What is the best ASA filament in 2026?

Polymaker ASA is the best ASA filament for most people — it holds a tight ±0.03 mm diameter tolerance and prints clean, UV-stable parts for around $24-27 per kilogram. For the best budget option, ELEGOO ASA (~$16.99/kg) and SUNLU ASA (~$16-20/kg) both print reliably once you dial in retraction. If you're running a Creality K1 or K2 and want a profile tuned for high-speed printing, Creality HP ASA (~$26.99) is built for that. For matched-batch consistency on commercial parts, Prusament ASA (~$30/kg) is the premium, batch-tracked pick.

Is ASA the same as ABS?

ASA and ABS are chemically very close cousins — same toughness, same roughly 100 °C heat resistance, same 240-260 °C print temperature — but ASA adds a UV-stabilizer that ABS doesn't have. That's the entire reason ASA exists: ABS yellows, chalks, and turns brittle in sunlight within months, while ASA is formulated to resist that degradation for years outdoors. If a part stays indoors, ABS is cheaper and just as capable. If it sees daylight, ASA is the correct material, not an optional upgrade.

What temperature do you print ASA at?

Most ASA prints best at a nozzle temperature of 240-260 °C with a heated bed around 90-110 °C, per manufacturer spec sheets from Polymaker, ELEGOO, and SUNLU. Keep part-cooling fans low, similar to ABS, since too much cooling causes the same layer cracking and delamination on ASA that it does on ABS. Some brands, like Creality HP ASA, publish a wider printable range (down to 200 °C) tuned for their own high-speed printer profiles, but 240-260 °C is the safe default across brands.

Do you need an enclosure to print ASA?

Yes, effectively. ASA shrinks as it cools just like ABS, and without a warm, draft-free chamber holding roughly 45-60 °C ambient, corners lift and layers separate on anything but small parts. See our enclosed 3D printer guide for machines built to hold that chamber temperature, or our printer enclosure guide if you're adding a tent or box to an open-frame printer instead.

How long does ASA actually last outdoors before it degrades?

Quality ASA spools are rated for roughly 5-10+ years of outdoor UV exposure before noticeable yellowing or brittleness sets in, according to filament-tracking sites like SpoolHound and manufacturer UV-resistance claims from brands like Extrudr and FormFutura. That's a dramatic difference from standard ABS, which visibly degrades outdoors within a few months. Actual lifespan varies with sun intensity and climate, but the multi-year UV stability is the entire reason ASA costs a few dollars more per kilo than ABS.

ASA vs PETG for outdoor parts — which should you choose?

Choose ASA for anything that needs to hold rigid, precise dimensions outdoors — brackets, housings, automotive trim — since it resists UV without going brittle. PETG also handles some outdoor exposure and doesn't need an enclosure, making it the easier print, but it's more prone to slow UV-driven fading and isn't rated for the same multi-year outdoor lifespan as ASA. For short-term or lower-stakes outdoor parts, PETG is fine and far less fussy; for parts that have to last years in direct sun, ASA is the material built for the job.

Best ASA Filament 2026: UV-Stable Spools for Outdoor Parts

Quick answer: Polymaker ASA is the best ASA filament for most people — a tight ±0.03 mm diameter tolerance and clean, UV-stable prints for around $24-27/kg. For budget builds, ELEGOO ASA (~$16.99/kg) and SUNLU ASA (~$16-20/kg) both print reliably once retraction is tuned. Running a Creality K1 or K2 and want a profile built for high-speed printing? Creality HP ASA (~$26.99) is tuned for that. For matched-batch consistency on commercial work, step up to Prusament ASA (~$30/kg), which is batch-tested and tolerance-tracked per spool.

ASA is the filament to reach for the moment a part has to survive outside — garden brackets, drone frames, automotive trim, sensor housings, anything that sits in direct sun. It’s chemically almost identical to ABS, with the same toughness and heat resistance, but adds a UV stabilizer that keeps it from yellowing and going brittle the way ABS does outdoors. This guide ranks the ASA spools worth buying in 2026, from budget rolls to the premium, batch-tracked option.

Last updated: October 28, 2026 — corrected Prusament ASA’s diameter tolerance to Prusa’s own published ±0.04 mm maximum (an earlier version cited a reseller’s ±0.02 mm marketing figure instead).

