What temperature do you print ASA at?

ASA prints at a nozzle temperature of 235-255C with the bed at 90-110C. Start at the lower end of the nozzle range and raise it in 5C steps until layers bond cleanly.

Does ASA need an enclosure?

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

What is ASA good for?

ASA suits outdoor brackets and mounts, garden and roof fittings, automotive exterior trim, anything left in sun. Avoid it for unventilated rooms, open-frame printers.

How much does ASA cost?

A 1 kg spool of ASA typically sells for $25-45. That is an indicative street price rather than a live figure, so check the retailer for today's cost.

ASA print settings

Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate · Intermediate

ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate) prints at 235-255°C with the bed at 90-110°C. It needs an enclosure. Dry the filament before printing.

ABS reformulated to survive sunlight. Same strength and heat resistance, far better UV stability. This is the outdoor engineering material.

Settings at a glance

Nozzle

235-255°C

Bed

90-110°C

Enclosure

Required

Part cooling

No, or very low

Retraction

0.3-0.5mm

Typical price

$25-45 / 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

Outdoor brackets and mounts
Garden and roof fittings
Automotive exterior trim
Anything left in sun

Avoid for

Unventilated rooms
Open-frame printers

The problem people actually hit

Same warping profile as ABS, plus a stronger smell. Ventilate the room and keep the chamber warm and still.

Drying

Hygroscopic. Dry at 70-80C for 4 hours.

Buying ASA

ASA is easy enough to find, though from fewer brands than PLA or PETG. Stick to sellers who publish a diameter tolerance. Typical street price is $25-45 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 ASA filament on Amazon

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

What you need to print ASA

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

Filament dryer

Must reach at least 70C

ASA 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

ASA 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

ASA 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 outdoor brackets and mounts out of ASA, 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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ASA questions

What temperature do you print ASA at?: ASA prints at a nozzle temperature of 235-255C with the bed at 90-110C. Start at the lower end of the nozzle range and raise it in 5C steps until layers bond cleanly.
Does ASA need an enclosure?: Yes. ASA 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 ASA?: Hygroscopic. Dry at 70-80C for 4 hours.
What is ASA good for?: ASA suits outdoor brackets and mounts, garden and roof fittings, automotive exterior trim, anything left in sun. Avoid it for unventilated rooms, open-frame printers.
How much does ASA cost?: A 1 kg spool of ASA typically sells for $25-45. That is an indicative street price rather than a live figure, so check the retailer for today's cost.

ASA or ABS?

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) prints at 220-250°C with a 100-110°C bed and needs an enclosure. The classic engineering thermoplastic. Handles heat to around 80C and can be vapour smoothed with acetone. It warps hard without an enclosure.

Read the ABS settings guide →