PLA Metal
Polylactic Acid - Metal-Effect
9 products from 5 makers. Bambu Lab sells its own filament of this material for the H2C.
- Tensile modulus (XY)
- 1.96GPa
- 2 products · 1.9–2.01
- Tensile strength (XY)
- 34MPa
- 2 products · 34
- Tensile strength (Z)
- 28MPa
- 2 products · 25–31
- Notched Charpy impact
- 22.3kJ/m²
- one product
- HDT at 0.45 MPa
- 60°C
- 2 products · 58–62
- Price
- 32CAD/kg
- one product
PLA Metal is metal-effect polylactic acid. Makers sell it for art and design, cosplay and metallic-style models. It is amorphous as printed, so it softens at its glass transition: its HDT at 0.45 MPa is 58–62 °C. On the H2C it needs no heated chamber, but makers call for a hardened steel or ruby nozzle and for nozzles larger than the standard size.
Partly documented Notched Charpy impact and price rest on 1 product each and tensile modulus (XY), tensile strength (XY), tensile strength (Z) and HDT at 0.45 MPa on 2 products each. Each figure is the median of the products that publish it comparably, and beside it the middle half of them; a value on a test bar no document describes as printed, or with no stated test load, is set apart, except a heat deflection of a plastic that cannot crystallise, which its glass transition sets, unless its document points to a moulded or resin bar. Products with an added filler or additive are shown but kept out of the medians.
On the H2C
Printing in full- Nozzle
- 190–230 °C
- most products that give one
- Bed
- 50–60 °C
- most products that give one
- Heated chamber
- none needed
- 6 of 9 products
- Drying
- 55–65 °C, 6–8 h
- 2 of 9 products call for it
- Nozzle type
- hardened
- 3 of 9 products' sheets ask for one; the rest are silent
No product's setting is beyond the H2C's limits: nozzle 350 °C, bed 120 °C, heated chamber 65 °C.
Among the materials
Against PLA-CF, PLA Metal is 30 % less stiff, 20 % weaker flat and 11 % stronger across the layers. Against PETG, PLA Metal is 28 % weaker flat and 16 % stiffer, and its HDT at 0.45 MPa is 10 °C lower. Among the materials, PLA Metal has a high notched Charpy impact and a low tensile strength (XY), HDT at 0.45 MPa and price: each is in the top or bottom quarter of the materials that publish it. The rest of its key properties sit in the middle half.
Against its alternatives, PLA Metal has the highest notched Charpy impact
How does it compare with what an engineer would buy instead?
- PLA Metal: its products' median and middle half
- an alternative
- lowest to highest
- each material's median (top row)
- set apart: test bar not described as printed, or no stated load
- beyond the scale
Each row is a material, each column a property: the bar is the middle half of a material's products, the tick their median, the hairline their lowest to highest; the ticks above the rows are every material's median.
The figure as a table
| Material | Modulus (XY) (GPa) | Strength (XY) (MPa) | Strength (Z) (MPa) | Notched Charpy (kJ/m²) | HDT 0.45 MPa (°C) | Price (CAD/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA Metal (this material) | 1.96 · 2 | 34 · 2 | 28 · 2 | 22.3 · 1 | 60 · 2 | 32 · 1 |
| PLA-CF | 2.8 (2.26–3.65) · 7 | 42.3 (39.3–47) · 10 | 25.3 (24.1–26) · 5 | 6.08 · 2 | 55 (55–57) · 6 | 40 · 2 |
| PLA-GF | — | 46 · 1 | — | — | — | 41 · 0 |
| PETG | 1.69 (1.42–1.95) · 24 | 47 (40.3–50.6) · 34 | 30.2 (28–36.5) · 16 | 6 (4.76–8) · 10 | 70 (69–71) · 32 | 26 (25–32) · 11 |
| PP | 1.2–1.4 as published (2) | 19 · 1 | — | 65 as published (1) | 59 · 1 | 77 · 2 |
| ABS | 2.2 (2.02–2.25) · 13 | 34.5 (33–35.6) · 18 | 27.3 (24.6–28.3) · 12 | 20 (18–21.5) · 7 | 95 (89–99) · 18 | 40 (31–52) · 9 |
Each cell is the median of the products ranked, its middle half in brackets, and how many.
Where PLA Metal sits among the 128 rigid materials on file
Where is it in the landscape: stiffness against strength, heat resistance against price?
