PA12
Polyamide 12 (Nylon 12)
8 products from 7 makers. Bambu Lab does not list this material for the H2C; its published process temperatures are within the printer's limits.
- Tensile modulus (XY)
- 1.4–1.5GPa
- as published · test bar not described as printed
- Tensile strength (XY)
- 45–60MPa
- as published · test bar not described as printed
- Not published:
- tensile strength (Z).
- Notched Charpy impact
- 7–14kJ/m²
- as published · test bar not described as printed
- HDT at 0.45 MPa
- 100–135°C
- as published · test bar not described as printed, or no stated test load
- Price
- 183CAD/kg
- 2 products · 123–242
PA12 is polyamide 12 (nylon 12). A maker sells it for humid environments where impact strength, sliding friction and wear resistance matter, and makers cite its low water absorption and dimensional stability. It is semicrystalline. On the H2C it prints at 255–270 °C, and makers advise drying.
Thinly documented Eight products, with values from 8 makers' documents. No document describes its tensile, impact and heat deflection bars as printed, so tensile modulus (XY), tensile strength (XY), notched Charpy impact and HDT at 0.45 MPa are shown as published and not ranked against other materials. Read each figure as a few sheets' word.
On the H2C
Printing in full- Nozzle
- 255–270 °C
- most products that give one
- Bed
- 100 °C
- most products that give one
- Heated chamber
- none needed
- 1 of 8 products
- Drying
- 65–80 °C, 3–12 h
- 7 of 8 products call for it
- Nozzle type
- standard
- 2 say a standard nozzle is enough; 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, PA12 is 5.5 times as expensive. Against PLA blend, PA12 is 3.4 times as expensive. Among the materials, PA12 has a high price and a low density: both are in the top or bottom quarter of the materials that publish them.
PA12 costs more than PLA, PLA blend and PETG
How does it compare with what an engineer would buy instead?
- PA12: 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
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PA12 (this material) | 1.4–1.5 as published (6) | 45–60 as published (6) | — | 7–14 as published (4) | 100–135 as published (4) | 183 · 2 |
| PA12-CF | 3.31 (1.97–8) · 5 | 65 (48.5–79.5) · 8 | 33.1 · 2 | 16.3 (13.7–17.8) · 4 | 131 (111–160) · 7 | 300 · 1 |
| PA12-GF | 7.8 · 1 | 82 · 1 | — | 16 as published (1) | 150 · 1 | 247 · 1 |
| PLA | 2.58 (2–2.88) · 61 | 45 (39.5–53) · 83 | 30.3 (22.1–34) · 40 | 6 (3.97–7.9) · 14 | 56 (53–58) · 50 | 33 (28–40) · 27 |
| PLA blend | 3.1–5.1 as published (6) | 45–55 as published (8) | — | 4–12 as published (4) | 54–115 as published (6) | 54 · 3 |
| 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 |
PA12 publishes no tensile strength (Z). Its tensile modulus (XY), tensile strength (XY), notched Charpy impact and HDT at 0.45 MPa state no orientation, so they are drawn as published.
Mechanical properties
As published, its products give a tensile strength of 45–60 MPa, a modulus of 1.4–1.5 GPa and an elongation at break of 50–150 %.
| Product | Tensile strength (XY) | Tensile modulus (XY) | Elongation at break (XY) | Notched Charpy impact | Notched Izod impact | Shore D hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extrudr DURAPRO PA12 | 50 MPanot described as printed | 1.5 GPanot described as printed | > 50 %not described as printed | not published | not published | not published |
| Fabru Polyamide 12 | 60 MPanot described as printed | 1.5 GPanot described as printed | 50 %not described as printed | not published | not published | not published |
| FormFutura STYX-12 | 60 MPanot described as printed | 1.4 GPanot described as printed | > 150 %not described as printed | 14 kJ/m²not described as printed | not published | 81 Shore D |
| Fiberlogy Nylon PA12 | 45 MPanot described as printed | 1.4 GPanot described as printed | > 50 %not described as printed | 12 kJ/m²not described as printed | 12 kJ/m²not described as printed | not published |
| Fiberlogy R Nylon | 45 MPanot described as printed | 1.4 GPanot described as printed | > 50 %not described as printed | 12 kJ/m²not described as printed | 12 kJ/m²not described as printed | not published |
| Fillamentum Nylon FX256 | 45 MPanot described as printed | 1.4 GPanot described as printed | > 50 %not described as printed | 7 kJ/m²not described as printed | not published | not published |
In grey, a value a product reads from a data sheet it shares, where its own sheet is silent.
Not published for PA12: strength across the layers.
