Buying Guide

Cheapest ABS Filament Right Now

Community-vetted picks for enclosed printers, backed by real-time price tracking across 5,000+ products. Updated daily.

Last updated: May 2026

ABS is the OG engineering filament and it's still the go-to for anyone who needs heat resistance, impact toughness, or acetone smoothing. The catch: you need an enclosed printer. ABS warps badly in open air, and the fumes aren't great to breathe either. But if your setup handles it, ABS gives you parts that survive hot cars, post-processing options that no other material matches, and pricing that's barely above PLA.

The community consensus is clear: budget ABS from Elegoo and SUNLU prints just as well as the expensive stuff for most applications. Premium brands like Polymaker and Fiberlogy earn their price with tighter tolerances and more consistent color, but for functional parts the budget options are hard to beat.

SpoolHound tracks live ABS prices across these retailers:

Elegoo SUNLU 3DJake Overture Amazon
Current ABS Deals
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ABS at a glance

Print temperature
240-260°C hotend. Higher than PLA (200-220°C) and PETG (230-245°C). Stick to the upper end for layer adhesion on functional parts; drop slightly for fine detail.
Bed temperature
100-110°C, non-negotiable. Below 95°C and the corners lift before the print finishes. Glass with a thin glue-stick layer or a textured PEI plate are both fine; smooth PEI alone is fussy.
Glass transition (Tg)
~95-105°C. ABS keeps its shape in a hot car, dishwasher (top rack only), and outdoor summer use, all places PLA fails. Real heat resistance starts here, not at the hotend setting.
Print speed
40-80mm/s for most parts. ABS doesn't tolerate the 300mm/s speeds Bambu markets for PLA; push it and you get layer separation. 60mm/s is a safe daily-driver speed.
UV / outdoor
Poor. ABS yellows in months of direct sun and gets brittle within a year. For anything outdoors, switch to ASA: same printing recipe, real UV stability.
Drying
Hygroscopic but slow to absorb. Dry at 80°C for 4-6h when prints start popping or surfaces look fuzzy. ABS can dry hotter than PLA because of its higher Tg. See the storage guide for setups.
Acetone smoothing
Yes, ABS's killer feature. Vapour smoothing hides layer lines completely; liquid acetone chemically welds parts stronger than glue. No other common filament does this. PETG, PLA, and TPU shrug acetone off.
Layer adhesion
Strong when printed in a warm enclosure (35-45°C ambient). Cool drafts cause layer splitting halfway up tall parts. The fix is enclosure heat, not hotter extrusion.

Six picks for six different jobs. Live prices below each ranking come from the same retailer feeds the rest of the site uses, refreshed daily.

1. Best overall budget: Elegoo ABS (~$13/kg)
The default starting point. Vacuum-sealed, prints with the Bambu Generic ABS profile out of the box, and Elegoo runs sales nearly every month. No tuning needed beyond bed temp. Browse Elegoo's full lineup for current Elegoo deals.
2. Best low-warp: Polymaker PolyLite ABS (~$22/kg)
Pick this when budget brands warp despite a working enclosure. PolyLite is formulated with a modified ABS blend that shrinks less during cooling. Tighter diameter tolerance helps acetone smoothing too, since uneven extrusion shows up as wavy smoothed surfaces.
3. Best European budget: 3DJake ABS / Bavaria Filaments ABS (~€16/kg)
3DJake's house brand is the European answer to Elegoo: vacuum-sealed, well-priced, and stocked locally so EU customers skip the customs charges that hit Elegoo orders. Bavaria Filaments is 3DJake's premium-feel sibling at a small upcharge.
4. Best for big spools: SUNLU ABS 3kg (~$12/kg landed)
Bulk packs make ABS one of the better value engineering filaments per kilogram, especially for Voron owners running long jobs. SUNLU's 3kg spools fit standard rollers; their dryer-rebrand spools (S2 / FilaDryer) skip the swap entirely. More SUNLU options.
5. Best for stiffness: Polymaker PolyMax ABS / ABS-GF (~$28-40/kg)
Glass-fibre-filled or toughened ABS for parts that need real engineering performance: drone frames, jigs, automotive brackets. Wears nozzles fast (use a hardened steel nozzle for GF). Drier and crisper than standard ABS but warps more, so keep the enclosure hot.
6. Best premium consistency: Fiberlogy ABS / Prusament ABS (~$30/kg)
European-made, ±0.02mm diameter tolerance, batch-tracked. Pick these when you're producing matched parts across multiple jobs: color and dimensions stay consistent batch-to-batch in a way budget ABS doesn't always manage.
01 / Budget ABS
Best budget ABS that prints reliably
~$12-16/kg

For an enclosed printer that just needs working ABS, the community consistently lands on Elegoo and SUNLU. Both print at standard ABS temps (240-260°C hotend, 100-110°C bed), warp less than the no-name listings on AliExpress, and ship vacuum-sealed with desiccant. For functional parts where color matching doesn't matter, these are what most people are actually running.