ASA by the numbers

~100 °C — the approximate temperature ASA softens at, per Polymaker’s technical data sheets, nearly identical to ABS and why ASA parts survive a hot garage or direct summer sun without sagging.
5-10+ years — the rough outdoor UV-exposure lifespan quality ASA spools are rated for before visible yellowing or brittleness, according to filament-tracking site SpoolHound and UV-resistance claims from brands like Extrudr and FormFutura — versus a few months for unprotected ABS in the sun.
240-260 °C / 90-110 °C — the typical nozzle/bed range across Polymaker, ELEGOO, and SUNLU spec sheets, close enough to ABS that most enclosed printers use the same starting profile for both.
±0.02-0.04 mm — the diameter tolerance range across this guide’s spools, per each brand’s own technical sheet (Prusament’s ±0.04 mm figure is a published maximum, not an average — Prusa measures and discloses the actual per-spool value), which is what keeps extrusion consistent on a material that’s already prone to warping if the flow varies.

Best ASA filament at a glance

Filament	Best for	Diameter tolerance	Nozzle / bed temp	Price /kg	Rating
Polymaker ASA	Best overall	±0.03 mm	240-260 / 90-100 °C	~$24-27	★★★★★
ELEGOO ASA	Best budget	±0.02 mm	230-250 / 90-110 °C	~$16.99	★★★★☆
SUNLU ASA	Cheapest reliable	±0.02 mm	230-250 / 90-110 °C	~$16-20	★★★★☆
Creality HP ASA	Best for high-speed printing	±0.03 mm	200-300 / 50-100 °C	~$26.99	★★★★½
Prusament ASA	Best premium / consistency	±0.04 mm max (measured tighter per-spool)	260 / 110 °C	~$26-32	★★★★★

Temperatures are manufacturer starting points — tune for your printer and enclosure. Prices fluctuate; check current Amazon pricing via the links below.

1. Polymaker ASA — Best Overall

Polymaker ASA

Best overall · ±0.03 mm · 240-260 °C nozzle · ~$24-27/kg

UV-stabilized formulation that resists yellowing and brittleness for years outdoors, not months.
±0.03 mm diameter consistency keeps extrusion steady on a material prone to warping if flow varies.
Slightly easier to print than standard ABS, with marginally less warping in testing.
Still needs an enclosure and a draft-free room, same as ABS.

Polymaker’s ASA is the spool we hand to anyone printing their first outdoor part. The UV-stabilizer formulation is well-documented and consistent batch to batch, the ±0.03 mm tolerance keeps extrusion steady, and it prints marginally easier than standard ABS with a bit less warping. It costs a few dollars more per kilo than the budget rolls below, but for a part that has to survive years in direct sun rather than one summer, that premium is the cheap insurance.

2. ELEGOO ASA — Best Budget

ELEGOO ASA

Best budget · ±0.02 mm · 230-250 °C nozzle · ~$16.99/kg

One of the cheapest credible ASA spools, at roughly $17/kg vs $24-30 for premium brands.
Tight ±0.02 mm tolerance despite the low price — tighter on paper than some pricier rolls.
Available in grey, white, black, blue, and red for basic color matching.
Fine for shaded or partially exposed outdoor parts; less documented long-term UV data than Polymaker.

If you’re printing brackets, mounts, or enclosure panels by the spool rather than one at a time, ELEGOO ASA keeps the per-part cost down without the tolerance being a gamble — ±0.02 mm is tighter than most budget filament manages. It’s the pick for garage installations and shaded outdoor parts where you want UV resistance without paying premium-brand pricing for it.

3. SUNLU ASA — Cheapest Reliable

SUNLU ASA

Cheapest reliable · ±0.02 mm · 230-250 °C nozzle · ~$16-20/kg

Frequently the lowest price per kilogram among ASA spools that still print cleanly.
Prints reliably once retraction is tuned — expect a touch more stringing than premium spools.
Vacuum-sealed packaging helps on a material that, like ABS, prints worse once it's absorbed moisture.
Budget tier, similar positioning to ELEGOO — fine for functional parts, not showpiece consistency.

SUNLU ASA is the spool for learning ASA’s quirks — the extra stringing versus PLA, the retraction tuning, the enclosure requirement — without spending premium-brand money while you dial it in. It trades a little tolerance and stringing performance for price, but once tuned it prints tough, UV-stable parts at close to the lowest cost per kilo of any spool in this guide.

