What temperature do you print TPU at?

TPU prints at a nozzle temperature of 220-250C with the bed at 30-50C. Start at the lower end of the nozzle range and raise it in 5C steps until layers bond cleanly.

Does TPU need an enclosure?

No. TPU prints fine on an open-frame printer at normal room temperature.

What is TPU good for?

TPU suits phone and tablet cases, gaskets and seals, vibration dampers and feet, RC tyres and wheels, shoe insoles and grips. Avoid it for long Bowden tubes, fine detail, fast printing, anything rigid.

How much does TPU cost?

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

TPU print settings

Thermoplastic Polyurethane · Intermediate

TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) prints at 220-250°C with the bed at 30-50°C. No enclosure needed. Dry the filament before printing.

The flexible one. Rubbery, tough, and abrasion resistant, and the only common filament that survives being bent repeatedly. Printing it is a mechanical problem rather than a temperature one.

Settings at a glance

Nozzle

220-250°C

Bed

30-50°C

Enclosure

Not needed

Part cooling

Yes, low

Retraction

0-1mm, as little as you can get away with

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

Phone and tablet cases
Gaskets and seals
Vibration dampers and feet
RC tyres and wheels
Shoe insoles and grips

Avoid for

Long Bowden tubes
Fine detail
Fast printing
Anything rigid

The problem people actually hit

The filament buckles between the drive gear and the hot end instead of feeding, and the print turns into a tangle. Slow to 15-25 mm/s and use direct drive. On a Bowden setup this is a hardware limit, not a settings problem.

Drying

Hygroscopic. Dry at 50C for 4-6 hours. Wet TPU strings into a spider web and the surface goes rough.

Buying TPU

TPU 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.

Verified listing

TPU 95A flexible filament, 1.75mm, 1 kg

Shore 95A, the hardness most desktop printers can actually feed without a direct drive fight.

Overture on Amazon

See TPU filament on Amazon

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

Need the finished part instead of another spool of TPU?

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

TPU 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 TPU

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

Filament dryer

Must reach at least 50C

TPU 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

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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TPU questions

What temperature do you print TPU at?: TPU prints at a nozzle temperature of 220-250C with the bed at 30-50C. Start at the lower end of the nozzle range and raise it in 5C steps until layers bond cleanly.
Does TPU need an enclosure?: No. TPU prints fine on an open-frame printer at normal room temperature.
Do you need to dry TPU?: Hygroscopic. Dry at 50C for 4-6 hours. Wet TPU strings into a spider web and the surface goes rough.
What is TPU good for?: TPU suits phone and tablet cases, gaskets and seals, vibration dampers and feet, RC tyres and wheels, shoe insoles and grips. Avoid it for long Bowden tubes, fine detail, fast printing, anything rigid.
How much does TPU cost?: A 1 kg spool of TPU typically sells for $25-45. That is an indicative street price rather than a live figure, so check the retailer for today's cost.

TPU or TPE?

TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer) prints at 210-240°C with a 30-50°C bed and needs no enclosure. Softer and stretchier than TPU, and harder to print for exactly that reason. Choose it when the part has to feel genuinely rubbery rather than merely flexible.

Read the TPE settings guide →