The trade-offs versus premium ABS are real but small for most jobs: diameter tolerance is ±0.05mm instead of ±0.02mm, color can drift batch-to-batch on white and grey (less so on black), and odour during printing is slightly stronger. None of that matters for a functional bracket. It starts to matter when you're acetone-smoothing a cosplay helmet and want consistent surface finish across several spools.

3DJake's house-brand ABS is the European version of this same pick: local-stocked, vacuum-sealed, and priced similarly once import duties are factored in. Bavaria Filaments (also a 3DJake brand) sits a notch above with a slightly nicer finish and matte options. ABS vs PLA walks through when the upgrade from PLA is actually worth it.

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Community tip: If you're getting warping with budget ABS, try bumping the bed to 100-110C and slowing down the first layer. Most warping issues are bed adhesion, not filament quality.
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02 / Premium ABS
Tighter tolerances and better consistency
~$18-25/kg

When color matching across batches matters, when warping is the recurring problem, or when you're producing parts that get inspected closely, premium ABS earns its price. Polymaker PolyLite ABS is the most-named pick for low-warp printing. It's a modified ABS blend that shrinks less during cooling, which is why Voron build kits often spec it. Fiberlogy ABS holds tight ±0.02mm diameter tolerance and is the European go-to.

Prusament ABS sits in the same tier and ships with batch QC certificates if you care about traceability. The price gap between budget and premium is roughly $5-8/kg, small enough that for any job where reprint cost outweighs material cost (custom enclosures, print-in-place mechanisms, anything you need on the first try), going premium ends up costing less in expected-value terms.

For higher engineering performance, Polymaker's PolyMax ABS adds toughness without the warping cost; ABS-GF (glass-fibre-filled) pushes stiffness toward PA-CF territory at ABS prices. Both wear standard brass nozzles in a few hundred hours, so switch to a hardened steel nozzle if you'll be running them regularly.

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Worth knowing: Polymaker's PolyLite ABS is specifically formulated to reduce warping compared to standard ABS. If you've had bad experiences with ABS warping in the past, it's worth trying before giving up on the material entirely.
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03 / ABS for Acetone Smoothing
Get that injection-molded finish
~$12-22/kg

Acetone vapour smoothing is ABS's signature trick: exposing printed parts to acetone vapour melts the outer few hundred microns, hiding layer lines and giving a glossy, injection-moulded surface. Liquid acetone chemically welds ABS parts stronger than any glue joint. No other common filament does this; PETG, PLA, and TPU all shrug acetone off.

Any ABS works for smoothing, but diameter consistency matters more here than for functional parts, because uneven extrusion shows up as wavy or uneven smoothed surfaces. That's why Polymaker, Fiberlogy, and Prusament outperform budget brands specifically for smoothed cosplay and display pieces. Black ABS smooths more visibly than light colors; whites tend to look slightly off-white after smoothing because the dye distribution shifts.

Setup is dead simple: glass jar, paper towels around the inside soaked with a few mL of acetone, part suspended on a wire stand, lid on, 20-40 minutes at room temp. Heated setups (a sealed container on a 30°C bed) speed it up. Skip "Smooth-On" branded XTC products for ABS, since actual acetone is more affordable and works better. Keep flames away; acetone vapour ignites readily.

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Safety note: Acetone is flammable and the vapors are not something you want to breathe. Always smooth ABS in a well-ventilated area or outdoors, and keep away from open flames. A glass jar with a paper towel soaked in acetone is the simplest setup.
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How SpoolHound tracks prices

SpoolHound aggregates filament prices from multiple retailers daily. We don't test filament or make subjective quality claims. We track what things cost and surface what the community says about them.

Prices shown are pulled directly from retailer feeds and updated every 24 hours. Market comparison percentages show how each product compares to the median price for its material type. This helps you spot genuinely good deals versus inflated "sale" pricing.

