{
  "opening": "PolyLite PLA's sheet, checked 21 October 2026, puts the heat-deflection temperature at 60 °C (140 °F) under a 0.45 MPa load and 58 °C (136 °F) under a 1.8 MPa load. PolyLite ABS, same ISO 75 test and both loads, is 100 °C (212 °F) and 98 °C (208 °F). Tensile strength, impact, and UV hours are absent from these rows, so the comparison stays on the heat numbers.",
  "question": "PLA vs ABS: which should I use?",
  "slug": "pla_vs_abs",
  "useCase": "pla",
  "useCaseLabel": "PLA",
  "updated": "2026-10-26",
  "shortAnswer": "PolyLite PLA's sheet, checked 21 October 2026, puts the heat-deflection temperature at 60 °C (140 °F) under a 0.45 MPa load and 58 °C (136 °F) under a 1.8 MPa load. PolyLite ABS, same ISO 75 test and both loads, is 100 °C (212 °F) and 98 °C (208 °F). Tensile strength, impact, and UV hours are absent from these rows, so the comparison stays on the heat numbers.",
  "recommendedMaterials": [
    "pla",
    "abs"
  ],
  "printerConsiderations": [
    "PolyLite PLA's bed stops at 60 °C (140 °F). PolyLite ABS starts at 90 °C (194 °F). A PLA bed is not an ABS bed.",
    "The heat-deflection pair is one brand, ISO 75, and both loads. The Vicat load is blank in the dataset, so those softening numbers are a weaker comparison than the heat-deflection pair.",
    "Enclosure required is blank on the PolyLite ABS row. Fumes and a box belong on the ABS pages linked below, not as a number invented here."
  ],
  "pros": [
    "Both loads are stated, so the drop from 60 °C (140 °F) to 58 °C (136 °F), and from 100 °C (212 °F) to 98 °C (208 °F), stays attached to the heavier load.",
    "The comment that quotes 60–65 °C (140–149 °F) and 105 °C (221 °F) is kept as a comment. It is not copied into the sheet."
  ],
  "cons": [
    "calls ABS nasty and prefers PLA and PETG. Nasty is not a cell.",
    "refuses ABS because of fumes in a bedroom. That is the comment. It is not a toxicity measurement."
  ],
  "community": "The editorial summary says PLA for daily printing and ABS when heat resistance is needed. The heat-deflection rows support a higher ABS number. They do not say easier. r/BambuLab 1cpkm49, score 21, uses PLA, switches to ABS for something that might see sunlight, calls ABS nasty, and sticks mostly to PLA and PETG. Score 5 prefers PETG-CF. r/3Dprinting 15htfaf, score 7, says PLA softens around 60–65 °C (140–149 °F) and ABS around 105 °C (221 °F). Score 4 would use PLA and would never use ABS because of fumes, with the printer in a bedroom. No excerpt was supplied for r/3Dprinting 1ch6ocp, r/prusa3d 1gc4ty7, or r/FixMyPrint 1q4ogoo.",
  "related": [
    "pla_vs_petg",
    "petg_vs_abs",
    "abs_print",
    "heat"
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "PLA vs ABS: which should I use?",
      "a": "PolyLite PLA's sheet, checked 21 October 2026, puts the heat-deflection temperature at 60 °C (140 °F) under a 0.45 MPa load and 58 °C (136 °F) under a 1.8 MPa load. PolyLite ABS, same ISO 75 test and both loads, is 100 °C (212 °F) and 98 °C (208 °F). Tensile strength, impact, and UV hours are absent from these rows, so the comparison stays on the heat numbers."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is the comment's 60–65 °C (140–149 °F) the same number as the sheet?",
      "a": "It is close to PolyLite PLA's Vicat softening temperature of 63 °C (145 °F) and its glass transition of 61 °C (142 °F), and the comment's 105 °C (221 °F) is close to PolyLite ABS Vicat at 104 °C (219 °F). The heat-deflection numbers are 60 °C (140 °F) and 58 °C (136 °F) for PLA, and 100 °C (212 °F) and 98 °C (208 °F) for ABS. [Heat](/answers/heat) is the temperature page. The comment is not relabeled as ISO 75."
    },
    {
      "q": "Where do PETG and sunlight fit?",
      "a": "names PETG and sunlight. [PLA versus PETG](/answers/pla_vs_petg) is the other pair. [PETG versus ABS and ASA](/answers/petg_vs_abs) has the PolyLite PETG heat-deflection pair. [How to print ABS](/answers/abs_print) is the enclosure and fume page. Sunlight resistance is not a UV-hours cell on these two sheets."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Polymaker PolyLite PLA technical data sheet",
      "url": "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyLite_PLA_TDS_EN_V5.4.pdf",
      "kind": "datasheet"
    },
    {
      "title": "Polymaker PolyLite ABS technical data sheet",
      "url": "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyLite_ABS_TDS_EN_V5.4.pdf",
      "kind": "datasheet"
    },
    {
      "title": "Open Filament Database, Prusament PLA",
      "url": "https://api.openfilamentdatabase.org/api/v1/brands/prusament/materials/PLA/filaments/pla/index.json",
      "kind": "other"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/BambuLab 1cpkm49",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/1cpkm49/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/3Dprinting 15htfaf",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/15htfaf/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/3Dprinting 1ch6ocp",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1ch6ocp/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/prusa3d 1gc4ty7",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/comments/1gc4ty7/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/FixMyPrint 1q4ogoo",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/FixMyPrint/comments/1q4ogoo/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    }
  ],
  "recommendations": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "note": "Open Filament Database nozzle 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) and bed 25–60 °C (77–140 °F). Drying on the TDS is 55 °C (131 °F) for 6 h, checked 18 October 2026. Heat dataset, checked 21 October 2026, lists HDT 60 °C (140 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 58 °C (136 °F) at 1.8 MPa, ISO 75, Vicat 63 °C (145 °F) under ISO 306 with the load left blank, and glass transition 61 °C (142 °F). No tensile, impact, or UV cell is stored.",
      "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 230–260 °C (446–500 °F) and bed 90–110 °C (194–230 °F). Drying on the TDS is 70 °C (158 °F) for 6 h, checked 18 October 2026. Heat dataset, checked 21 October 2026, lists HDT 100 °C (212 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 98 °C (208 °F) at 1.8 MPa, ISO 75, Vicat 104 °C (219 °F) under ISO 306 with the load left blank, and glass transition 101 °C (214 °F). Enclosure required is blank.",
      "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
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "note": "Open Filament Database nozzle 205–225 °C (401–437 °F) and bed 40–60 °C (104–140 °F), dataset imported 13 October 2026. Drying at 45 °C (113 °F) for 6 h is the Prusa material default, checked 18 October 2026. The heat dataset has no Prusament PLA row, so this line is a print setting, not a second heat-deflection result.",
      "brand": "Prusament",
      "product": "PLA",
      "material": "PLA",
      "url": "/brand/prusament/pla",
      "nozzle": "205–225 °C (401–437 °F)",
      "bed": "40–60 °C (104–140 °F)",
      "pricePerKg": null,
      "datasheetUrl": null,
      "affiliateUrl": null
    }
  ]
}