# How long does filament last / does it go bad?

Two medical ABS sheets state 24 months when that product is stored as the sheet describes. This catalog has no shelf-life field on filament rows. That is not a PLA expiry, and the comments here do not measure how long a spool lasts.

This catalog has no shelf-life field on filament rows. Two medical ABS sheets state 24 months when that product is stored as the sheet describes. That is not a PLA expiry, and the comments here do not measure how long a spool lasts.

Age, in this database, is not a column. Moisture is. [Drying](/answers/drying) is the temperature question. [Wet filament](/answers/hygro) is how a spool shows it. [Brittle filament](/answers/brittle) is the snap on the way into the extruder. [Storage](/answers/storage) is the box afterward. None of those pages prints a universal expiry.
## The only month-counts read for this page

[Bambu PLA Basic](/brand/bambu-lab/pla-basic) lists 190–230 °C (374–446 °F), a bed of 35–45 °C (95–113 °F), and blast-oven drying at 50 °C (122 °F) for 8 h, checked 14 October 2026. No shelf life is on that row. [Formfutura Premium ABS Medical](/brand/formfutura/premium-abs-medical), datasheet checked 23 October 2026, says to store it at room temperature, dry and dark, humidity below 15%, recommended storage about 18–25 °C (64–77 °F), and that stored properly the product has a shelf life of 24 months. The sheet date of issue is 5 January 2026. [Spectrum ABS Medical](/brand/spectrum/abs-medical), read the same day, says a dry room at room temperature, recommended storage about 18–25 °C (64–77 °F), and a shelf life of 24 months. The preparation date printed on that sheet is 06-04-2022. Both disclaimers leave the use of the information with the customer. Quoting 24 months here is not a suggestion to print a medical part, and it is not a date you can stamp on a PLA spool. The medical limits are on [medical and skin contact](/answers/medical).
## What the community says

[a Reddit thread in r/ender3](https://www.reddit.com/r/ender3/comments/1430m81/) and are about getting old filament out of a hotend. "Heat to 110" is the comment's wording, with no unit.

Updated 2026-10-23. Sources accessed 2026-10-23. Use case: Drying.

## Ranked filaments

| Rank | Filament | Nozzle | Bed | Price per kg |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Bambu Lab PLA Basic | 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) | 35–45 °C (95–113 °F) | — |
| 2 | FormFutura Premium ABS Medical | 235–260 °C (455–500 °F) | 90–110 °C (194–230 °F) | — |
| 3 | Spectrum ABS Medical | 235–255 °C (455–491 °F) | 100 °C (212 °F) | — |

## Sources

- [Bambu PLA Basic technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0584/7236/6216/files/Bambu_PLA_Basic_Technical_Data_Sheet_bf3411ce-be39-4db7-9669-1b4671d2196b.pdf?v=1734060943) (datasheet)
- [Formfutura Premium ABS Medical technical data sheet](https://www.formfutura.com/web/content/306558?download=true) (datasheet)
- [Spectrum ABS Medical technical data sheet](https://spectrumfilaments.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/en_tds_spectrum_medical.pdf) (datasheet)
- [a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1ew3jx5/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1wz8bp8/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/ender3](https://www.reddit.com/r/ender3/comments/1430m81/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1ridhb3/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/s2icz0/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/BambuLab](https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/1xcnvd5/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1xcobsb/) (reddit)

HTML: https://filamentfacts.com/answers/old_filament