and embrittles outdoors | Fair to good — better than PLA, below ASA | Excellent | Fair (unfilled) to good (CF) |
| Chemical resistance | Fair — avoid solvents | Good — water, many oils, dilute acids and bases | Fair — water and many oils fine; solvents attack it | Excellent against oils, fuels and greases |
| Printability | Easiest | Easy | Moderate — needs an enclosure | Demanding — dried filament, hardened hardware |
| Relative material cost | $ | $ | $–$ | $$ |
Heat figures are typical published heat-deflection ranges for common filament grades at low load (0.45 MPa), not measurements of our parts. Real values vary with brand, colour, print orientation, part design and — for nylon — moisture. If a number matters to your application, tell us and we'll talk through margin and testing.
Heat: the Texas problem
In North Texas, heat is the first thing to design a printed part for, so it's the comparison that matters most. A material's heat-deflection temperature is the point at which a standard test bar bends a set amount under a light, fixed load. It's a good way to rank materials, not a guarantee: a part under more load, or held warm for hours, starts to creep below it.
Now put the part in context. Dallas–Fort Worth summers bring long runs of afternoons near or above 100 °F (38 °C). The air in a closed car parked in the sun gets far hotter than the air outside, and a dark dashboard in direct sun runs hotter again. A dark enclosure in full sun sits well above air temperature, and inside an unconditioned plant the air around motors, ovens and compressors is often the warmest on site.
- PLA (50–60 °C) fails in all three. Keep it in climate-controlled spaces.
- PETG (65–75 °C) handles a warm warehouse, but a closed car or a dark outdoor enclosure in August is marginal.
- ASA (85–100 °C) handles outdoor installations and most vehicle interiors away from direct dashboard sun.
- Carbon-fiber nylon (150 °C +) has real margin for vehicles, dashboards and parts next to warm machinery. Unfilled nylon softens at lower temperatures and varies by grade.
UV and outdoor life
Sunlight degrades most plastics over time: colors fade, surfaces chalk, and parts get brittle. ASA is formulated to resist that and is the material we recommend for parts that will spend years outside. PETG holds up better than PLA but ages faster than ASA. PLA fades and embrittles, and its heat limit rules it out in Texas sun anyway. Carbon-fiber nylon grades are filled with carbon, which helps them resist UV; unfilled nylon is only fair.
Color matters too. A dark part in direct sun runs hotter than a light one, so if an outdoor part's color is your choice, lighter keeps it cooler.
Strength, stiffness and toughness aren't the same thing
"Which is strongest?" has three answers. Stiffness is how much a part deflects under load. Strength is how much load it takes before it fails. Toughness is how much energy it absorbs before it breaks — whether it bends or snaps.
PLA surprises people: it's stiffer than PETG or ASA and strong on a datasheet, but brittle — it snaps rather than bends. PETG and ASA are less stiff and tougher; they flex and recover. Unfilled nylon is the toughest and most fatigue-resistant of the four, which suits clips and wear parts, but it flexes. Carbon-fiber nylon combines high stiffness with toughness, which is why it's the usual choice for jigs, fixtures and structural brackets.
One rule applies to all of them: printed parts are strongest along their layers and weakest between them. Tell us which way the load runs and we'll orient the part to suit.
Chemical resistance
Nylon is the standout against oils, fuels and greases, which is why it shows up in pump adapters and parts near machinery; it's weak against strong acids. PETG handles water, many oils and dilute acids and bases well. ASA is fine with water and many oils but is attacked by solvents such as acetone. PLA is the weakest of the four. If a specific chemical matters, tell us what it is and at what concentration, and we'll check it before recommending a material.
Printability — and what it does to the price
PLA and PETG are the easiest to print accurately. ASA shrinks as it cools, so it's printed in an enclosure and large flat parts need design care to avoid warping. Carbon-fiber nylon is the most demanding: the filament is dried before printing, it's abrasive, and it prints more slowly. That's most of the reason the harder materials cost more per part — machine time and handling, more than the plastic itself.
Cost
Relative material cost runs PLA $, PETG $, ASA $–$, nylon and carbon-fiber nylon $$. Part size, print time, quantity and finishing usually move the price more than the material does. For a ballpark, try the instant estimate; for a real number, send the file and a person will quote it.
When to choose which
- Choose PLA to check fit and form quickly and cheaply, for presentation models, and for rigid fixtures and gauges that stay in air conditioning.
- Choose PETG for functional indoor parts that get handled, flexed or splashed — the economical all-rounder.
- Choose ASA whenever the part lives outdoors or in a vehicle.
- Choose carbon-fiber nylon when the part carries load, sits near heat or oil, or replaces a machined part. Choose unfilled nylon for wear surfaces and clips that flex.
What about ABS, polycarbonate, TPU and resin?
ABS behaves much like ASA indoors and can be vapor-smoothed, but yellows in sun. Polycarbonate is the toughest against impact, with a heat limit of roughly 110–130 °C. TPU is the flexible option for gaskets, bumpers and pads. Resin gives the finest detail but isn't for heat, sun or load. The materials guide covers all of them.
PLA, PETG, ASA and nylon questions
Is PETG better than PLA?
For functional parts, usually. PETG is tougher, handles impact and repeated flexing better, resists more chemicals and tolerates more heat. PLA is stiffer, more dimensionally accurate and cheaper, which makes it the better choice for fit checks and rigid indoor parts.
Will PETG survive in a car in Texas?
It's marginal. Common PETG grades are published at roughly 65–75 °C heat-deflection under light load, and a closed car in a North Texas summer — especially the dashboard — can get hotter than that. For vehicle parts we'd use ASA, polycarbonate or carbon-fiber nylon.
PETG or ASA for outdoor parts?
ASA. It's formulated to resist UV and its heat limit is roughly 20 °C higher than PETG's. PETG is fine in shade or for short-term use.
Is carbon-fiber nylon better than PETG?
For stiffness, heat and chemical resistance, yes — by a wide margin. It also costs more and is slower to print, so for covers, guards and lightly loaded indoor parts PETG is often the better value.
What's the best 3D printing filament for heat resistance?
Of the four compared here, carbon-fiber nylon has the most margin by far, then ASA. Polycarbonate is another high-heat option. PLA has the least.
Can we try two materials before ordering a batch?
Yes — printing the same part in two candidate materials and testing both is a sensible way to decide. Mention it when you ask for a quote.
Not sure which one your part needs?
Send the file and a sentence on where the part lives and what it does. A person quotes every job, usually within one business day, with a material recommendation.
Get a QuoteHeat figures are typical published heat-deflection ranges for common filament grades at low load (0.45 MPa), not measurements of our parts. Real values vary with brand, colour, print orientation, part design and — for nylon — moisture. If a number matters to your application, tell us and we'll talk through margin and testing.