Prusament PLA vs Polymaker PolyLite PLA

Who this comparison is for

This page is for anyone choosing between these two specific spools: Prusament PLA in Jet Black and Polymaker PolyLite PLA in Black (SKU PA02001), both 1.75 mm and 1 kg. Both are plain PLA for display models, prototypes, and light-duty parts, not modified "PLA+" grades. If you're still deciding on a material, start with PLA vs PETG. For more PLA options, see the PLA filament shortlist, and for another view of PolyLite PLA, Bambu Lab PLA Basic vs PolyLite PLA.

How we compared them

This is a research-based comparison. Every figure below comes from the makers' own data sheets, product pages, wikis, knowledge base, and blog, listed in the sources. We haven't tested either filament, so nothing here is a measured result of ours. Where a maker describes its own product, such as Prusa's "Perfect Winding On Every Spool" or Polymaker's "designed for reliability and ease of printing," we label it as the maker's claim.

Print settings line up as each maker's guidance. Most test figures don't. The two makers printed their test bars differently, Prusa reports tensile yield strength where Polymaker reports tensile strength, and Prusa's impact figure is unnotched where Polymaker's is notched. We only put a test figure side by side where the property, the standard, and the conditions match.

Side-by-side specs

Temperatures, bed, and cooling

Polymaker's windows are wider at both ends. Its 190–230 °C nozzle range covers Prusa's 200–220 °C and goes 10 °C further each way. Its bed range starts at 25 °C, and its product page says the printing requirements are "None! This will print great on any stock 3D printer!" Prusa's material page also lists a heated bed as optional, alongside a 40–60 °C bed temperature.

Prusa's own pages give slightly different numbers. The data sheet and material page give 210 ± 10 °C and a 40–60 °C bed. The store page gives 215 °C and a 50–60 °C bed, and the knowledge base gives 215 °C for the first layer, 210 °C after that, and a 60 °C bed. All of those sit inside the data sheet's ranges, so treat the store and knowledge base values as starting points within them. If you print on a Prusa, the store page says Prusa print profiles are available for "All Prusa FDM 3D printers."

On plates, Prusa's knowledge base says a satin or smooth PEI sheet "will provide the best adhesion," and the store page lists smooth PEI, textured, and satin sheets. For Original Prusa i3 printers, the knowledge base adds that on a powder-coated sheet you should move live-Z lower so the filament fills the texture, without going so low that you damage the sheet. Polymaker lists PC and textured PEI, with glue only when needed. Both makers want the part fan on. Prusa sets it at 100% and its material page says to "cool PLA during printing as much as possible." Polymaker's wiki says to leave it "on at full blast."

Speed: what each maker says

Here is what each source says. Note that Polymaker's own pages disagree with each other:

Neither maker defines its speed figure as a measured limit, so read them as guidance. Both data sheets top out at 200 mm/s. The difference is that Polymaker's other pages add slower settings and the "not designed for high speed" note, while the Prusa pages we checked don't qualify Prusa's figure. If you print fast with PolyLite PLA, check Polymaker's own profile for your printer first.

Precision and color consistency

This is where Prusa publishes the most. Its store page claims "±0.02 mm Manufacturing Precision," and says Prusa measures diameter and ovality "continuously across the full length of every spool" and publishes the data. Its spool data page says the diameter is measured on two axes "more than 4700× per second" during manufacturing. Every spool comes with its own data page showing diameter readings, weight, and ovality. Prusa also says every color is "locked to a documented spectroscopic recipe," with every batch tested against the standard, so a second spool should match the first. Those are Prusa's claims about its own process, and the per-spool data lets you check the diameter part yourself.

Polymaker's FAQ gives a diameter tolerance of ±0.03 mm and says "Anything outside of ±0.05 mm would not be possible due to our manufacturing processes." Polymaker doesn't publish per-spool data or a color-matching process on the pages we checked. Prusa's own spool data page puts the "industry standard tolerance limit" at ±0.05 mm, a figure it calls unverifiable, so both makers claim tighter than that. What Prusa adds beyond its tighter figure is the per-spool data and the stated color process.