Picking ABS by what you're actually printing

The "best" ABS depends on the job. Functional brackets, acetone-smoothed display pieces, post-process welded enclosures, and high-stiffness engineering parts have different priorities, and only one of those four is well-served by the absolute lowest-priced spool.

Functional brackets, jigs, and tool holders

Pick budget ABS: Elegoo, SUNLU, or 3DJake. These parts get clamped, stressed, and dropped; surface finish doesn't matter; replacement cost matters. Black or grey are most forgiving for diameter inconsistency. Print at 60mm/s, 100% infill on stress-bearing parts, 2-3 perimeters minimum. Temperature reference.

Acetone-smoothed cosplay and display pieces

Pick premium ABS: Polymaker PolyLite, Fiberlogy, or Prusament. Diameter consistency directly determines surface quality after smoothing. Layer height 0.20-0.28mm (smoothing fills the gaps anyway), 3 perimeters, 15-20% infill. Smooth in 20-minute increments rather than a single long exposure, because the surface keeps softening for several minutes after removal.

Enclosed printer parts and printer mods

Pick low-warp ABS: Polymaker PolyLite or Bambu's Generic ABS profile with bed at 110°C. Voron and ratrig parts are designed assuming ABS or ASA; PETG works but creeps under load over months. For mounts that hold their shape near the heatbed (above PLA's 60°C softening), ABS is the floor; reach for PC or PA-CF only if you're seeing actual deformation.

High-stiffness engineering parts

Pick ABS-GF or PolyMax ABS. Glass-fibre fill roughly doubles stiffness without much weight penalty; PolyMax keeps standard ABS appearance with added impact toughness. Both warp more than standard ABS, so keep enclosure ambient at 40°C+ and brim everything. For genuinely demanding engineering loads (drone arms under crash impact, outdoor mounts), see PA-CF and PA6-CF instead.

Printer-specific ABS tips

ABS is the material where printer choice matters most. Open-frame printers struggle; enclosed printers handle it without much fuss. The specifics below come from real Reddit threads on each platform, not the marketing pages.

Bambu Lab X1C / P1S / H2D

The right tool for the job. Door closed, top glass on, Generic ABS profile, AMS loaded with budget ABS: works first try for most users. Aux fan defaults to 0% on Bambu's ABS profile; leave it that way. Built-in carbon filtration handles fume management adequately for occasional prints; heavy use (multi-day Voron jobs) still benefits from external venting. The Bambu filament guide covers AMS-friendly ABS spool sizes; anything over 1kg won't fit the AMS.

Bambu Lab A1 / A1 Mini

Open-frame printers. Don't run ABS on these, because Bambu's print profiles don't even include it for that reason. The first layer might land fine but tall parts will warp, layer-split, or both. If you need heat resistance on an A1, run PETG-HF instead (Tg ~80°C, not as good as ABS's 95°C but achievable open-frame). For real ABS, you'll need the X1C, P1S, or a different brand entirely.

Prusa MK4S / MK3S+

Open-frame stock, but Prusa sells an official enclosure that handles ABS well. With the enclosure, MK4S prints ABS at speeds Bambu A1 owners can only dream of, since Prusa's tuned input shaping handles the print-speed range ABS tolerates. Use Prusament ABS with the bundled PrusaSlicer profile for first-try success. Without the enclosure, treat the MK4S as an A1 and skip ABS.

Voron and DIY enclosed printers

Voron is the printer family designed for ABS: the chamber is fully enclosed, the gantry is aluminium extrusion that tolerates the heat, and the build instructions assume you'll be reprinting parts in ABS. Run chamber at 40-50°C ambient. Stealthburner and Trident designs both spec ABS or ASA for printed parts; PETG variants exist but creep over time. Polymaker PolyLite or Bambu Generic ABS Basic are common picks. Aux part-cooling fan stays low (10-30%), because high cooling causes layer splitting in a hot chamber.

Common ABS pitfalls (and what actually fixes them)

Every issue below comes up weekly on r/3Dprinting and r/FixMyPrint. The fixes below are the ones that actually work, not the ones that get upvoted because they sound thorough.