- PLA Metal: median, middle half as a cross
- a PLA Metal product
- an alternative
- another material
- beyond the scale
Tensile strength (XY) against tensile modulus (XY)
MPa, log scale
Tensile modulus (XY), GPa, log scale
HDT at 0.45 MPa against price
°C
Price, CAD/kg, log scale
Grey points are every other rigid material's medians; the alternatives are named.
The figure as a table
| Material | Tensile modulus (XY) | Tensile strength (XY) | Price | HDT at 0.45 MPa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA Metal (this material) | 1.96 GPa · 2 | 34 MPa · 2 | 32 CAD/kg · 1 | 60 °C · 2 |
| PLA-CF | 2.8 GPa · 7 | 42.3 MPa · 10 | 40 CAD/kg · 2 | 55 °C · 6 |
| PLA-GF | — | 46 MPa · 1 | 41 CAD/kg · 0 | — |
| PETG | 1.69 GPa · 24 | 47 MPa · 34 | 26 CAD/kg · 11 | 70 °C · 32 |
| PP | 1.2–1.4 GPa as published | 19 MPa · 1 | 77 CAD/kg · 2 | 59 °C · 1 |
| ABS | 2.2 GPa · 13 | 34.5 MPa · 18 | 40 CAD/kg · 9 | 95 °C · 18 |
Mechanical properties
Printed flat (XY), PLA Metal typically reaches a tensile strength of 34 MPa at a modulus of 1.96 GPa, and breaks at 13 % elongation. In bending, its flexural strength is typically 63.5 MPa at a flexural modulus of 2.19 GPa.
| Product | Tensile strength (XY) | Tensile modulus (XY) | Tensile strength (Z) | Elongation at break (XY) | Notched Charpy impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bambu Lab PLA Metal | 34 MPa | 2.01 GPa | 31 MPa | 15 % | 22.3 kJ/m² |
| Spectrum Copper | 35 MPanot described as printed | not published | not published | not published | not published |
| Spectrum PLA Metal Brass | 30 MPanot described as printed | not published | not published | not published | not published |
| Spectrum Bronze | 31 MPanot described as printed | not published | not published | not published | not published |
| Anycubic PLA Metal | 34 MPa | 1.9 GPa | 25 MPa | 11 % | not published |
| FormFutura Classic Copper | 18.3 MPanot described as printed | 4.21 GPanot described as printed | not published | 4.5 %not described as printed | 9.3 kJ/m²not described as printed |
| FormFutura Ancient Bronze | 19 MPanot described as printed | 3.99 GPanot described as printed | not published | 8 %not described as printed | 11.3 kJ/m²not described as printed |
Across the layers (Z), PLA Metal keeps 82 % of its flat strength and 85 % of its flat stiffness
What does a printed part lose across the layers (Z) against flat (XY), and is that usual?
- a product
- equal share: 100, 75, 50 and 25 %
- PLA Metal's median share
- an alternative
Tensile strength
Z keeps 82 % of XY, median of 2 products
flat (XY), MPa
Share kept: PLA Metal 82 % · ABS 73 % · PETG 69 % · PLA-CF 58 %
Tensile modulus
Z keeps 85 % of XY, median of 1 product
flat (XY), GPa
Share kept: ABS 89 % · PETG 88 % · PLA Metal 85 % · PLA-CF 77 %
Elongation at break
Z keeps 31 % of XY, median of 1 product
flat (XY), %
Share kept: PETG 59 % · PLA-CF 43 % · ABS 38 % · PLA Metal 31 %
Each point is a product that publishes both from one sheet: below the 100 % ray it keeps less across the layers than flat. Under each plot, the median share its alternatives' products keep.
The figure as a table
| Product | Property | Flat (XY) | Across (Z) | Z as a share of XY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bambu Lab PLA Metal | Tensile strength | 34 MPa | 31 MPa | 91 % |
| Anycubic PLA Metal | Tensile strength | 34 MPa | 25 MPa | 74 % |
| Bambu Lab PLA Metal | Tensile modulus | 2.01 GPa | 1.71 GPa | 85 % |
| Bambu Lab PLA Metal | Elongation at break | 15 % | 4.5 % | 31 % |
| PLA-CF (alternative) | Tensile strength | 58 % · 5 | ||
| PETG (alternative) | Tensile strength | 69 % · 13 | ||
| ABS (alternative) | Tensile strength | 73 % · 9 | ||
| PLA-CF (alternative) | Tensile modulus | 77 % · 5 | ||
| PETG (alternative) | Tensile modulus | 88 % · 10 | ||
| ABS (alternative) | Tensile modulus | 89 % · 7 | ||
| PLA-CF (alternative) | Elongation at break | 43 % · 5 | ||
| PETG (alternative) | Elongation at break | 59 % · 13 | ||
| ABS (alternative) | Elongation at break | 38 % · 9 |
Flat and across the layers, property by property
Flat and across the layers
| Property | Printed flat (XY) | Across the layers (Z) | Z as a share of XY | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median | Products | Median | Products | ||
| Tensile strength MPa | 34 | 2 | 28 | 2 | 82 %2 products |
| Tensile modulus GPa | 1.96 | 2 | 1.71 | 1 | 85 %1 product |
| Elongation at break % | 13 | 2 | 4.5 | 1 | 31 %1 product |
| Flexural strength MPa | 63.5 | 2 | 51 | 1 | 77 %1 product |
| Flexural modulus GPa | 2.19 | 2 | 2.15 | 1 | 94 %1 product |
The middle half of the products under each median. The share is each product's Z value as a part of its XY value, from one sheet and one state, and the median of those shares. How XY and Z differ.