Test figures: same standards, different specimens

Both makers publish mechanical data under ISO standards, but they didn't prepare the specimens the same way. Prusa printed its bars on an Original Prusa i3 MK3 at 215 °C with a 60 °C bed, 0.20 mm layers, two perimeters, 100% rectilinear infill at 200 mm/s, and no solid top or bottom layers (the English data sheet gives this footnote in Czech). Polymaker printed at 230 °C on a 50 °C bed, with two shells, three top and bottom layers, 100% infill, the fan on, and ambient room temperature. Polymaker doesn't give a print speed or layer height, and its specimen section doesn't mention annealing. Prusa's specimen notes cover only its printed-specimen table, and Polymaker's specimen section sits with its tensile, flexural and impact specimens, so neither maker says how its heat deflection specimens were made.

These rows share the property, the standard or test conditions, and the load. Because neither maker describes its heat deflection specimens, treat even these as indicative, not as a ranking. Polymaker names no standard for its melt flow figure, and Prusa gives no temperature for its density figure.

Everything else differs in kind, so we list it separately.

Prusament PLA (TDS v1.1, July 2022)

• Printed specimens, horizontal / "Vertical xz": tensile yield strength 51 ± 3 / 59 ± 2 MPa, tensile modulus 2.3 ± 0.1 / 2.4 ± 0.1 GPa, elongation at yield 2.9 ± 0.3 / 3.2 ± 1.0% (ISO 527-1)
• Flexural strength 83 ± 6 / 99 ± 1 MPa, flexural modulus 3.1 ± 0.1 / 3.2 ± 0.1 GPa (ISO 178)
• Charpy impact, unnotched, edgewise: 13 ± 1 / 14 ± 1 kJ/m²; notched "not applicable" (ISO 179-1)
• Interlayer adhesion: 17 ± 3 MPa (Prusa Polymers' own method)
• Tensile yield strength of the filament itself: 57 ± 1 MPa (ISO 527)
• Moisture absorption: 0.13% in 24 hours, 0.19% in 7 days, at 24 °C and 22% humidity (Prusa Polymers' own method)

Prusa doesn't say whether "Vertical xz" is a between-layers test, and it lists interlayer adhesion separately, so don't read the vertical column as layer strength.

Polymaker PolyLite PLA (TDS V5.4)

• Tensile strength: 52.3 ± 0.3 MPa X-Y, 40.5 ± 0.5 MPa Z (ISO 527, GB/T 1040)
• Young's modulus: 3426.9 ± 64.8 MPa X-Y, 3064.9 ± 83.4 MPa Z (ISO 527, GB/T 1040)
• Elongation at break: 6.3 ± 0.6% X-Y, 1.8 ± 0.1% Z (ISO 527, GB/T 1040)
• Bending strength 86.9 ± 1.2 MPa, bending modulus 3230.9 ± 55.3 MPa, both X-Y (ISO 178, GB/T 9341)
• Notched Charpy impact: 3.3 ± 0.2 kJ/m² X-Y (ISO 179, GB/T 1043)
• Vicat softening temperature: 63 °C (ISO 306, GB/T 1633); glass transition 61 °C (DSC)
• Equilibrium water absorption: 0.51% (conditions not stated)

Polymaker's product page says its Z figures are "between the layers (layer adhesion)." Prusa's interlayer adhesion uses its own method, so the 17 MPa and 40.5 MPa figures aren't the same measurement.

What holds whatever the caveats: both heat figures sit in the mid-50s to low 60s °C. Prusa's material page lists temperature resistance as 55 °C and says parts "start to lose mechanical strength at temperatures over 60 °C." Prusa also says PLA has low UV resistance and is "not ideal for outdoor use." Neither spool belongs in a hot car, on a sunny windowsill, or near a heat source. Our parts deforming in heat guide covers what to try instead.

