ABS
ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is a tough, amorphous thermoplastic used in FDM 3D printing and in moulded products such as LEGO bricks. It handles more heat and impact than PLA or PETG, but it warps as it cools and prints best in an enclosed, heated printer.
Updated 28 Sep 2026 · 4 min read · By Wyntek
What ABS is
ABS is made from three monomers: acrylonitrile (15 to 35%), butadiene (5 to 30%), and styrene (40 to 60%). Styrene gives hardness and a glossy surface, acrylonitrile adds rigidity, chemical resistance, and heat resistance, and the rubbery butadiene makes it tough. It is the plastic in LEGO bricks, many keyboard keycaps, and a lot of electronics enclosures.
ABS is amorphous, so it has no sharp melting point. Its glass transition is about 100 to 105 °C (212 to 221 °F), and for most applications it is used between −20 and 80 °C (−4 and 176 °F). Under load, printed ABS starts to deflect at about 85 to 95 °C, below its glass transition.
Typical properties
| Property | Typical value | What it means for a part |
|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength, in-plane | About 38 MPa at yield | Lower than PLA or PETG, but it flexes past 10% in bending tests without breaking |
| Tensile strength, across layers | About 19 MPa at break | Half the in-plane value, so orient loads along the layers |
| Stiffness (tensile modulus) | About 1.7 to 2.0 GPa | Similar to PETG, and a little over half as stiff as PLA |
| Notched impact (Charpy) | About 14 kJ/m² | More than three times PLA and nearly twice PETG |
| Heat deflection at 0.455 MPa | About 87 °C (188 °F) | Holds its shape where PETG starts to soften |
| Density | 1.06 to 1.10 g/cm³ | Roughly 10 to 15% lighter than PLA for the same part |
The figures come from Ultimaker's printed test bars at 100% infill. Printed heat deflection varies by brand: filament data collected by Prusa ranges from about 80 to 97 °C. Real parts with walls and partial infill are weaker than solid test bars, and moulded ABS data reads higher than printed parts reach.
Where ABS works well
- Enclosures and housings for electronics, the same job ABS does in moulded products.
- Parts that run warm, up to about 80 °C (176 °F): near motors and lamps, or inside vehicles.
- Functional prototypes that take impacts or get dropped.
- Parts exposed to water, aqueous acids and alkalis, or animal, vegetable, and mineral oils.
- Prototypes of parts that will later be injection moulded in ABS.
Limits to design around
- Warping. ABS shrinks as it cools, and large flat parts can lift at the corners. It prints best in an enclosed, heated printer.
- Sunlight. UV light damages ABS and turns it yellow, so it suits indoor parts better than outdoor ones.
- Solvents. Acetone, other ketones, esters, and chloroform dissolve ABS, and aromatic hydrocarbons make it swell.
- Heat above about 85 °C (185 °F). Ultimaker rates its printed ABS as unsuitable above 87 °C.
- Food contact. Printed ABS is not a food-safe part, and Ultimaker lists food contact as unsuitable.
ABS compared with PETG and PLA
| If the part needs | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| To work at 75 to 85 °C (167 to 185 °F) | ABS | Heat deflection of about 87 °C, against 76 °C for PETG |
| To survive knocks and drops | ABS | About 14 kJ/m² notched impact, against 8 for PETG and 4 for PLA |
| To be large, flat, or thin | PETG or PLA | Both warp far less than ABS as they cool |
| Maximum stiffness at room temperature | PLA | About 3.2 GPa, against 1.7 to 2.0 GPa for ABS |
Designing parts for ABS
- Orient the part so the main load runs along the layers. Across layers, printed ABS keeps only about half its strength.
- Round external corners and avoid large, thin, flat bases. Sharp corners concentrate the shrinkage stress that makes ABS lift.
- Keep wall thickness even. Thick and thin sections cool at different rates and can pull the part out of shape.
- Give load-bearing walls at least 1.2 mm, which is three perimeters on a standard 0.4 mm nozzle.
- Leave a little extra clearance on tight fits, since ABS shrinks slightly as it cools.
At Wyntek
ABS is available on Wyntek's Pro, Max, and Enterprise plans. Upload your file, choose FDM and ABS, and you see the price in US dollars before you submit. Jobs run from 1 to 100 parts, and every part is scanned and inspected before it ships.
Print a part in ABS