Thermal properties
PLA Metal is amorphous as printed, so it softens at its glass transition, typically 62 °C: its HDT is 58–62 °C under 0.45 MPa and 58 °C under 1.8 MPa. As published, Vicat softening is typically 62 °C and melting typically 160 °C.
| Product | HDT at 0.45 MPa | HDT at 1.8 MPa | Glass transition (Tg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bambu Lab PLA Metal | 62 °C | 58 °C | 60 °C |
| Anycubic PLA Metal | 58 °C | not published | 64 °C |
Printing on the H2C
PLA Metal softens near 60 °C, below the H2C's 65 °C chamber
What does printing it on the H2C take, and how hot can a part get?
- share of the products that accept each temperature
- what most products accept
- the H2C's limit, and beyond it
- a product
- PLA Metal: its products' median and middle half
- as published, under each sheet's own test
Printing it on the H2C
In service
°C
One temperature axis for the settings a print needs and the temperatures a part meets. A setting's shade is how many of the products whose sheets give a window accept each degree; the H2C's limit closes its row.
The figure as a table
| Setting or property | Most products, or the median | Products | H2C limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nozzle | 190–230 °C | 3 | 350 °C |
| Bed | 50–60 °C | 3 | 120 °C |
| Heated chamber | 25–45 °C | 1 | 65 °C |
| Drying | 55–65 °C, 6–8 h | 2 | — |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa | 58 °C | 1 | — |
| HDT at 0.45 MPa | 60 °C | 2 | — |
| Glass transition (Tg) | 62 °C | 2 | — |
| Vicat softening temperature | 62 °C | 2 | — |
| Melting temperature | 160 °C | 2 | — |
Windows read from the Bambu Lab Filament Guide are not shaded: the guide speaks for every product that reads it.
| Setting | Most PLA Metal products |
|---|---|
| Nozzle | 190–230 °C most products that give one |
| Bed | 50–60 °C most products that give one |
| Heated chamber | none; sheets that give one say 25–45 °C 6 of 9 products |
| Drying | 55–65 °C, 6–8 h 2 of 9 products call for it |
| Nozzle type | hardened 3 of 9 products' sheets ask for one; the rest are silent |
Where a product's own sheet is silent, its setting comes from a sheet it shares or from the Bambu Lab Filament Guide; each product's card says which.
Hardened nozzle. Three products need one: Spectrum PLA Metal Copper, Spectrum PLA Metal Brass and Spectrum PLA Metal Bronze.
After printing
the suggested annealing temperature of models printed with Bambu PLA Metal is 50 to 60 °C, and the time is 6 to 12 hours.
Bambu Lab PLA Metal, data sheet, p. 3
What makers say about printing it
Printing advice
Due to the high metal powder content in the PLA Metal series filaments, it is recommended to use nozzles larger than the standard 0.4mm.
Spectrum PLA Metal Copper, data sheet, p. 1
Nozzle wear
The high metal content may cause accelerated wear of standard brass nozzles; therefore, it is advisable to use hardened steel or ruby nozzles.
Spectrum PLA Metal Copper, data sheet, p. 1
More from makers: moisture sensitivity, supports and removal and odour and emissions
Moisture sensitivity
Dry box no
Spectrum PLA Metal Copper, data sheet, p. 1
Supports and removal
Compared to other materials, the support is easier to peel off from the surface of the model, and the contact surface is smooth and flat
eSUN ePLA Metal, data sheet, p. 1
Odour and emissions
Odor Odorless
Bambu Lab PLA Metal, data sheet, p. 3
Products
9 products from 5 makers; the most from FormFutura (3) and Spectrum (3).
- Most documented: Bambu Lab PLA Metal, with values for more properties than any other.
