TPU 98A vs TPU 95A — parameter comparison and when to choose which

The decision in one sentence: here you are not choosing between two materials but between two hardnesses of the same one — 98 Shore A holds its shape and prints more reliably, 95 Shore A is noticeably more rubbery and correspondingly harder to feed into the nozzle.

Shore A is the hardness scale for rubber and elastomers. The lower the number, the softer the material: 98 sits right at the top of the range, just below the rigid plastics, while 95 is already noticeably lower. Three points look like a trifle, but this is exactly the place on the scale where the behaviour of "springy plastic" ends and that of "rubber" begins. Below is a comparison from the manufacturer Porima's official FDM table — with one caveat that we state honestly rather than leave out.

Comparison table

Parameter	TPU Flex 98A	TPU 95A
Hardness	98 Shore A	95 Shore A
Nozzle temperature	230–260 °C	230–260 °C
Bed temperature	40–60 °C	40–60 °C
Cooling	40–70%	40–70%
Print speed	slow	20–40 mm/s
Feeder	direct drive recommended	direct drive recommended
Drying	2–4 h / 40–60 °C	no separate manufacturer data
Chamber enclosure	open frame	no separate manufacturer data
Temperature resistance	70 °C	no separate manufacturer data
Print difficulty	difficult	no separate manufacturer data
Warping	none	no separate manufacturer data
Stringing	high	no separate manufacturer data
Layer cohesion	very good	no separate manufacturer data
Impact resistance	very high	no separate manufacturer data
Surface finishing	very difficult	no separate manufacturer data
Support removal	difficult	no separate manufacturer data
Odour	none	no separate manufacturer data
Nozzle abrasiveness	none	no separate manufacturer data
Bambu AMS	not recommended	not recommended

In this table we deliberately mark no winner in any row, because none of them gives one hardness an advantage over the other — the only confirmed difference is Shore A. The 98A column comes entirely from the official FDM technical data table of the manufacturer, Porima. The 95A column comes from the product data sheet and covers only those fields the manufacturer states there. Full data sets: TPU print parameters · print parameters for all materials.

When to choose TPU 98A

Tyres and treads for RC models and robot wheels. The part has to deform over bumps but must not roll under load — a harder rubber keeps its profile.

Bushes and vibration-damping washers working under load. 98A will give exactly as much as it needs to and spring back, instead of flattening permanently.

Corner protectors, bumpers, edge guards. Springiness with the shape retained — exactly what TPU is reached for in the workshop.

The first flexible filament on your printer. The harder the elastomer, the more reliably it goes through the feeder. 98A forgives more than any softer material and lets you learn flexible printing without a run of jams.

Parts with thin walls and finer detail. A harder material holds its geometry better in places where a soft one starts to sprawl.

When to choose TPU 95A

Gaskets clamped by a screw or a snap fit. A softer material fills the gap and conforms to an uneven surface — a harder one will not close it.

Anti-vibration pads under a printer, a washing machine, a compressor. Damping increases with softness, and the part works purely in compression anyway.

Straps, bands, loops and worn items. Anything that has to wrap and bend repeatedly, rather than merely give a little.

Overmoulds and soft grips on tool handles. A rubbery feel in the hand is exactly the difference 98A will not give you.

Cases, covers and membranes. Parts where a pleasant, rubbery touch matters rather than stiffness.

What the table won't tell you

The manufacturer Porima's official FDM table contains only one TPU row — for 98A. We say that plainly, because it is the most honest piece of information on this page. The 95A parameters in the column alongside come from the product data sheet, not from the same document, and cover only temperatures, cooling, speed, feeder and AMS. Fields such as warping, stringing, temperature resistance or print difficulty simply have not been published by the manufacturer for 95A. We have asked Porima for the full FDM parameter table and will complete this page when we receive it. We will not fill it in with values copied across from 98A or worked out from nothing.

In practice that means you should treat the 98A parameters as a starting point for 95A, but not as a certainty. A temperature tower and a retraction test on 95A are compulsory here, not optional. This is exactly the case where the manufacturer's data ends and your own calibration begins.

Shore A measures hardness, not strength or durability. Softer TPU is neither worse nor better — it is different. From the number 95 or 98 you cannot read how many bending cycles a part will survive, or how it will cope with oil or frost. Porima does not publish that in any source.

The 70 °C for 98A is the manufacturer's label, not HDT. There is no standard or described test method behind it. For 95A there is not even such a label, so do not design a part that works in heat on the basis of this table.

The only mechanical figure Porima gives for TPU is elongation at break above 500%. The manufacturer states no test method alongside it, so treat it as a marketing declaration rather than the result of a standardised test.

"Print speed: slow" is the field that catches people out most often. Flexible filament does not transmit feeder pressure the way a rigid one does — at too high a speed it coils up in the extruder instead of entering the nozzle. The softness of 95A makes that worse, so if you already print 98A close to the top of your profile, go lower for 95A before you change anything else.

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.
• TPU print parameters — the complete set of fields from the manufacturer's table for 98A.
• Print parameters — all materials — the full catalogue matrix.
• Filament jam — the basic problem with every elastomer.
• Filament grinding — the symptom of too much feeder pressure with TPU.
• Stringing — TPU has that field marked as "high".
• Under-extrusion — the typical result of too high a speed with a flexible material.

Materials to buy: Porima TPU 98A filament 1 kg and Porima TPU 95A filament 1 kg.