Spools, NFC, and the AMS

Prusament. Prusa says that starting in October 2025, all Prusament filaments ship on a redesigned spool. Its blog says the new spool is made "from recycled polycarbonate" with a plastic core and a locking mechanism, is "3 mm slimmer," and carries an OpenPrintTag NFC tag. Prusa says the tag stores the material, color, key print settings, and remaining filament, works offline, and can be read with the Prusa mobile app. Its announcement said reader support for "most Prusa 3D printers" would follow in Q1 2026, so check what your printer supports. Older spools have black plastic sides pressed onto a cardboard core. The store page lists this spool with an "NFC" parameter, but Prusa's knowledge base says "there is still a significant number of old spools on the market," so a spool bought from another seller may be the older design without a tag. Prusa doesn't publish spool dimensions on the pages we checked.

Prusa says the slimmer spool is for "compatibility with a wide range of multi-color and multi-material printing systems," but doesn't name one. We found no Prusa or Bambu Lab document that says the Prusament spool fits Bambu's AMS, so we make no fit claim either way. Prusa sells Prusament PLA refills. Its blog says new refills are 900 g, wound without the paper core for the new spool, and that old refills don't fit new spools. A new refill does fit an old paper core, but Prusa says the larger clearance raises the risk of errors and recommends new refills with new spools only.

PolyLite PLA. Polymaker moved all its filaments to recycled cardboard spools in 2021, with 4 mm pressed cardboard faces. Its FAQ lists the 1 kg cardboard spool at 200 ± 1 mm diameter, 65.6 ± 2 mm wide, with a 55 ± 1 mm hole, weighing 140 ± 7 g. On AMS use, the product page answers "Is this material AMS compatible?" with "Yes! All Polymaker spools now have hardened edges that roll great in the AMS." Bambu Lab's AMS notes say the AMS takes spools 50–68 mm wide and 197–202 mm in diameter, and Polymaker's published dimensions sit in that range. Bambu still "highly recommend[s]" plastic spools and "strongly advise[s]" a spool adapter or adapter ring for cardboard spools, to reduce slippage and debris. On refills, the product page says "We are sorry but we do not sell refills at this time." Our AMS filament compatibility guide covers spool sizes and adapters, and the spool weights guide covers what "1 kg" means for each brand.

Drying and storage

PLA doesn't need much drying from either maker. Prusa's store page says "Drying is not usually necessary," and its knowledge base says PLA "doesn't change properties too much by uptaking humidity." If you do dry it, Prusa gives 45 °C for 6 hours and warns not to exceed its temperatures, "or the filament will soften and stick together," and to stick to the times "to prevent overdrying." Prusa makes one exception: on the multi-tool Original Prusa XL, it recommends drying filament before printing, because idle tools stay heated.

Polymaker gives 55 °C for 6 hours, "Only if the material has absorbed moisture." Its FAQ gives a shelf life of 3 years unopened, or 2 years once opened and resealed, both at room temperature, out of sunlight, and at 30–40% humidity.

Check the spool before you heat it. Prusa says the new black spool "resists drying temperatures as high as 90 °C," while its blog says "up to 100 °C," and we've used the lower figure. The old spool "can be heated up safely up to 45 ºC" unless you add a screw with a thread of at least 65 mm to hold the sides together. That matches Prusa's 45 °C PLA setting. Polymaker doesn't publish a temperature rating for its cardboard spool on the pages we checked. Our filament dryer vs dry box guide and filament storage guide cover the options.

What each maker says it's for

• Prusament PLA. Prusa calls PLA "very strong and easy to print," good for large prints "with little to no warping" and for "tiny parts" because of its low melting temperature. It lists concept models, prototypes, miniatures, jewelry, and low-wear toys. For mechanically stressed parts it suggests PETG or PC Blend, and for heat it points to PETG or ASA. Its knowledge base adds that PLA "breaks along layers or into shards upon impact." Prusa says Prusament is made in its own plants in the Czech Republic and in Delaware.
• Polymaker PolyLite PLA. Polymaker describes it as "a high-quality PLA designed for reliability and ease of printing" that "can print with standard PLA settings" on "any printer in any setup." Its wiki recommends PolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 as support materials.

Prusa Research

Prusa Research Prusament PLA (Jet Black, 1.75 mm, 1 kg)

Best for

Precise everyday PLA prints, especially on Prusa printers with stock profiles.

