What temperature do you print ABS at?

ABS prints at a nozzle temperature of 220-250C with the bed at 100-110C. Start at the lower end of the nozzle range and raise it in 5C steps until layers bond cleanly.

Does ABS need an enclosure?

Yes. ABS needs an enclosure. Without one the part cools unevenly, corners lift off the bed and layers split partway up the print.

What is ABS good for?

ABS suits automotive interior parts, enclosures, parts that will be sanded or smoothed, snap-fit assemblies. Avoid it for open-frame printers in a cold room, large flat parts without a heated chamber, unventilated spaces.

How much does ABS cost?

A 1 kg spool of ABS typically sells for $18-30. That is an indicative street price rather than a live figure, so check the retailer for today's cost.

ABS print settings

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene · Intermediate

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) prints at 220-250°C with the bed at 100-110°C. It needs an enclosure. Dry the filament before printing.

The classic engineering thermoplastic. Handles heat to around 80C and can be vapour smoothed with acetone. It warps hard without an enclosure.

Settings at a glance

Nozzle

220-250°C

Bed

100-110°C

Enclosure

Required

Part cooling

No, or very low

Retraction

0.3-0.5mm

Typical price

$18-30 / kg

Ranges are typical manufacturer-published figures for this material class, not measurements we took. Always start with your filament maker’s own numbers where they differ. The price is an indicative street price for a 1 kg spool, not a live quote.

Good for

Automotive interior parts
Enclosures
Parts that will be sanded or smoothed
Snap-fit assemblies

Avoid for

Open-frame printers in a cold room
Large flat parts without a heated chamber
Unventilated spaces

The problem people actually hit

Corners lift off the bed and layers split partway up. The cause is nearly always a draught, not the bed temperature. Enclose the printer and turn the part cooling fan off.

Drying

Hygroscopic. Dry at 65-80C for 2-4 hours.

Buying ABS

ABS is stocked by every general retailer and is largely interchangeable between reputable brands. Spend the money on tolerance and packaging rather than on a name. Typical street price is $18-30 per 1 kg spool.

Check before you order

Diameter 1.75mm unless your printer takes 2.85mm. Check before ordering, not after.
Published diameter tolerance. ±0.02mm is good, ±0.05mm is loose and shows up as inconsistent extrusion.
Vacuum-sealed with desiccant. Hygroscopic filament that shipped open has already absorbed moisture and will need drying before its first print.
Confirm you have an enclosure before buying. Without one this material will warp regardless of spool quality.

See ABS filament on Amazon

Not sure this is the right material? Compare all materials.

Need the finished part instead of another spool of ABS?

Upload the model and get a price. ABS is one of the materials the service prints.

ABS is quoted by a person rather than instantly, so expect a reply rather than a price on the spot.

FDM only, up to 220mm per side, shipping within the United States. Accepts STL, 3MF, STEP, OBJ.

Get a quote

Ownership: 3DPrinterOnDemand is Another Anvil Road property, so we have a commercial interest in it. We are not recommending it as an independent party, and where it cannot print a material we say so and point elsewhere.

What you need to print ABS

Gear that ABS genuinely requires, with the specification that decides whether a given unit will actually work.

Filament dryer

Must reach at least 65C

ABS will not print cleanly wet, and many budget dryers stop at 55-60C. Check the maximum temperature before buying, not the marketing copy.

See filament dryer on Amazon

Printer enclosure

Fully closed, with a door

ABS warps when a draught cools the part unevenly. An enclosure holds chamber heat steady, which fixes lifting corners and split layers more reliably than any slicer setting.

See printer enclosure on Amazon

Bed adhesion

PEI sheet sized to your bed, or a PVP glue stick

ABS lifts at the corners before it fails anywhere else. A textured PEI surface plus a thin glue layer holds the first layer down while the chamber comes up to temperature.

See bed adhesion on Amazon

Heat-set threaded inserts

Brass, M3 unless your design says otherwise

Printed threads strip. If you are making automotive interior parts out of ABS, melting brass inserts in gives you a metal thread that survives being undone more than once.

See heat-set threaded inserts on Amazon

Airtight storage with desiccant

Sealed container plus rechargeable desiccant

Drying a spool once achieves nothing if it sits open afterwards. Storage is what keeps the filament usable between prints.

See airtight storage with desiccant on Amazon

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ABS questions

What temperature do you print ABS at?: ABS prints at a nozzle temperature of 220-250C with the bed at 100-110C. Start at the lower end of the nozzle range and raise it in 5C steps until layers bond cleanly.
Does ABS need an enclosure?: Yes. ABS needs an enclosure. Without one the part cools unevenly, corners lift off the bed and layers split partway up the print.
Do you need to dry ABS?: Hygroscopic. Dry at 65-80C for 2-4 hours.
What is ABS good for?: ABS suits automotive interior parts, enclosures, parts that will be sanded or smoothed, snap-fit assemblies. Avoid it for open-frame printers in a cold room, large flat parts without a heated chamber, unventilated spaces.
How much does ABS cost?: A 1 kg spool of ABS typically sells for $18-30. That is an indicative street price rather than a live figure, so check the retailer for today's cost.

ABS or ASA?

ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate) prints at 235-255°C with a 90-110°C bed and needs an enclosure. ABS reformulated to survive sunlight. Same strength and heat resistance, far better UV stability. This is the outdoor engineering material.

Read the ASA settings guide →