PETG vs ABS: Strength, Heat, and Which to Actually Print
Updated 2026-06-11 · by Jay
PETG and ABS compete for the same job — tough functional parts — but they demand very different things from your printer and your patience.
The short answer
- Choose PETG if your printer is open-frame, you want strength without fighting warp, or the part lives outdoors. It's the low-drama choice, and our best PETG picks are a good place to start.
- Choose ABS if you need real heat resistance (90°C+), acetone vapor smoothing, or a part you'll sand and machine — and you have an enclosure.
Heat resistance
ABS wins clearly: it stays rigid to roughly 90-100°C versus PETG's 75-80°C. For under-hood brackets, hot-end accessories, or anything near heat sources, ABS (or ASA) is the right family.
Strength in practice
On paper they're comparable. In practice, as-printed PETG parts are often stronger than as-printed ABS parts, because ABS layer bonding suffers badly without a heated chamber. ABS printed in a proper enclosure closes that gap and surpasses PETG in stiffness.
Printability
PETG: 230-250°C nozzle, open printer, minor stringing. ABS: 240-270°C nozzle, 90-110°C bed, and a real need for an enclosure — plus styrene fumes that want ventilation. On a stock open-frame printer, ABS is the most common "why is my print cracking" complaint in the hobby.
Finishing
ABS takes the win for post-processing: it sands cleanly and acetone vapor gives glass-smooth surfaces. PETG resists sanding (it gums) and has no equivalent smoothing trick.
Outdoors
PETG handles moisture and weather well. ABS yellows and gets brittle under UV — if outdoors matters, the real answer is ASA, which is ABS's UV-stable sibling.
