PLA vs PETG vs ABS: Which is strongest?

PETG has the highest median tensile strength at 48 MPa (108 filaments), PLA is 45 MPa (276 filaments), and ABS is 42 MPa (70 filaments). However, ABS leads in impact resistance (median 19 J/m) and heat deflection temperature (median 88°C vs 70°C for PETG and 55°C for PLA). For impact-resistant or heat-resistant functional parts, ABS is the strongest choice. For raw tensile or flexural strength, PETG and PLA are competitive.

PLA vs PETG vs ABS: Strength Comparison

Short answer: PETG has the highest median tensile strength at 48 MPa, followed by PLA at 45 MPa, with ABS at 42 MPa — but the differences are smaller than you might expect. What actually separates these materials is how they fail: ABS is the stiffest (flexural strength median 66 MPa) and most heat-resistant (median HDT 88°C), PETG offers the best toughness and elongation, and PLA is the most brittle. For parts that need to handle real loads, the right choice depends on whether you need impact resistance, stiffness, or heat resistance.

Based on 813 materials — 533 PLA, 185 PETG, and 95 ABS filaments — in the Filabase database. Tensile strength data available for 276 PLA, 108 PETG, and 70 ABS filaments. Heat deflection temperature data available for 226 PLA, 90 PETG, and 68 ABS filaments. Last updated: 2026-03-18.

Tensile Strength: PETG Edges Ahead

Across 276 PLA filaments with tensile data, the median tensile strength is 45 MPa (10th–90th percentile: 26–60 MPa). For 108 PETG filaments the median is 48 MPa (33–61 MPa), and for 70 ABS filaments it is 42 MPa (30–55 MPa).

The raw tensile numbers are surprisingly close. The gap between PETG and ABS is only 6 MPa at the median — well within the range of variation you see between different brands of the same material. What this means practically is that you cannot select a material based on tensile strength alone. The more meaningful differences appear in how stiff the material is, how much it flexes before breaking, and how it behaves under sustained load at elevated temperatures.

Flexural Strength and Stiffness

Flexural strength measures how a material resists bending forces. For PLA, the median across 223 filaments is 73 MPa (10th–90th: 52–90 MPa). PETG median across 81 filaments is 70 MPa (59–95 MPa). ABS median across 63 filaments is 66 MPa (54–80 MPa).

PLA leads here, but the data tells a more nuanced story when you look at flexural modulus (stiffness). PLA median flexural modulus across 214 filaments is 2,422 MPa, PETG is 2,052 MPa (76 filaments), and ABS is 2,404 MPa (58 filaments). PLA and ABS are similar in stiffness; PETG is meaningfully more flexible, which explains why PETG parts survive drops while PLA parts crack.

Property	PLA (median, n=276)	PETG (median, n=108)	ABS (median, n=70)
Tensile Strength	45 MPa	48 MPa	42 MPa
Flexural Strength	73 MPa	70 MPa	66 MPa
Flexural Modulus	2,422 MPa	2,052 MPa	2,404 MPa
Impact Strength	13 J/m (median)	9 J/m (median)	19 J/m (median)
Elongation at Break	8%	8%	8%
Heat Deflection Temp	55°C	70°C	88°C

Median values across filaments with reported data in the Filabase database. Tensile strength excludes statistical outliers above 100 MPa. Impact strength units vary by brand (Charpy/Izod); compare within-column only.

Impact Resistance: ABS Wins Where It Matters

Impact strength is where ABS earns its reputation for toughness. The median impact strength across 48 ABS filaments is 19 J/m — roughly 46% higher than the PLA median of 13 J/m (223 filaments). PETG median across 76 filaments is 9 J/m, though PETG has the widest spread (10th–90th: 3–76 J/m), suggesting significant variation across formulations.

The impact number for ABS reflects a key polymer characteristic: ABS contains butadiene rubber segments that absorb shock energy through plastic deformation rather than catastrophic cracking. This is why ABS is the traditional choice for enclosures, snap fits, and anything that gets dropped. PLA, with its crystalline, rigid structure, tends to shatter rather than bend.

