Skip to content
Layer Lookup

Best filament for supports

Short answer

For a single-material printer, the best support is the same filament as the part, printed with a small gap so it snaps away. With a multi-material printer, use PVA with PLA (it dissolves in water) or HIPS with ABS and ASA (it dissolves in limonene) for clean, support-free surfaces.

Share Facebook X Reddit Pinterest Email

Our picks

  1. 1. PVA Polyvinyl alcohol

    Dissolves in water, leaving clean surfaces and shapes you couldn't otherwise support. It pairs best with PLA, and some grades also work with PETG. It needs a multi-material printer and must be kept very dry.

    Nozzle
    180–210 °C

    Popular PVA filaments

    All 22 →

  2. 2. HIPS High-impact polystyrene

    The soluble support for ABS and ASA, dissolving in limonene. It prints at similar temperatures to ABS and needs an enclosure.

    Ease of printing
    Flexibility
    Nozzle
    220–250 °C
    Needs
    An enclosure, ventilation

    Popular HIPS filaments

    All 15 →

Torn between the top two? See PVA vs HIPS.

Guide

Supports on a single-material printer

Most prints use supports in the same filament as the part. To make them break away cleanly:

  • Use tree supports where your slicer offers them; they touch the part less and are easier to remove.
  • Leave a small gap between support and part (the top Z distance), usually one layer height.
  • Avoid supports with PETG where you can: its layers bond so strongly that supports can be hard to remove. Increase the gap if you must use them.

Soluble supports

With a multi-material printer, a soluble support material lets you print shapes that are impossible to support otherwise, such as enclosed overhangs and moving parts printed in place.

  • PVA dissolves in warm water, from a few hours to overnight. It pairs best with PLA.
  • HIPS dissolves in limonene and pairs with ABS and ASA, which print at similar temperatures.

Support interfaces in a different material

Many multi-material printers can print just the top layer of the support (the interface) in a material that won't bond to the part. PLA and PETG barely stick to each other, so a PETG interface under a PLA part (or the other way round) peels away cleanly while using very little of the second filament.

Supports questions

What filament is best for supports?

For single-material printing, the same filament as your part, with tree supports and a small gap. For multi-material printing, PVA with PLA or HIPS with ABS and ASA, which dissolve away completely.

Can I use PVA with a single-nozzle printer?

Only with a multi-material system that swaps filaments automatically. On its own, a single-extruder printer can't print the support and the part in different materials.

How long does PVA take to dissolve?

From a few hours to overnight, depending on the amount, the water temperature and how much the water moves. Warm, stirred water is much faster.

Can HIPS be used as a support for PLA?

Not well. HIPS prints much hotter than PLA. For PLA, use PVA, which dissolves in water.

Why is PETG hard to remove from supports?

PETG's layers bond very strongly, including to its own supports. Increase the support gap, use tree supports, or use a PLA interface layer if your printer handles two materials.