# What is the best filament for outdoor use?

Use ASA for a part that stays outdoors in the sun. PETG is the cheaper community fallback, ABS is the third option, and plain PLA softens and degrades outside. Dark colors get much hotter in the sun.

## When to use which material

[ASA](/material/asa) is the long-term outdoor material in this consensus. [PETG](/material/petg) is the cheaper spool when you will not run ASA temperatures. [ABS](/material/abs) is the third name, not a substitute for ASA’s UV role. [PLA](/material/pla) is the one to retire for sun and weather. The earlier [outdoor guide](/answers/outdoors) ranks ASA and PETG from manufacturer notes and does not put ABS on the table.

## Temperatures and settings

Bambu ASA lists 235–260 °C at the nozzle and 90–110 °C on the bed. Prusament ASA lists 250–270 °C and 100–120 °C. Prusament PETG lists 240–260 °C and 70–90 °C. PolyLite ABS lists 230–260 °C and 90–110 °C. Use the row, not a single outdoor profile. There is no UV hours figure and no “dark color adds N degrees” figure in the catalog.

## Failure modes

PLA in the sun softens and degrades. That is the failure this question is trying to avoid. PETG is the print that fades or warps when someone used it as a permanent ASA replacement. ASA that is printed cold warps. A black or dark part in full sun runs hotter than the same shape in white. The consensus states that and does not quantify it.

## Caveats

Dark colors get far hotter in the sun. Paint or a lighter filament is the mitigation this page will commit to, not an invented temperature offset. ABS is on the list because the consensus names it. It is last because ASA is the UV default.

## Where this sits in the catalog

[Bambu ASA versus Prusament ASA](/compare/bambu-lab-asa-vs-prusament-asa) compares the two ASA rows. [Prusament PETG versus PolyLite PETG](/compare/prusament-petg-vs-polymaker-polylite-petg) is the PETG pair. A part that also has to hold water is [watertight printing](/answers/waterproof), which is settings first and still starts from PETG. Check an open machine on [printers without an enclosure](/answers/open-printer) before ordering ASA.

Updated 2026-10-14. Sources accessed 2026-10-14. Use case: Outdoor.

## Ranked filaments

| Rank | Filament | Nozzle | Bed | Price per kg |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Bambu Lab ASA | 235–260 °C | 90–110 °C | — |
| 2 | Prusament ASA | 250–270 °C | 100–120 °C | — |
| 3 | Prusament PETG | 240–260 °C | 70–90 °C | — |
| 4 | Polymaker Polylite ABS | 230–260 °C | 90–110 °C | — |

## What the community says

The consensus is that ASA is the community default for long-term outdoor UV exposure, PETG is the cheaper option, and plain PLA softens and degrades in the sun. The materials named are ASA, PETG, and ABS. The caveat is that dark colors in the sun get far hotter.

## Sources

- [Bambu Lab ASA technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0645/5876/0155/files/Bambu_ASA_Technical_Data_Sheet.pdf) (datasheet)
- [PolyLite ABS technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyLite_ABS_TDS_EN_V5.4.pdf) (datasheet)
- [Prusament PETG technical data sheet](https://www.prusa3d.com/file/3464616/prusament-petg-technical-data-sheet.pdf) (datasheet)
- [Community source, r/3Dprinting 1ew3jx5](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1ew3jx5/) (reddit)
- [Community source, r/3Dprinting 1w14zsq](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1w14zsq/) (reddit)
- [Community source, r/prusa3d 1m2ycdo](https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/comments/1m2ycdo/) (reddit)
- [Community source, r/BambuLab 1b9r3zz](https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/1b9r3zz/) (reddit)
- [Community source, r/BambuLab 150296l](https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/150296l/) (reddit)

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