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.
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.
- ±0.02-0.03 mm — the diameter tolerance quality ASA spools hold, per manufacturer specs, 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 | ±0.02 mm | 240-260 / 100-110 °C | ~$30 | ★★★★★ |
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
- 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.
Stocking filament and parts for a shop? A free Amazon Business account unlocks quantity discounts and tax-exempt purchasing on spools you’re buying in bulk.
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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Batch-tested with public QC data — scan the spool to see your exact roll's measured tolerance.
- ±0.02 mm consistency, the tightest in this guide, for repeatable extrusion across long prints.
- Excellent color and UV-stability consistency batch to batch, important for matched multi-part builds.
- The most expensive spool 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. The batch-tracked ±0.02 mm tolerance and documented UV-stability data mean less variation from roll to roll, which matters more on outdoor commercial parts than on a single weekend project.
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.
Related guides
- 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.
- 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.