{
  "opening": "This catalog does not store a shrinkage percentage, so it cannot name a filament with the least shrink. The supplied comments describe heat strain, a PLA+ cup holder that tightened when it got hot, and silk die swell. Those are not a measured ranking of PLA against ABS or nylon.",
  "question": "Which filament has best dimensional accuracy / shrinkage?",
  "slug": "dimensional",
  "useCase": "troubleshooting",
  "useCaseLabel": "Troubleshooting",
  "updated": "2026-10-22",
  "shortAnswer": "This catalog does not store a shrinkage percentage, so it cannot name a filament with the least shrink. The supplied comments describe heat strain, a PLA+ cup holder that tightened when it got hot, and silk die swell. Those are not a measured ranking of PLA against ABS or nylon.",
  "recommendedMaterials": [
    "pla",
    "petg",
    "abs"
  ],
  "printerConsiderations": [
    "A part that changes size after it cools, or after a later heat cycle, is not fixed by a flow calibration alone. The first comment on r/3Dprinting describes tensile strain from printing hot.",
    "Silk that looks puffed is the die-swell thread, r/3Dprinting. That comment says the nozzle is too far from the bed. It is not a shrinkage table.",
    "Corner lift while the part is still on the bed is warping, not this page."
  ],
  "pros": [
    "Heat-deflection numbers stay on the sheet that states the load. 0.45 MPa and 1.8 MPa are not ranked against each other.",
    "The comments are quoted only where an comments was supplied, including the ones that do not answer the accuracy question."
  ],
  "cons": [
    "No row here stores a shrinkage percentage, a scaling factor, or a diameter tolerance tied to a manufacturer sentence in these notes.",
    "These comments do not say that."
  ],
  "community": "The editorial summary says PLA has the least shrink, ABS and nylon shrink more, and the fix is scaling or calibration. The excerpts do not compare those materials. r/3Dprinting 1lk8frn, score 3, starts \"It's printed hot, and everything is trying to shrink once it's cooled down\" and is cut off at \"When you heat it u…\". The other score-3 comment: \"Yeah, I printed a cupholder adapter for a mug out of pla+ and it shrank in the heat. Holds the mug REAL tight now\". r/3Dprinting 18vwams, score 47: \"All silk filament does this, if you see the puffing, you're too far from the build plate.\" Score 41 calls it die swell and is cut off at \"after…\". No excerpt was supplied for r/prusa3d 17h21vt, r/3Dprinting z5x3f1, or r/BambuLab 15pwnjt.",
  "related": [
    "warping",
    "heat",
    "pla_creep",
    "filament_diameter"
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Which filament has best dimensional accuracy / shrinkage?",
      "a": "This catalog does not store a shrinkage percentage, so it cannot name a filament with the least shrink. The supplied comments describe heat strain, a PLA+ cup holder that tightened when it got hot, and silk die swell. Those are not a measured ranking of PLA against ABS or nylon."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does PolyLite PLA shrink less than PolyLite ABS?",
      "a": "Not according to a number in this catalog. Neither TDS comments we store is a shrinkage percentage. What the sheets do list is heat deflection: PLA at 60 °C (140 °F) and 58 °C (136 °F), ABS at 100 °C (212 °F) and 98 °C (208 °F), each pair being 0.45 MPa then 1.8 MPa under ISO 75. A hotter deflection temperature is not a smaller dimensional change on cooling."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is the PLA+ cup holder a shrinkage measurement?",
      "a": "No. The score-3 comment on r/3Dprinting says a PLA+ adapter shrank in the heat and then held the mug tighter. It does not state a temperature, a percent, or a brand beyond pla+."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "PolyLite PLA TDS EN V5.4",
      "url": "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyLite_PLA_TDS_EN_V5.4.pdf",
      "kind": "datasheet"
    },
    {
      "title": "PolyLite PETG TDS EN V5.4",
      "url": "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyLite_PETG_TDS_EN_V5.4.pdf",
      "kind": "datasheet"
    },
    {
      "title": "PolyLite ABS TDS EN V5.4",
      "url": "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyLite_ABS_TDS_EN_V5.4.pdf",
      "kind": "datasheet"
    },
    {
      "title": "Polymaker PolyLite PLA product page",
      "url": "https://us.polymaker.com/products/polylite-pla",
      "kind": "manufacturer"
    },
    {
      "title": "Filament heat resistance dataset",
      "url": "https://filamentfacts.com/data/filament-heat-resistance",
      "kind": "other"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/3Dprinting 1lk8frn",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1lk8frn/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/3Dprinting 18vwams",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/18vwams/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/prusa3d 17h21vt",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/comments/17h21vt/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/3Dprinting z5x3f1",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/z5x3f1/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/BambuLab 15pwnjt",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/15pwnjt/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    }
  ],
  "recommendations": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "note": "Open Filament Database nozzle 190–230 °C (374–446 °F). The US product page checked 14 October 2026 lists a bed of 25–60 °C (77–140 °F) and drying at 55 °C (131 °F) for 6 h. PolyLite PLA TDS EN V5.4, checked 21 October 2026, lists heat deflection of 60 °C (140 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 58 °C (136 °F) at 1.8 MPa, ISO 75. No shrinkage percent is on those pages.",
      "brand": "Polymaker",
      "product": "Polylite PLA",
      "material": "PLA",
      "url": "/brand/polymaker/polylite-pla",
      "nozzle": "190–230 °C (374–446 °F)",
      "bed": "25–60 °C (77–140 °F)",
      "pricePerKg": null,
      "datasheetUrl": "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyLite_PLA_TDS_EN_V5.4.pdf",
      "affiliateUrl": null
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "note": "Open Filament Database nozzle 220–250 °C (428–482 °F) and bed 70–90 °C (158–194 °F). PolyLite PETG TDS EN V5.4, checked 21 October 2026, lists heat deflection of 78 °C (172 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 75 °C (167 °F) at 1.8 MPa, ISO 75. No shrinkage percent is on that sheet.",
      "brand": "Polymaker",
      "product": "Polylite PETG",
      "material": "PETG",
      "url": "/brand/polymaker/polylite-petg",
      "nozzle": "220–250 °C (428–482 °F)",
      "bed": "70–90 °C (158–194 °F)",
      "pricePerKg": null,
      "datasheetUrl": "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyLite_PETG_TDS_EN_V5.4.pdf",
      "affiliateUrl": null
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "note": "The catalog record takes a nozzle of 230–260 °C (446–500 °F) and a bed of 90–110 °C (194–230 °F) from PolyLite ABS TDS EN V5.4. The same sheet, checked 21 October 2026, lists heat deflection of 100 °C (212 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 98 °C (208 °F) at 1.8 MPa, ISO 75. No shrinkage percent is on that sheet.",
      "brand": "Polymaker",
      "product": "Polylite ABS",
      "material": "ABS",
      "url": "/brand/polymaker/polylite-abs",
      "nozzle": "230–260 °C (446–500 °F)",
      "bed": "90–110 °C (194–230 °F)",
      "pricePerKg": null,
      "datasheetUrl": "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyLite_ABS_TDS_EN_V5.4.pdf",
      "affiliateUrl": null
    }
  ]
}