These are published values, not recommendations: the selector judges each product against your requirements.
Uses, limitations and chemicals
What it is sold for
With a refined formula that enhances toughness and printing performance, it is ideal for printing machine-, armor-, and metallic-style models.
Anycubic PLA Metal, data sheet, p. 1COSPLAY
eSUN ePLA Metal, data sheet, p. 1Aesthetics, design, and art
FormFutura MetalFil - Classic Copper, maker's product page or guide, p. 1
Finish and accuracy
Due to the high copper powder content, prints made with this filament achieve a natural look and feel of genuine brass, including its weight and characteristic cool surface.
Spectrum PLA Metal Copper, data sheet, p. 1This incredible high filling with brass powders enables every FDM 3D printer user to 3D print brass objects which are almost indistinguishable from genuine brass casted objects.
FormFutura MetalFil Brass, data sheet, p. 1
Chemicals and environment
| Exposure | What makers say |
|---|---|
| Water solubility | Insoluble, in its one statement |
| Acid resistance | Not resistant, in its one statement |
| Alkali resistance | Not resistant, in its one statement |
| Organic solvent resistance | Limited, in its one statement |
| Oil and grease resistance | Limited, in its one statement |
| Flammability | Flammable, in its one statement |
Makers rarely give the concentration, temperature or duration: treat them as indications, not design data. Each product's statements are on its card.
Resin reference data (for plain PLA, where no maker of these products speaks): it absorbs moisture and is dried before melt processing. Fillers, pigments and printing change this, so it does not stand for these products.
Density and price
Its three products give a density of 1,200–1,250 kg/m³. One product has a sampled price: Bambu Lab PLA Metal at 32 CAD/kg.
| Product | Density | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bambu Lab PLA Metal | 1,250 kg/m³ | 32 CAD/kg |
| Spectrum Copper | 2,360 kg/m³ | not published |
| Spectrum PLA Metal Brass | 2,330 kg/m³ | 120 CAD/kg |
| Spectrum Bronze | 2,280 kg/m³ | not published |
| eSUN ePLA Metal | 1,230 kg/m³ | not published |
| Anycubic PLA Metal | 1,200 kg/m³ | not published |
| FormFutura Brass | 2,780 kg/m³ | not published |
| FormFutura Classic Copper | 3,400 kg/m³ | not published |
| FormFutura Ancient Bronze | 3,500 kg/m³ | not published |
Regular prices, never sale prices, from 9 Canadian shops and 10 foreign shops, sampled 10 Sep–20 Oct 2026, not live; shipping and tax are not included.
Other properties, as published
4 more properties are published, each under its own sheet's test conditions, so they are listed, not ranked.
The 4 properties, lowest to highest
| Property | Products | Lowest–highest |
|---|---|---|
| Melt mass-flow rate | 5 | 21.6–41.3 g/10 min |
| Crystallization temperature | 1 | 116 °C |
| Moisture content | 1 | 0.26 % |
| Water absorption | 1 | 0.4 % |
Sources
16 documents from 5 publishers (12 data sheets, 3 makers' product pages and guides and 1 printer document), read 10 Sep–4 Oct 2026. Each value on PLA Metal's Products page names its document and page, and links to the original.
Bambu Lab, H2C Filamant Printing Guide (the H2C's printer guide): print settings for 9 products.
Every document (16), by publisher
| Publisher | Documents | Values | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | 6 | 28 | 3 |
| FormFutura | 6 | 17 | 3 |
| Bambu Lab | 1 | 21 | 1 |
| Anycubic | 1 | 15 | 1 |
| eSUN | 1 | 7 | 1 |
- Anycubic, Anycubic PLA Metal
- Bambu Lab, Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet - PLA Metal
- Bambu Lab, H2C Filamant Printing Guide | Bambu Lab Wiki
- eSUN, ePLA-Metal Technical Data Sheet
- FormFutura, MetalFil - Ancient Bronze
- FormFutura, MetalFil - Brass
- FormFutura, MetalFil - Classic Copper
- FormFutura, Technical Data Sheet MetalFil™ - Ancient Bronze
- FormFutura, Technical Data Sheet MetalFil™ - Brass
- FormFutura, Technical Data Sheet MetalFil™ - Classic Copper
- Spectrum, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET PLA Metal Brass
- Spectrum, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET PLA Metal Brass
- Spectrum, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET PLA Metal Bronze
- Spectrum, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET PLA Metal Bronze
- Spectrum, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET PLA Metal Copper
- Spectrum, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET PLA Metal Copper