TPU vs PVA
How TPU and PVA compare, from typical settings across every filament we list.
- TPU typically prints about 30 °C hotter at the nozzle.
- PVA typically prints about 10 °C hotter on the bed.
- TPU is less dense, so a 1 kg spool holds about 6 m more 1.75 mm filament.
- There are 158 TPU filaments in 945 colours, and 22 PVA filaments in 24 colours.
| TPU | PVA | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thermoplastic polyurethane | Polyvinyl alcohol |
| Filaments listed | 158 | 22 |
| Brands | 70 | 15 |
| Colours | 945 | 24 |
| Nozzle temperature | 210–240 °C | 180–210 °C |
| Bed temperature | 30–60 °C | 50–60 °C |
| Density | 1.21 g/cm³ | 1.23 g/cm³ |
| Length of 1 kg (1.75 mm) | about 344 m | about 338 m |
| Max drying temperature | 70 °C | 55 °C |
Temperatures are medians across each material's filaments, rounded to 5 °C. Always check the maker's settings for a specific filament.
Brands that make both
14 brands make both TPU and PVA; these have the most of each.
- SainSmart 12 TPU · 1 PVA
- Bambu Lab 5 TPU · 5 PVA
- Polymaker 2 TPU · 4 PVA
- SUNLU 5 TPU · 1 PVA
- ROSA3D Filaments 4 TPU · 1 PVA
- Snapmaker 4 TPU · 1 PVA
- 3DXTech 3 TPU · 1 PVA
- SMART MATERIALS 3D 3 TPU · 1 PVA
- eSUN 3D 2 TPU · 1 PVA
- PrimaCreator 2 TPU · 1 PVA
- FormFutura 1 TPU · 1 PVA
- Gizmo Dorks 1 TPU · 1 PVA