Most people who ask us about materials have already read three comparison charts and come away more confused. The charts list tensile strength and glass transition temperatures, but what you actually want to know is simpler: will this part survive where it’s going? So this guide works the other way round. It starts with the job, then tells you which material does it best, with real examples of each.

If you only want the side-by-side numbers, our materials guide has the tables. This post is the longer version, with the reasoning behind the choices.

The short answer

PLA for anything that lives indoors and mostly gets looked at: organisers, figurines, gifts, models and prototypes.
PETG for everyday parts that have to work: clips, brackets, mounts and most replacement parts.
TPU for parts that should bend and spring back: bumpers, feet, grips, seals and cases.
ABS for parts that get warm indoors, such as appliance parts and electronics housings.
ASA for parts that live outside or in the sun.
Nylon for parts that rub, wear or take repeated knocks.
PP for living hinges, snap-fit lids and parts that meet oils or cleaning chemicals.

The rest of this post explains each one, starting with the comparison people search for most.

PETG vs TPU: which one do you need?

These two get compared a lot because they’re both described as “tough”, but they’re tough in opposite ways. PETG is rigid. It holds its shape under load and bends a little before it breaks. TPU is rubbery. You can squeeze it, twist it and drop it, and it springs back.

The easiest test is to imagine pressing on the part with your thumb. If it should give and then return to shape, you want TPU. If it should stay exactly where it is, you want PETG.

Where PETG works best

Cable clips and cable guides screwed under a desk or along a skirting board.
Wall brackets for a router, a speaker or a power board.
Replacement clips, knobs, caps and covers for appliances and furniture.
Garden hose guides, tap handles and other light outdoor fittings that don’t sit in full sun all day.
Shelf supports, spacers and mounting plates that carry a steady load.
Storage parts for a bathroom or laundry, where things get damp.

PETG is our default for functional parts because it’s a good balance. It’s stronger and more heat tolerant than PLA (typically fine up to about 75 °C, against PLA’s 55 °C), it handles water well, and it still prints with good detail and a slightly glossy finish. It also comes in a decent range of colours, which you can see on our colours page.

Where TPU works best

Bumpers and corner guards for furniture, doors or a toddler-height table edge.
Rubber feet for appliances, speakers, printers and anything that slides or rattles on a bench.
Soft gaskets and seals for lids and covers. These are for keeping dust and splashes out, not for anything under pressure.
Grip sleeves for tool handles, bike handlebars or a walking stick.
Protective cases and covers for remotes, small electronics and phones.
Vibration dampers for fans, pumps and speakers.
Straps, bands and anything that has to wrap around something else.

TPU absorbs impact better than anything else we print, which is why it suits parts that get bumped or dropped. It’s fine in a warm room and handles light outdoor use, but it shouldn’t sit near real heat. We stock it in black, red and blue.

Where TPU is the wrong choice

TPU is soft, so it won’t hold a precise shape under load. A TPU bracket would sag, a TPU clip wouldn’t click shut, and TPU threads or snap fits feel vague. Soft parts also print with slightly softer edges, so fine text and sharp details aren’t as crisp as in PLA or PETG. If a part needs to flex but also hold its shape, such as a clip that bends to fit and then grips, PETG or PP usually does that better.

Is TPU stronger than PETG?

It depends what “stronger” means for your part. TPU is much harder to break, because it bends out of the way instead of cracking. PETG is much better at holding a load without moving. So for a phone case that gets dropped, TPU is stronger. For a bracket holding up a shelf, PETG is stronger, and TPU wouldn’t do the job at all.

PLA: the best choice for most indoor things

PLA gets dismissed as the “beginner” material, which isn’t fair. It prints the crispest detail of anything here, it’s stiff, and it has the widest colour range by far: Basic, Matte and Silk finishes, including marble, dual-tone and colour-changing options. It’s plant-based and the most affordable to print. Most of the products in our shop are printed in PLA+, a slightly tougher blend.

Where PLA works best

Desk organisers, pen holders, headphone hooks and phone stands.
Figurines, models, busts and display pieces where detail matters.
Gifts, trinket dishes, coasters and seasonal decorations.
Cosplay props and costume pieces that will be worn indoors or for a day out.
Prototypes and fit checks, where you want to test the shape before printing the final part in something tougher.
Indoor planters, wall art, signs and name plates.