Skip this if

The part needs heat, UV, or mechanical-stress resistance.

Specs, strengths, and limitations

Material

PLA

Diameter

1.75 mm

Net filament

1000 g (filament only, not packaged weight)

Format

plastic spool

Maker's nozzle range

200–220 °C

Strengths

• Manufacturer states diameter precision of ±0.02 mm and publishes measured data for every spool.
• Manufacturer states low warping, suitable for large prints.
• Manufacturer states guaranteed color consistency between batches.

Limitations

• Not suited to heat or outdoor use: Prusa lists 55 °C temperature resistance and low UV resistance.
• Prusa suggests PETG or PC Blend for mechanically stressed parts, and lists PLA as difficult to sand.

View on Amazon ↗ (opens Amazon in a new tab)Details checked 2026-10-06 against the manufacturer. Price and availability are on Amazon.

Polymaker

Polymaker PolyLite PLA (Black, 1.75 mm, 1 kg)

Best for

Everyday PLA prints, prototypes, and display models where a documented, easy-printing PLA is wanted.

Skip this if

The part will sit in a hot car, near heat sources, or needs toughness beyond standard PLA.

Specs, strengths, and limitations

Material

PLA

Diameter

1.75 mm

Net filament

1000 g (filament only, not packaged weight)

Format

cardboard spool

Maker's nozzle range

190–230 °C

Strengths

• Manufacturer states PolyLite PLA is designed for reliability and ease of printing.
• Manufacturer TDS lists no enclosure needed and a wide 190–230 °C nozzle window.
• Manufacturer publishes a full TDS with mechanical, thermal, and drying data.

Limitations

• Not suited to parts exposed to heat: the TDS lists a heat deflection temperature of 58 °C (1.8 MPa).
• Cardboard spool: Polymaker says its spools have hardened edges that work in the AMS, but Bambu Lab's general AMS guidance recommends an adapter or ring for cardboard spools. Check your unit.

View on Amazon ↗ (opens Amazon in a new tab)Details checked 2026-10-06 against the manufacturer. Price and availability are on Amazon.

Verdict: which should you buy?

Choose Prusament PLA if…

• You print on a Prusa machine and want the maker's own print profiles and documentation.
• You want the tighter of the two published diameter tolerances, per-spool measured data, and a stated color-matching process for multi-spool projects.
• You want refills from the maker, or the redesigned all-plastic spool with an OpenPrintTag NFC tag. Only spools made from October 2025 have it, so check which spool you're buying.

Choose Polymaker PolyLite PLA if…

• You want the wider maker-stated windows: 190–230 °C at the nozzle and 25–60 °C on the bed.
• You use a Bambu Lab AMS and want a maker that answers AMS use directly, with published spool dimensions. Bambu "strongly advise[s]" a spool adapter or adapter ring for cardboard spools.
• You print at moderate speeds and prefer a cardboard spool.

Safety and limits

How this page was checked

Every temperature, speed, tolerance, spool detail, drying setting, and test figure above comes from the manufacturer documents in the sources section, retrieved on 2026-10-14. We haven't printed with either filament for this page, so nothing here is a measured result of ours. Prusa's PLA data sheet comes in the tech sheet download on its material page, a ZIP file that also holds the PLA Blend data sheet. We used the English Prusament PLA file, version 1.1, last updated 27 July 2022. Its table columns don't line up with their row labels in every extraction mode, so we matched each value to its row by position and checked it against a second extraction. Prusa's pages give slightly different nozzle and bed values, all inside the data sheet's ranges, and Prusa rates the new spool to 90 °C in its knowledge base and 100 °C in its blog. Polymaker's speed guidance differs between its data sheet and product page, and its product page description gives a density of 1.19 g/cm³ where its data sheet and its own specification panel give 1.17 g/cm³. We've used the data sheet values. Values vary by color and revision, and makers do reformulate, so check the current data sheet for your spool. Read more in our editorial standards and affiliate disclosure.

PLA: what to check before you buy a spool ↗