Corners lifting off the bed (warping)

Three causes, in this order: (1) ambient temperature too cool, so close the enclosure door and give it 15 minutes to heat-soak before printing; (2) bed temperature below 100°C, so bump to 105-110°C; (3) part fan blowing on the first 5 layers, so drop fan to 0% for the bottom of the part. A brim helps the corners specifically. If you're warping with budget ABS even with all three fixed, switch to Polymaker PolyLite, which warps less by formulation.

Layer separation halfway up tall parts

Enclosure is too cool, or part fan is too aggressive. ABS layer adhesion drops sharply when the previous layer cools below ~60°C before the next layer lands. Fix: chamber ambient at 35-45°C (close the top, kill drafts), part fan at 0-30% maximum. If you're already there, raise hotend temp 5°C, since under-extrusion at low temps looks identical to layer separation. Don't reduce print speed to fix this; faster printing actually keeps the layer warmer.

Fumes filling the room

ABS releases styrene during printing, not acutely toxic but not pleasant either. Fix in priority order: (1) close the enclosure if you have one; (2) for Bambu X1C / P1S / H2D, the built-in carbon filter handles light use; (3) for DIY enclosures, an exhaust fan venting outside or through HEPA + activated carbon handles most of it; (4) for unenclosed printing of small parts, open a window and run a box fan pulling air toward the window. Don't sleep in the same room as a long ABS print.

Acetone smoothing went wrong

Drips on the surface mean you exposed for too long or the chamber was too warm. Sagging fine details mean the same. Cloudy white finish means acetone reacted with humidity in the air, so wait for a dry day or work in an air-conditioned room. Asymmetric smoothing (one side smoother than the other) usually means the part wasn't suspended evenly and one side was closer to acetone-soaked paper. Fix: shorter exposures (15-20min), part suspended in the middle of the chamber, repeat sessions if needed. You can always smooth more; you can't unsmooth a melted detail.

When ABS isn't the right answer

ABS is the right pick for indoor heat-resistant functional parts and acetone-smoothed display pieces. Outside that envelope, four other materials handle the job better.

Need outdoor UV resistance → ASA
ASA is ABS's UV-stable sibling. Same printing recipe: same temps, same enclosure requirement, same acetone smoothing. ABS yellows in months of direct sun and gets brittle within a year; ASA lasts years outdoors. Small price premium, identical print difficulty. For any permanent outdoor part, ASA is the right pick over ABS.

No enclosure → PETG-HF or PLA+
If you don't have an enclosed printer, ABS isn't really an option. PETG-HF (high-flow PETG) gets close to ABS-grade heat resistance (Tg ~80°C versus 95°C) and prints open-frame without warping. For non-thermal stress, PLA+ on a Bambu A1 or Prusa MK4S beats badly-printed ABS every time. ABS vs PETG works through the trade-offs in detail.

Need higher heat resistance → Polymaker PolyMax PC or PA-CF
When 95°C softening isn't enough, for engine-bay parts, oven-adjacent fixtures, or anything near a heated extruder, polycarbonate (Tg ~145°C) or PA-CF (Tg 70°C but stable to ~140°C continuous) are the next steps up. Both need higher chamber temperatures and more careful drying than ABS, and both cost 3-5× more. For most "I want it to survive a hot car" parts, ABS is sufficient.

Need maximum stiffness → PA-CF / PA6-CF
Carbon-fibre nylons are stiffer, lighter, and more dimensionally stable than ABS-GF, and they handle drone-grade impacts. The cost is real: hardened nozzle required, drying is mandatory before every print, prices are 4-8× ABS. For drone arms, robotics frames, and engineering prototypes, PA-CF earns the cost. For brackets and jigs, ABS-GF is enough.

