Flexible
What filament should I use when the part has to bend?
First in this ranking: Prusament TPU 95A.
- Nozzle220–240 °C
- Bed55–75 °C
- Speed—
- Dry—
- Density1.22 g/cm³
Ranked filaments
| Rank | Filament | Material | Nozzle | Bed | Price / kg | Datasheet | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prusament TPU 95AA 95A TPU with listed nozzle and bed temperatures. Stiffer than a soft 85A, which is what most hinges and bumpers want. | TPU | 220–240 | 55–75 | — | — | |
| 2 | Polymaker Polyflex TPUPolymaker’s flexible TPU, with a listed nozzle range. Same job as the Prusament spool. | TPU | 210–240 | 30–60 | — | — | |
| 3 | Bambu Lab TPU 90ASlightly softer listed grade, and the record includes a datasheet. Expect a slower print than PLA. | TPU | 200–250 | 30–35 | — | Datasheet |
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How the ranking was chosen
Pick the stiffness on purpose. 95A is the default bendable part. Drop to 90A when the part has to fold, and leave PLA off the list.
Pros and cons
Pros
- TPU is the material that is supposed to bend. PLA and PETG will flex a little and then crack.
- 95A and 90A are named on the product, so the ranking is not an unlabeled ‘flexible’ spool.
Cons
- TPU prints slowly, and a wet spool prints worse. It is a poor first material.
- Shore hardness is not a strength number. A 95A hinge is still a hinge, not a bracket.
Printer considerations
- Flexible filament binds in a long Bowden path. A direct-drive printer page is the one to read; if direct drive is an em dash, this guide does not assume the extruder can push TPU.
- Dry the spool. The PLA-PETG-TPU thread treats wet TPU as the reason a print changes behavior halfway through.
- Do not run soft TPU through a multi-material feeder that the printer page does not list as compatible. Bambu’s separate ‘TPU for AMS’ product exists because the ordinary grades are not the same setup.
What the community says
The practical split on r/3Dprinting is PLA for ordinary parts, PETG when it has to be tougher, and TPU when it has to flex. The same thread says TPU is slower, needs to be dry, and often has to skip the automatic feeder. Cosplay replies use TPU for straps and joints and keep the shells in PETG or PLA.
- How big is the jump between PLA, PETG, and TPU?, r/3Dprinting
- Best filament for cosplay, r/3Dprinting
Sources & notes
Accessed 14 October 2026.
Related questions
- What filament should a beginner use?Beginners
- What is the best flexible filament, and how do I print TPU?Flexible
- What filament should I use for cosplay armor?Cosplay
- Do I need to dry filament, and how?Drying
Questions
Can I print TPU on a Bowden printer?
Sometimes, with a stiffer 95A and a short path. This guide does not promise it. Read the printer’s direct-drive field and treat an em dash as unknown.
Is PETG flexible enough for a clip?
PETG is tougher than PLA and still a rigid plastic. A living hinge or a strap is a TPU part.