PLA vs ABS — parameter comparison and when to choose which

The decision in one sentence: this is not a choice of material but a choice of hardware — either you have an enclosed chamber and ventilation, in which case ABS is on the table, or you don't, and then PLA is the only sensible answer whatever it is you are making.

Most PLA and ABS comparisons start with strength. That is the wrong order. In the manufacturer Porima's official FDM table, ABS carries the enclosure entry "enclosed chamber, 50 °C" — and that is a precondition, not a recommendation. On an open frame ABS lifts off the bed, splits along the layers and stinks out the whole room. Only once that condition is met does it make sense to discuss which material is for what.

Comparison table

Parameter	PLA	ABS
Nozzle temperature	200–230 °C	250–280 °C
Bed temperature	0–60 °C	80–110 °C
Cooling	100%	0–40%
Drying	2–4 h / 30–40 °C	6–12 h / 40–60 °C
Chamber enclosure	open frame	enclosed chamber, 50 °C
Temperature resistance	60 °C	100 °C
Print difficulty	very easy	difficult
Warping	none	high
Stringing	low	medium
Impact resistance	high	high
Flexibility	low	high
Surface finishing	easy	easy
Solubility	difficult	easy in acetone
Odour	none	high
Nozzle abrasiveness	none	none
Print speed	high	high
Support removal	easy	easy
Finish	smooth	matte, polishable
Compatible printers	any desktop FDM	enclosed only
Bambu AMS	compatible	compatible

A highlighted cell marks the material that is clearly better in that row. Where both carry the same value there is no winner. Source: the official FDM technical data table from the manufacturer, Porima. Full data sets: PLA print parameters · ABS print parameters.

When to choose PLA

A prototype that exists so you can look at it and correct it. Warping "none", difficulty "very easy", and you can leave the bed cold. An iteration takes an hour instead of an evening.

Anything you print in a flat. Odour "none" against "high" is the only row in this table that is about the person sitting next to the printer rather than about the print.

Large, flat parts — lids, mounting plates, panels. The bigger the contact area with the bed, the harder ABS tries to curl up at the corners. PLA has no such tendency at all.

Models with a lot of supports and fine detail. Full 100% cooling lets PLA set instantly, so overhangs and bridges come out clean. ABS prints with the fan at 0–40% and the same places come out rounded off.

Toys, gadgets, decorative parts, prints for a retail customer. The colour covers strongly, the surface is smooth, and nothing needs explaining.

When to choose ABS

Car parts that stay in the cabin or under the bonnet. A declared 100 °C against 60 °C for PLA. That is the most common real reason anyone buys ABS at all.

Housings and grips for power tools. Flexibility "high" means the part will give when dropped instead of coming apart along a layer.

Parts smoothed with acetone. ABS is the only material in the table, alongside ABS/CF, with the entry "solubility easy in acetone". Acetone vapour gives a surface that looks injection-moulded — something you will not achieve on PLA with any amount of mechanical finishing.

Repairs to household appliances and consumer electronics. A catch, a clip, a gear, a bezel — parts that were originally made of ABS too and work in the heat of the device.

Bonded multi-part assemblies. Solubility in acetone is not only about smoothing: two ABS parts can be joined with acetone into a single solid, with no glue and no seam.

What the table won't tell you

"Bambu AMS: compatible" for ABS is true and misleading at the same time. That field describes only the feeder — whether the filament can be run safely through the AMS system. It says nothing about whether your printer is suitable for ABS. An open machine with an AMS will print ABS just as badly as it would without one. The row that settles it here is "chamber enclosure", not "Bambu AMS".

"High" warping is not a material constant but a function of geometry and draughts. A small 40 × 40 mm body will come out fine in ABS even in a modest enclosure. A 200 × 200 mm plate will curl at the corners despite a correct chamber if somebody opens a window in the room. The table gives the material's tendency, not the result for your model.

100 °C is the manufacturer's label, not HDT. There is no standard or described test method behind it, and it is not the temperature at which the part will hold a load. Heat-soak the printed part under its real working conditions — that is the only test that settles anything.

"High" odour is a question of setting up the workspace, not of comfort. While printing, ABS gives off fumes, and the printer should not stand in a room where you sleep or work all day. An enclosed chamber limits them partly — a filter and an extraction duct settle the matter completely. The same row applies to acetone finishing, and there even more strongly.

Impact resistance reads "high" in both rows, and that pairing is worth reading carefully. There is no standardised impact test behind that rating, so no numerical advantage can be read out of it. The difference is qualitative: PLA cracks suddenly and right through, ABS gives and breaks later. For a part that may take a knock in service you will choose ABS — despite the equal entry in the table.

Where to check this further

• Filament comparison — which material to choose for what — the hub for all ten pair comparisons plus the main table of twelve material families.
• PLA print parameters — the complete set of fields from the manufacturer's table.
• ABS print parameters — bed, cooling and drying ranges.
• Warping — the first problem you will run into with ABS.
• Odour and fumes while printing — how to set up a workspace for ABS.
• Layer separation — the typical result of a chamber that is too cold.
• Dimensional accuracy and shrinkage — ABS shrinks more and that has to be compensated for.

Materials to buy: Porima PLA filament 1 kg and Porima ABS filament 1 kg.