Elongation at Break: More Similar Than Expected

The median elongation at break for all three materials converges at around 8% (PLA: 8%, PETG: 8%, ABS: 8%). However, the distributions differ substantially. PLA's 90th percentile is 19% while its 10th percentile is just 3% — a narrow, brittle-to-moderate range. PETG reaches a 90th percentile of 58%, reflecting the many flexible PETG formulations. ABS spans 2% to 22% (10th to 90th), consistent with its tougher, more ductile character under slow loading.

Heat Deflection Temperature: ABS Is in a Different League

This is where the three materials diverge most clearly. PLA's median HDT across 226 filaments is just 55°C (10th–90th: 51–60°C) — it begins to soften in a warm car, in direct summer sunlight, or near a heat source. PETG's median across 90 filaments is 70°C (63–80°C), a meaningful improvement. ABS's median across 68 filaments is 88°C (76–100°C), making it suitable for under-the-hood automotive applications, enclosures near heat sources, and engineering prototypes.

For any application where heat resistance matters — outdoor fixtures, automotive clips, electronics enclosures — ABS's HDT advantage over PLA is 33°C at the median. That is not a marginal difference; it is the difference between a part that holds its shape and one that warps.

Real Filament Examples

Specific filaments illustrate the range within each family. The eSUN PLA+ reports a tensile strength of 72 MPa, flexural strength of 90 MPa, flexural modulus of 1,915 MPa, and HDT of 53°C — strong for tensile loading but soft under heat. For PETG, 3DJAKE ecoPETG CF reaches 72 MPa tensile and 85 MPa flexural with a 68°C HDT. On the ABS side, 3DXTech ABS-CF records 68 MPa tensile and 70 MPa flexural at a 98°C HDT.

If maximum heat resistance is required from a PLA-family material, HT-PLA is worth considering. Across 19 HT-PLA filaments with tensile data (excluding outliers), the median tensile strength is approximately 57 MPa and the median HDT across 17 filaments is 94°C — comparable to ABS while retaining PLA's easier printing characteristics. The colorFabb HT filament for example reports a tensile strength of 53.4 MPa, flexural strength of 89.2 MPa, flexural modulus of 3,610 MPa, and a 135°C HDT.

Which Is Strongest for Functional Parts?

The answer depends entirely on what "strong" means for your application:

Maximum tensile or flexural strength: PETG or PLA (similar medians; brand selection matters more than material choice within this narrow band)
Impact resistance / drop resistance: ABS (median 19 J/m vs 13 J/m for PLA)
Stiffness under bending: PLA and ABS are similar (≈2,400 MPa modulus); PETG is more compliant
Sustained loads in a warm environment: ABS (88°C HDT) or HT-PLA (94°C median HDT); avoid standard PLA (55°C)
Thin-wall snap fits and living hinges: PETG, which has the widest elongation range in the dataset

Practical Printing Considerations

Strength numbers from a TDS assume optimal printing conditions. In practice, layer adhesion, print orientation, and infill density affect mechanical performance far more than the 6 MPa tensile difference between PETG and ABS. ABS is the most demanding to print: it requires an enclosure to manage warping, an elevated bed temperature, and ventilation for fumes. PETG is easier but moisture-sensitive and tends to string. PLA is the most forgiving.

For the majority of functional parts — brackets, housings, jigs, and tools that operate at room temperature — PLA or PETG will perform adequately and be easier to produce consistently. Reserve ABS for parts where heat resistance above 70°C or higher impact toughness genuinely justifies the harder print process.

Summary

The Filabase database shows that PLA (median 45 MPa tensile, 533 filaments), PETG (median 48 MPa, 185 filaments), and ABS (median 42 MPa, 95 filaments) are far closer in raw tensile strength than their reputations suggest. The decisive differences are impact resistance (ABS leads at 19 J/m median), heat deflection temperature (ABS at 88°C versus PETG at 70°C and PLA at 55°C), and ductility (PETG offers the greatest range of elongation). Choose your material based on the failure mode you need to prevent, not on which number is slightly higher on a spec sheet.