Need flexibility → TPU
If your part needs to bend, compress, or absorb impact (gaskets, phone cases, vibration dampers), ABS is the wrong material entirely, since it's stiff and brittle compared to TPU. 95A TPU prints similarly to PETG; 70A TPU is harder. Mixed assemblies (rigid ABS housing with TPU gaskets) are common in functional prints.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find the cheapest ABS filament right now?
This page tracks ABS across every retailer we follow and sorts it live by real cost per kg, so the cheapest in-stock option is always at the top. Prices refresh daily and are region-aware, so switch your region in the nav for local pricing. Because we rank by value per kg, a larger spool or a current sale often works out cheaper than a standard 1kg roll.
Do I need an enclosure to print ABS?
Practically speaking, yes. ABS warps aggressively in open air because it shrinks as it cools. An enclosed printer (even a budget enclosure tent) keeps the ambient temperature stable and dramatically reduces warping and layer splitting. Some people get away with small ABS prints (under ~5cm) in a draft-free room, but for anything larger you really want an enclosure. The Bambu A1 / A1 Mini and any open-frame Ender shouldn't run ABS at all.
Which brand makes the best budget ABS?
Elegoo and SUNLU are the most-mentioned budget ABS brands on r/3Dprinting. Both sell ABS in the $12-16/kg range and ship from local warehouses in most regions. In Europe, 3DJake's house brand ABS is also a solid budget option. Polymaker PolyLite ABS at ~$22/kg is the named pick when budget brands warp too much, since it's specifically formulated for low-warp printing. Check live ABS prices for the current lowest landed cost in your region.
How much does ABS filament cost?
Budget ABS typically runs $12-16/kg from Elegoo, SUNLU, and 3DJake. Premium ABS from Polymaker or Fiberlogy costs $18-25/kg. Specialty variants (ABS-GF, high-flow ABS, fire-rated) can go higher. ABS is priced similarly to PETG and slightly above PLA, so the material cost is rarely the deciding factor. Printer compatibility and enclosure are.
Can you smooth ABS with acetone?
Yes, this is ABS's killer feature. Acetone vapour smoothing dissolves the surface layer, hiding layer lines and producing an injection-moulded look. You can also chemically weld ABS parts with liquid acetone, which is stronger than any glue joint. No other common filament offers this. Safety note: acetone is flammable and the vapours aren't safe to breathe, so smooth in a well-ventilated area, away from flames.
Is ABS stronger than PLA?
ABS has better impact resistance and heat resistance than PLA, but lower tensile strength on paper. ABS parts won't shatter under sudden impact the way PLA can, and they won't deform in a hot car (95°C softening vs PLA's 60°C). For parts that need to survive real-world use in warm environments, ABS wins. For pure stiffness or fine detail, PLA wins. Stiffness != toughness.
Why is my ABS print warping at the corners?
Three causes, in order of likelihood: (1) ambient temperature too cool, so the enclosure interior should be 35-45°C; (2) bed temperature too low, so bump to 100-110°C; (3) part fan blowing too hard, so reduce or disable it for ABS. A brim helps the corners specifically. If you're getting warping with budget ABS even in an enclosure, try Polymaker PolyLite ABS, which is formulated to reduce warping versus standard formulations.
Is ABS toxic to print?
ABS emits styrene and other VOCs during printing. It's not acutely toxic, but not something you want to breathe regularly. The fumes are noticeably stronger than PLA or PETG. Print in a ventilated room, ideally with the printer enclosure venting outside or through a filtered exhaust. The Bambu X1C, P1S, and H2D have built-in carbon filtration; for DIY enclosures, an exhaust fan venting through a HEPA + activated carbon filter handles most of it.
Best ABS for Bambu Lab printers?
X1C / P1S / H2D handle ABS well, since they're enclosed and have active part-cooling control. Use Bambu's Generic ABS profile for budget brands (Elegoo, SUNLU, 3DJake). Bambu's own ABS Basic prints flawlessly on those printers but costs ~$25/kg. The A1 and A1 Mini are open-frame and shouldn't run ABS at all; their print profiles don't even include ABS for that reason. See the Bambu filament guide for AMS-compatible spool sizes.
Should I use ABS or ASA?
ABS vs ASA: ABS for indoor functional parts and acetone smoothing. ASA for anything that lives outdoors, because it's UV-stable where ABS yellows in months of direct sun. ASA prints almost identically to ABS (same temps, same enclosure requirement) at a small price premium. For permanent outdoor parts, ASA is the right pick. For indoor structural parts that benefit from acetone smoothing, ABS wins.
Does ABS need drying?
Yes, ABS is hygroscopic but absorbs moisture more slowly than PETG or nylon. Symptoms of wet ABS: popping during print, surface blemishes, weaker layer adhesion. Dry at 80°C for 4-6 hours when symptoms appear. ABS can dry hotter than PLA or PETG because of its higher Tg. Long-term storage in a vacuum bag with desiccant. An open spool absorbs noticeable moisture in 4-6 weeks of humid storage. The storage guide covers dryer setups.

References

  1. Prusa Knowledge Base, ABS. https://help.prusa3d.com/article/abs_2065
  2. Bambu Lab Wiki, Beginner Filament Guide. https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/filament/beginner