Materials compared
PETG vs ABS: heat, strength, smell and cost
These two are not rivals; they solve different problems. ABS takes heat that PETG cannot and needs an enclosure to do it. PETG prints on an open frame in a spare room. The table below puts a number on each row that can have one.
Side by side
| Property | PETG | ABS |
|---|---|---|
| Glass transition (typical) | about 80 °C | about 105 °C |
| Safe continuous use | up to roughly 65 °C | up to roughly 90 °C |
| Impact strength | Good, but brittle under sharp impact | Better; dents before it cracks |
| Layer adhesion | Excellent | Good when the chamber stays warm |
| Print difficulty | Moderate: strings, likes it slow | Hard: warps, splits, needs enclosure |
| Smell / fumes | Low odour, still ventilate | Strong styrene smell, needs extraction |
| Enclosure required | No | Yes, practically |
| Acetone smoothing | No | Yes |
| UV outdoors | Moderate; ASA is the better choice | Poor; ASA is the better choice |
| Density (dataset) | 1.27 g/cm³ | 1.05 g/cm³ |
| Price band (dataset) | $14.99–$24.99/kg | $17.99–$22.99/kg |
| Mid price (dataset) | $19.99/kg | $18.99/kg |
Prices, densities and price bands are from the shipped dataset, checked 2026-10-23. Glass transition and continuous-use figures are typical datasheet values for the common grades — they vary by manufacturer, and the number on your spool's technical sheet wins.
The same model in both
A 100 cm³ solid model — a large bracket, a small enclosure — weighs 127 g in PETG and 105 g in ABS, because ABS is the lighter material. At mid prices that is $2.54 against $1.99: ABS is 21% cheaper per part, even though its price per kilogram is only $1.00 lower.
The light material wins on cost per cubic centimetre, and that is the number that matters when you quote by size rather than by weight. Cost per gram, which most people compare, points the other way. The density chart has the full per-cm³ table, and cost per gram has the per-gram one.
The enclosure arithmetic
ABS saves $0.54 per 100 cm³ part. If an enclosure costs you $250 — a bought tent or a plywood box, your call — it takes about 459 parts at that size before the saving pays for it. That is a real calculation, not a reason to avoid ABS: it is a reason to run it only if you already have the volume, and to use PETG until then.
An enclosure also buys something ABS cannot be printed without: a stable chamber. Without one, large ABS parts split along layer lines as they cool, and the warping symptom on the failure page is where that shows up first.
Print settings that actually differ
PETG wants 230–250 °C at the nozzle and a bed around 70–80 °C, printed slowly enough that a layer has cooled before the next one lands; too fast and it strings, too much cooling and it delaminates. ABS wants 240–260 °C, a bed at 100–110 °C and as little part cooling as you can get away with, because the enemy is a temperature gradient across the part. That is why ABS is a machine question as much as a material one: the same filament that prints beautifully in an enclosure splits on an open frame.
Both need dry filament. PETG absorbs moisture faster than PLA and shows it as popping and cloudy walls; ABS shows it as surface roughness. A dryer is cheaper than either material and fixes both.
Choose by where the part lives
- In a hot car, or near a radiator: ABS, or better ASA at $24.99/kg, which adds UV resistance to the same temperature range.
- Outdoors: neither. ASA, because sunlight destroys ABS and PETG discolours.
- In a bathroom, a fish tank or a chemical cabinet: PETG. It resists water and most household chemicals that ABS does not.
- In a bedroom with no extraction: PLA. Neither of these two belongs in a room you sleep in without ventilation.
- A part that gets dropped: ABS for impact, PETG if the part must also flex without cracking.
The price comparison for PLA against PETG is on PLA vs PETG cost, and what to look for on the spool — tolerance, net weight, spool type — is on best filament for beginners.
Affiliate disclosure: this page may contain affiliate links.
Frequently asked questions
Which is stronger, PETG or ABS?
ABS takes impact better and bends before it cracks; PETG has better layer adhesion and resists chemicals. For a part that gets dropped, ABS. For a part that holds water or sits in a bathroom, PETG.
Does PETG need an enclosure?
No. PETG prints on an open frame, though it strings more in a draught. ABS effectively needs an enclosure: without a stable warm chamber, large parts warp and split as they cool.
Is PETG more expensive than ABS?
Per kilogram, yes in this dataset: $19.99 against $18.99. Per cubic centimetre the answer reverses — ABS is 21% lighter, so a 100 cm³ model costs $1.99 in ABS and $2.54 in PETG.