Where PLA struggles

Heat is PLA’s weak spot. It typically starts to soften around 55 °C, and a car parked in a Melbourne summer gets hotter than that inside. A PLA phone holder on a dashboard can droop in an afternoon. PLA is also stiff enough to snap rather than bend, so it’s a poor choice for clips that flex or parts that take a sharp knock. Keep it indoors, out of direct sun and away from the kettle, and it lasts for years.

ABS and ASA: for heat and for the outdoors

ABS and ASA are close relatives. Both typically handle heat up to around 95 °C and both are tough. The difference is sunlight: ABS fades and turns brittle after long UV exposure, while ASA is made to resist it.

Where ABS works best

Appliance parts that sit near a warm motor or element, such as a vacuum cleaner clip or a fan housing.
Electronics enclosures and project boxes.
Workshop jigs, tool holders and fittings.
Parts you want to sand, smooth or paint afterwards, because ABS finishes well.

Where ASA works best

Garden fittings, letterbox parts and fence or gate hardware.
Exterior mounts for cameras, lights, sensors and solar panels.
Brackets and covers on bikes, trailers, caravans and boats.

Both materials can warp as they cool, especially on large flat parts, so we check the shape before quoting and may suggest a small design change. For more on heat and outdoor use, see our materials guide.

Nylon, PP and reinforced materials

Nylon (PA)

Nylon is the toughest of the common materials and handles wear and repeated stress well. It’s the one to ask about for gears, bushings, hinge pins, sliding parts and tool holders that get knocked about. We print it in black only, and it costs more, so we usually suggest it only when PETG isn’t enough.

PP (polypropylene)

PP is light and flexes again and again without cracking, which makes it the right material for living hinges: the thin, bendy strip that joins a lid to a box. It’s also resistant to oils and many cleaning chemicals. Think snap-fit lids, clips on storage containers, parts for a laundry or garage, and anything that needs to open and close thousands of times. Black only.

Carbon or glass filled

Reinforced filaments have short fibres mixed in, which makes parts noticeably stiffer. They suit parts that must not flex, like a long bracket or a mounting arm. They’re the most expensive option, so they only make sense when stiffness really matters.

Examples by where the part will live

If you know where a part is going, this is the quickest way to choose.

On a desk or shelf: PLA for organisers, stands and decorations. PETG if it holds weight, like a monitor riser or a headphone hook that gets used every day.
In the kitchen or laundry: PETG for parts that get damp, PP for lids, hinges and anything near cleaning products, TPU for non-slip feet.
In the garden or on the house: ASA for anything in full sun, PETG for shaded or occasional outdoor use.
In the workshop or garage: PETG for jigs and holders, nylon for parts that wear, ABS for anything near heat.
On the move: TPU for cases, bumpers and straps, PETG for mounts and clips.
On display: PLA, in the finish you like best. Silk for a metallic look, Matte to hide layer lines.

What the difference costs

Tougher materials cost more, because the filament is dearer and slower to print well. As a guide from our own pricing, a part that is $40 in PETG is $45 in ABS, $50 in ASA and $60 in nylon. For most indoor parts, PLA or PETG is plenty. We’ll tell you if we think you’re paying for more material than the job needs.

Common mistakes

Printing something for a hot car in PLA because it looked fine on the bench. It probably won’t look fine after a hot day.
Choosing TPU because it’s “unbreakable” for a part that needs to hold its shape.
Choosing nylon or carbon fibre for a hidden spacer that PETG would handle at a third of the price.
Using ABS outdoors in full sun. It survives for a while, then fades and goes brittle. ASA is the outdoor version.
Thinking only about the material. How a part is oriented on the printer changes its strength too, because layers are strongest along their length. We choose the orientation with the load in mind.

Still not sure?

You don’t have to pick a material before you ask. Tell us where the part will live, whether it carries weight, gets hot, sits in the sun or needs to flex, and we’ll recommend one with your quote. If it’s a replacement part, a few photos of the original help a lot.

Send us your file, photo or idea and we’ll come back with a material, a colour suggestion and a price.

PETG vs TPU vs PLA (and ABS, ASA, Nylon and PP): Which Material for Your Part?