3D Printer Filament Comparison Chart and Starter Guide
Updated October 2026. One table for the filament we make and stock in Ontario, followed by a short starter guide for anyone setting up a first printer. Prices are per 1 kg roll in CAD; every roll is 1.75 mm and ships within 24 hours.
| Material | Our price | Ease of printing | Strength | Heat resistance | Enclosure | Nozzle / bed | Best for | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | EconoFil from $12.49 Select matte or silk $16.99 Hyper PLA from $14.99 |
Easiest | Stiff, moderate impact resistance | Low, softens around 55 to 60°C | No | 190 to 210°C / 45 to 60°C (Hyper 200 to 230°C) | Models, prototypes, classrooms, cosplay, anything indoors | PLA guide |
| PETG | Select PETG $14.99 EconoFil PETG $15.99 |
Easy, strings if wet | Tough, slightly flexible | About 80°C | No | 220 to 260°C / 75 to 85°C | Functional parts, brackets, outdoor use, water-tight prints | PETG guide |
| Carbon fibre PETG | $18.99 | Easy, hardened nozzle needed | Stiffer than PETG, matte finish | About 80°C | No | 230 to 260°C / 65 to 85°C | Drone frames, jigs, parts that must not flex | CF PETG |
| ABS | $18.39 | Harder: warps without an enclosure | Tough, machinable | About 105°C | Yes | 230 to 250°C / 80 to 110°C | Enclosures, car interior parts, acetone-smoothed parts | ABS and ASA guide |
| ASA | $19.99 | Same as ABS | Tough, UV stable | About 100°C | Yes | 235 to 255°C / 90 to 110°C | Anything that lives outdoors or in a hot car | ASA |
| TPU (flexible) | Filaments.ca TPU 91A from $19.99 NinjaTek Cheetah 95A |
Slow; best on direct drive | Rubber-like, very impact resistant | About 80°C | No | 220 to 240°C / 40 to 60°C (Cheetah 235 to 245°C) | Phone cases, gaskets, wheels, wearables | TPU guide |
| HIPS | See product | Moderate | Light, impact resistant | About 90°C | Recommended | 190 to 240°C / 60 to 80°C | Dissolvable supports for ABS, light parts | HIPS |
| PMMA (acrylic) | $27.99 | Moderate | Rigid, high clarity | About 90°C | Recommended | 190 to 230°C / 60 to 80°C | Light guides, clear covers, display pieces | PMMA |
Exact ranges for any roll are on its product page under Printing temperature; the temperature guide covers bed surfaces, cooling, retraction and drying for each material, and the filament chooser walks through the decision in plain language.
Starter printing guide
1. Start with PLA
It prints at low temperatures, needs no enclosure, smells of almost nothing and is the cheapest roll we make. Learn the printer on EconoFil PLA and move to PETG when a part needs to take heat or a knock.
2. Level the bed and get the first layer right
Nine failed prints out of ten are a first-layer problem. Clean the plate with isopropyl alcohol, run the printer's levelling routine, then watch the first layer: lines should be slightly squashed and touching, not round (nozzle too high) or ragged and ridged (too low). Adjust the Z offset in 0.02 mm steps.
3. Use the middle of the temperature range, then move one thing at a time
PLA at 200°C and a 55°C bed works on almost everything. If layers split, go 5°C hotter; if there is stringing, go 5°C cooler and dry the roll. Change one setting per print and write down what worked.
4. Keep filament dry
Wet filament pops, strings and prints rough long before the roll looks any different. Store open rolls in a sealed bag with desiccant, and dry PLA at 45 to 50°C for 4 to 6 hours in a filament dryer if prints start looking fuzzy. PETG, TPU and ASA need drying more often than PLA.
5. Supports, infill and walls
Two to three walls and 10 to 15% infill is plenty for display pieces; go to four walls and 25 to 40% for parts that take load. Tree supports use less material and come off cleaner than grid supports. Print orientation matters more than infill: layer lines are the weak direction, so orient a part so the force runs along the layers, not across them.
6. Buying a first printer?
Our first printer guide compares the machines we stock and support, and the print cost calculator shows what a print actually costs in filament and electricity. Questions: hello@filaments.ca or 1-844-465-7684, Monday to Friday.