Thermal properties
Its glass transition is 45 °C. As published, Vicat softening is typically 142 °C and melting typically 178 °C.
| Product | HDT at 0.45 MPa | HDT at 1.8 MPa | Glass transition (Tg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extrudr DURAPRO PA12 | not published | 55 °Cnot described as printed | 45 °C |
| Fabru Polyamide 12 | 100 °Cnot described as printed | not published | not published |
| Fiberlogy Nylon PA12 | 135 °Cnot described as printed | 55 °Cnot described as printed | not published |
| Fiberlogy R Nylon | 135 °Cnot described as printed | 55 °Cnot described as printed | not published |
| Fillamentum Nylon FX256 | 110 °Cnot described as printed | 50 °Cnot described as printed | not published |
Printing on the H2C
PA12 softens near 45 °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
- PA12: 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 | 255–270 °C | 8 | 350 °C |
| Bed | 100 °C | 8 | 120 °C |
| Heated chamber | — | 0 | 65 °C |
| Drying | 65–80 °C, 3–12 h | 7 | — |
| Glass transition (Tg) | 45 °C | 1 | — |
| Vicat softening temperature | 105–145 °C | 5 | — |
| Melting temperature | 172–250 °C | 5 | — |
No PA12 product gives a heated chamber window. Windows read from the Bambu Lab Filament Guide are not shaded: the guide speaks for every product that reads it.
| Setting | Most PA12 products |
|---|---|
| Nozzle | 255–270 °C most products that give one |
| Bed | 100 °C most products that give one |
| Heated chamber | none needed 1 of 8 products |
| Drying | 65–80 °C, 3–12 h 7 of 8 products call for it |
| Nozzle type | standard 2 say a standard nozzle is enough; 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.
After printing
One product publishes values measured after annealing.
What makers say about printing it
Moisture sensitivity
It is recommended to use it with the eBOX cartridge when printing.
eSUN ePA12, data sheet, p. 2low water absorption, the size of printed parts is less affected by humidity and temperature.
eSUN ePA12, data sheet, p. 1STYX-12 has a very low water absorption compared to other nylons and can be printed at relatively low temperatures.
FormFutura STYX-12, data sheet, p. 1
Nozzle wear
Hardened Nozzle no
Extrudr DURAPRO PA12, data sheet, p. 2
More from makers: warping and shrinkage and printing advice
Warping and shrinkage
low shrinkage, not easy to warp and crack during printing.
eSUN ePA12, data sheet, p. 1High dimensional stability
eSUN ePA12, data sheet, p. 1Outstanding dimensional stability
FormFutura STYX-12, maker's product page or guide, p. 1
Printing advice
Good first layer adhesion to EasyPad + DimaFix prepared print bed
FormFutura STYX-12, maker's product page or guide, p. 1Above displayed settings are meant as guidance to find your optimal print settings.
FormFutura STYX-12, maker's product page or guide, p. 1
Products
8 products from 7 makers; the most from Fiberlogy (2).
- Most documented: Fiberlogy Nylon PA12, 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
This makes PA12 the ideal material in humid environments where high impact strength, good sliding friction properties and good wear resistance are required.
Fabru Polyamide 12 (PA12), data sheet, p. 1self-lubricating wear resistance, can print mechanical gears
eSUN ePA12, data sheet, p. 1Other applications include jigs, fixtures and low-volume production parts, as well as accurate prototyping of nylon 12 high-volume injection molded parts.
Stratasys 310-21800 (PA12), data sheet, p. 2
What makers warn about
Lower heat resistance than PA6
Fabru Polyamide 12 (PA12), data sheet, p. 1Just keep in mind that nylon is not resistant to concentrated acids and bases.
Fiberlogy Nylon PA12, maker's product page or guide, p. 1
Finish and accuracy
Very clear in its natural form (without added colorants)
FormFutura STYX-12, maker's product page or guide, p. 1Matte surface effect
eSUN ePA12, data sheet, p. 1
Chemicals and environment
| Exposure | What makers say |
|---|---|
| Organic solvent resistance | Described in words, with no rating, in its one statement |
| Fatigue evidence | Described in words, with no rating, in its one statement |
| Hydrolytic stability | Described in words, with no rating, in its one statement |
| UV and outdoor | Described in words, with no rating, 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.
Where no maker of these products speaks to an exposure, reference data for plain PA12 resin is shown. Fillers, pigments and printing change it, so it does not stand for these products.
| PA12 resin | Verdict | Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Acid resistance | limited | Sulphuric acid 2% aqueous solution (resistant), Sulphuric acid 10% aqueous solution (limited), Sulphuric acid 50% aqueous solution (not resistant), Hydrochloric acid 10% aqueous solution (not resistant) and Nitric acid 10% aqueous solution (not resistant) |
| Alkali resistance | resistant | Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) 40% aqueous solution (resistant) |
| Oil and grease resistance | resistant | Mineral oil commercial grade (resistant), Engine oil commercial grade (resistant), Petrol, lead-free commercial grade (resistant), Petrol, E85 commercial grade (resistant) and Greases, oils, fuels, hydraulic fluids (resistant) |
| Flammability | not resistant | Flammability of VESTAMID compounds (not resistant) |
Density and price
PA12's density is typically 1,010 kg/m³, the middle half 1,010–1,010 kg/m³, across 6 products. PA12 typically costs 183 CAD/kg, across the 2 products with a regular price in the sample; the lowest is Fiberlogy Nylon PA12 at 123 CAD/kg.
| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| 3DXTECH AMIDEX Nylon 12 | 242 CAD/kg |
| Fiberlogy Nylon PA12 | 123 CAD/kg |
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
16 more properties are published, each under its own sheet's test conditions, so they are listed, not ranked.
