PLA vs PVA
How PLA and PVA compare, from typical settings across every filament we list.
- PLA typically prints about 15 °C hotter at the nozzle.
- PLA typically prints about 5 °C hotter on the bed.
- PVA is less dense, so a 1 kg spool holds about 3 m more 1.75 mm filament.
- There are 880 PLA filaments in 8,714 colours, and 22 PVA filaments in 24 colours.
| PLA | PVA | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Polylactic acid | Polyvinyl alcohol |
| Filaments listed | 880 | 22 |
| Brands | 145 | 15 |
| Colours | 8,714 | 24 |
| Nozzle temperature | 190–230 °C | 180–210 °C |
| Bed temperature | 50–70 °C | 50–60 °C |
| Density | 1.24 g/cm³ | 1.23 g/cm³ |
| Length of 1 kg (1.75 mm) | about 335 m | about 338 m |
| Max drying temperature | 55 °C | 55 °C |
Temperatures are medians across each material's filaments, rounded to 5 °C. Always check the maker's settings for a specific filament.
Brands that make both
15 brands make both PLA and PVA; these have the most of each.
- SUNLU 33 PLA · 1 PVA
- Polymaker 24 PLA · 4 PVA
- eSUN 3D 26 PLA · 1 PVA
- Bambu Lab 19 PLA · 5 PVA
- PrimaCreator 18 PLA · 1 PVA
- ROSA3D Filaments 18 PLA · 1 PVA
- FormFutura 17 PLA · 1 PVA
- SMART MATERIALS 3D 12 PLA · 1 PVA
- Snapmaker 9 PLA · 1 PVA
- PrimaSelect 8 PLA · 1 PVA
- Gizmo Dorks 7 PLA · 1 PVA
- 3DXTech 5 PLA · 1 PVA