4. Creality HP ASA — Best for High-Speed Printing

Creality HP ASA

Best for high-speed printing · ±0.03 mm · 200-300 °C nozzle · ~$26.99/kg

Formulated and profile-tuned for high-speed CoreXY printers like the Creality K1/K2 family.
Wide printable range (200-300 °C nozzle, 50-100 °C bed) gives more room to tune per printer.
Creality lists it as exceptionally UV- and corrosion-resistant, aimed at outdoor RC and automotive parts.
Best matched to Creality's own machines; other brands' ASA may need more manual tuning at high speed.

If your printer is a Creality K1 or K2 running at 400-600 mm/s, generic ASA profiles that assume a slower open-frame printer can leave speed on the table. Creality’s own HP ASA is tuned specifically for that high-speed CoreXY class, with a wider printable temperature window that gives more room to chase speed without losing layer adhesion.

5. Prusament ASA — Best Premium / Consistency

Prusament ASA

Best premium · ±0.04 mm max tolerance · 260 °C nozzle · ~$26-32/kg

Batch-tested with public QC data — scan the spool to see your exact roll's measured tolerance.
±0.04 mm is Prusa's own published ceiling, not an average — Prusa states real measured values run well inside it, and publishes each spool's actual figure.
Excellent color and UV-stability consistency batch to batch, important for matched multi-part builds.
Among the pricier spools here — overkill for one-off prototypes or hobby brackets.

When a job needs several parts printed from the same batch to match — a housing with a lid printed weeks apart, or parts you’re selling — Prusament ASA is the safest spool to load. Prusa’s own technical sheet lists a ±0.04 mm diameter tolerance as the maximum limit (not an average), and Prusa measures and publishes the actual figure for every spool rather than just claiming a tight number — a different kind of consistency guarantee than the raw spec tolerance, and one that matters more on outdoor commercial parts than on a single weekend project. Correction, October 2026: an earlier version of this guide listed Prusament’s tolerance as ±0.02 mm, sourced from a reseller’s marketing copy rather than Prusa’s own spec sheet — corrected here to Prusa’s published ±0.04 mm maximum.

How to choose ASA filament

Enclosure first: ASA without an enclosure warps and delaminates on anything but small parts, the same as ABS. If you don’t have one, see our enclosed 3D printer guide or add a printer enclosure to an open-frame machine.
Tolerance: ±0.02-0.03 mm keeps extrusion steady on a warp-prone material; wider tolerances still print fine but need more retraction tuning.
ASA vs ABS vs PETG: ASA and ABS share the same toughness and heat range, but ASA is UV-stable for years outdoors where ABS degrades in months. PETG is easier to print and handles light outdoor exposure without an enclosure, but isn’t built for years of direct sun.
Keep it dry: Buy vacuum-sealed spools and store opened rolls with desiccant — wet ASA strings and pops just like ABS.
Cooling: Keep part-cooling fans low or off. Too much cooling is the top cause of layer cracking on both ASA and ABS.

Best 3D Printer for Car Parts 2026 — enclosed printer picks for trim clips and brackets that need ASA’s heat and UV resistance on a hot dashboard.
Best 3D Printer for Drone Parts 2026 — hardened-nozzle picks for FPV frames, with UV-resistant ASA as an outdoor-mount option alongside nylon and PA-CF.
Best 3D Printer for RC Cars 2026 — ASA as the budget-friendly, heat-resistant pick for chassis parts near a hot motor or ESC.
Best 3D printer filament of 2026 — our full guide across PLA, PETG, ASA, and TPU.
Best ABS filament of 2026 — ASA’s closest chemical cousin, for indoor parts that don’t need UV resistance.
ABS vs ASA: which should you use? — a head-to-head on the one difference that actually matters: UV stability.
Best PETG filament of 2026 — the easier-to-print middle ground for light outdoor exposure.
Best enclosed 3D printers of 2026 — machines with a built-in heated chamber ASA needs.
Best 3D printer enclosures of 2026 — add a heated chamber to an open-frame printer.
Best filament dryers of 2026 — keep ASA and other spools dry for clean prints.
Best 3D printers of 2026 — our head-to-head pillar ranking for every budget.