The 16 properties, lowest to highest
| Property | Products | Lowest–highest |
|---|---|---|
| Elongation at yield | 4 | 5–6.1 % |
| Decomposition temperature | 2 | 300 °C |
| Dielectric strength | 2 | 27–30 kV/mm |
| Mould shrinkage | 2 | 0.45–1 % |
| Surface resistivity | 2 | 1 × 10¹⁴–1 × 10¹⁵ Ω |
| Comparative tracking index | 1 | 600 V |
| Compression strength | 1 | 327–557 MPa |
| Continuous service temperature | 1 | 65 °C |
| Fatigue life | 1 | 1,120–1 × 10⁶ cycles |
| Flexural stress at conventional deflection | 1 | 54.5–56.5 MPa |
| Impact strength, test unclear | 1 | 7 kJ/m² |
| Melt mass-flow rate | 1 | 95 g/10 min |
| Melt volume-flow rate | 1 | 8 cm³/10 min |
| Relative permittivity | 1 | 2–3 |
| Volume resistivity | 1 | 1 × 10¹⁴ Ω·cm |
| Water absorption | 1 | 1.6 % |
Estimated values
No product publishes values of tensile modulus (XY), tensile strength (XY), elongation at break (XY) and HDT at 0.45 MPa that can be ranked, so the selector estimates them from the products' related values and similar materials. An estimate is a range, never a product's value, and nothing above rests on it.
| Property | Likely | Plausible | Precision | Beside what is published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tensile modulus (XY) | 0.7–1.9 GPa | 0.5–2.5 GPa | a factor of 2.7 between its ends | six products give 1.4–1.5 GPa without a stated orientation, inside it |
| Tensile strength (XY) | 28–63 MPa | 21–80 MPa | a factor of 2.3 between its ends | six products give 45–60 MPa without a stated orientation, at its high end |
| Elongation at break (XY) | 200–390 % | 200–620 % | a factor of 2 between its ends | six products give 50–150 % without a stated orientation, below the likely range |
| HDT at 0.45 MPa | 70–129 °C | 58–140 °C | 59 °C between its ends | four products give 100–135 °C without a stated test load, at its high end |
What likely and plausible mean
Tested against known values, a likely range held the true value 8 times in 10, and a plausible range 19 times in 20. How the estimates are made.
Sources
23 documents from 10 publishers (11 makers' product pages and guides, 9 data sheets, 1 peer-reviewed study, 1 safety data sheet and 1 printer document), read 10 Sep–4 Oct 2026. Each value on PA12'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 8 products.
Every document (23), by publisher
| Publisher | Documents | Values | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiberlogy | 7 | 33 | 2 |
| Fillamentum | 5 | 18 | 1 |
| Extrudr | 2 | 27 | 1 |
| FormFutura | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| 3DXTECH | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Stratasys | 1 | 22 | 1 |
| Rodrigues et al., Polymers 18(2), 302 | 1 | 12 | 1 |
| eSUN | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Fabru | 1 | 7 | 1 |
- 3DXTECH, AMIDEX™ NYLON 12
- 3DXTECH, AMIDEX™ NYLON 12
- Bambu Lab, H2C Filamant Printing Guide | Bambu Lab Wiki
- eSUN, ePA12 Technical Data Sheet
- Extrudr, DURAPRO PA12 official maker product page
- Extrudr, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET DURAPRO PA12
- Fabru, Polyamide 12 (PA12)
- Fiberlogy, Nylon PA12 - Fiberlogy
- Fiberlogy, PA12 Nylon Filament
- Fiberlogy, rNylon Filament
- Fiberlogy, rNylon Filament - Fiberlogy
- Fiberlogy, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET Fiberlogy Nylon PA12
- Fiberlogy, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET Fiberlogy Nylon PA12
- Fiberlogy, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET Fiberlogy R Nylon
- Fillamentum, 3D PRINTING GUIDE Fillamentum Nylon FX256 (Polyamide 12)
- Fillamentum, Drying of filaments before processing on 3D printer
- Fillamentum, Nylon CF15 Carbon | Fillamentum
- Fillamentum, Nylon FX256
- Fillamentum, Safety Data Sheet: Fillamentum Nylon FX256
- FormFutura, STYX-12
- FormFutura, Technical Data Sheet STYX-12
- Rodrigues et al., Polymers 18(2), 302, Mechanical, Fatigue, and Thermal Characterization of ASA, Nylon 12, PC, and PC-ABS Manufactured by Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)
- Stratasys, FDM Nylon 12 Data Sheet