Buying Guide

Best Value TPU Filament Right Now

Q: Why does my TPU print look stringy?

TPU strings more than rigid filaments. Reduce retraction (or disable it for Bowden), print slower, and lower the temperature slightly. Some stringing is normal with TPU.

Flexible filament picks for functional parts that need to bend, compress, or absorb impact.

Last updated: March 2026

TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) is the go-to flexible filament. It's used for phone cases, gaskets, vibration dampeners, wheels, and anything that needs rubber-like properties. The main variable is Shore hardness[1] - softer TPU (85A-90A) is more rubber-like, harder TPU (95A-98A) is easier to print but less flexible. Community consensus is to start with 95A if you're new to flexibles.

SpoolHound tracks live TPU prices across these retailers so you can compare what's available right now:

Elegoo SUNLU 3DJake GEEETECH eSUN Anycubic

Current TPU Deals

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Shore Hardness Quick Reference

Shore A hardness determines how flexible your prints will be. Lower numbers = softer and more rubber-like.

Shore	Feel	Printability	Use Cases
85A	Very soft, rubber-like	Difficult - direct drive required, very slow	Gaskets, seals, soft grips
90A	Soft, flexible	Moderate - direct drive strongly preferred	Phone cases, wearables, bumpers
95A	Firm but flexible	Easiest - good starting point	Wheels, hinges, vibration dampeners
98A	Semi-rigid	Easiest - nearly like rigid filament	Structural flex parts, tool grips

01 / Budget TPU (95A)

Best budget TPU - easiest to print, most forgiving

~$16-20/kg

If you're new to flexible filaments, start here. 95A TPU is firm enough to feed reliably through most extruders while still being noticeably flexible. These are the community favorites for beginners to flexible printing - they print at standard TPU settings without fuss.

Elegoo TPU 95A

From $15.99/kg

UK, DE, FR - 7 colors available

Elegoo TPU

From $16.90/kg

UK, DE, FR, USA - 7 colors

GEEETECH TPU

From $16.89/kg

UK, DE, FR - 21 colors including translucents

Community tip: 95A is the default recommendation on Reddit's r/3Dprinting for anyone asking "what TPU should I try first?" It's flexible enough for most use cases while being forgiving enough to avoid the frustrations that softer TPU can cause.

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02 / Soft TPU (85A-90A)

Maximum flexibility for gaskets, seals, and rubber-like parts

~$25-50/kg

When you need truly rubber-like flexibility - gaskets, seals, soft-touch grips, or wearable components - you'll want 85A-90A Shore hardness. These are significantly harder to print than 95A: a direct drive extruder is mandatory, and print speeds drop to 15-25mm/s.[1] The tradeoff is parts that feel genuinely soft and compress like rubber.

Expect to pay a premium over standard TPU. Softer formulations are more specialized and typically come from European manufacturers with tighter tolerances.

Extrudr TPU

From $30.67/kg

UK, DE, FR - Austrian-made, tight tolerances

colorFabb TPU

From $47.33/kg

UK, DE, FR - 5 colors

FormFutura TPU

From $71.00/kg

UK, DE, FR - premium 500g spools

Worth knowing: Softer TPU requires a direct drive extruder and slow print speeds (15-25mm/s). If your printer has a Bowden tube, stick with 95A or higher - soft TPU will buckle and jam in the tube.

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03 / High Speed TPU

TPU formulated for faster printing

~$16-33/kg

Traditional TPU prints at 20-30mm/s, which makes larger parts painfully slow. Some TPU formulations are designed for faster printing at 60-80mm/s[2] - still slower than rigid filaments, but a significant improvement. The community says: high speed TPU makes a huge difference if you print a lot of flexible parts.

These are typically 95A hardness with modified flow characteristics that allow faster extrusion without the stringing and quality loss you'd get from simply cranking up the speed on standard TPU.

Elegoo TPU Rapid

From $15.99/kg

USA, UK, DE, FR - 95A, 3 colors

eSUN High Speed TPU

From $33.00/kg

UK, DE, FR - fluorescent yellow, clear

Community tip: Elegoo's TPU Rapid is the price-to-performance leader here. At roughly the same price as standard TPU, you get meaningfully faster print times. Still print a calibration cube first to dial in your settings.

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Community Favorite

Best TPU for the money overall

Best value/kg

If you're buying your first roll of TPU, the community consensus points to Elegoo TPU 95A as the best overall value. Starting from $15.99/kg, it's the most affordable reliable TPU available with wide regional availability and enough color options. The 95A hardness is forgiving to print while still being genuinely flexible.

For European buyers, GEEETECH TPU through 3DJake offers the widest color selection (21 options including translucents) at competitive pricing. And if speed matters, Elegoo TPU Rapid adds faster print capability at nearly the same price as standard TPU.

The bottom line: TPU is more expensive than PLA or PETG, but you don't need much - a single 1kg spool goes a long way since flexible parts tend to be small. Buy 95A from Elegoo or GEEETECH, print slowly the first time, and you'll have reliable flexible parts for a fraction of what rubber injection molding would cost.

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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 vs. inflated "sale" pricing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I print TPU on a Bowden printer?

It's possible but much harder. Direct drive extruders are strongly preferred for TPU because the flexible filament can buckle in a Bowden tube. If you must use a Bowden setup, use 95A (harder) TPU and print very slowly (15-20mm/s). Shorter Bowden tubes help. Many users report better results by removing any filament guides or PTFE tube couplings that create gaps where flexible filament can escape.

What Shore hardness should I start with?

95A. It's the most forgiving to print and still noticeably flexible. Once you're comfortable with the slower speeds and reduced retraction that TPU requires, try 90A or 85A for softer parts. Think of 95A as "firm rubber" and 85A as "soft rubber" - both are useful, but 95A will save you a lot of troubleshooting on your first prints.

Does TPU need a heated bed?

A heated bed at 30-50C helps adhesion but isn't strictly required. Many users print TPU successfully without heat. If you do heat the bed, keep it moderate - too much heat can make TPU stick so well it's hard to remove. A PEI sheet or painter's tape both work well as build surfaces for TPU.

Why does my TPU print look stringy?

TPU strings more than rigid filaments - that's normal. Reduce retraction distance (1-2mm for direct drive) or disable retraction entirely if you're on a Bowden setup. Print slower, lower the temperature by 5-10C, and increase travel speed. Some stringing is inevitable with TPU and can be cleaned up with a heat gun or by hand.

References

Prusa Knowledge Base — Flexible Materials (TPU/TPE). https://help.prusa3d.com/article/flexible-materials-tpu-tpe_2057
Bambu Lab Wiki — Filament Guide. https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/general/filament-guide-material-table