PCTG Filament 2026: Is It Really Tougher Than PETG? Datasheets, US Prices and the Spools Worth Buying

PCTG has gone from an engineering niche to the filament that every “is there something better than PETG?” thread recommends. It prints at PETG-like settings, needs no enclosure, and sells on one big promise: much higher impact strength. We compared the six US makers that sell it on their own stores, read their technical datasheets side by side, checked the PCTG profile built into Bambu Studio, and looked at what independent testers measured on printed parts. We don’t test filament ourselves; every figure below is attributed to its source.

PCTG filament by the numbers

• $28.95 to $34.99 per kilogram is what 3D-Fuel, Push Plastic, COEX, Atomic Filament and Protopasta charged for a 1 kg spool of unfilled PCTG on their US stores on November 6, 2026. Budget PETG from SUNLU cost $10.58 to $12.49 per kilogram on November 5.
• 860 vs 69 J/m is the notched Izod impact strength 3D-Fuel lists for its Pro PCTG and its regular PETG, a 12.5x gap. 3D-Fuel says its figures come from “injection molded and 3D printed parts”.
• 66.8 vs 44.4 J/m is the same test on Push Plastic’s datasheets, which say every specimen was 3D printed flat at 100% infill. That is a 50% gain, not a tenfold one.
• 24 kJ/m² is the notched impact strength CNC Kitchen measured on printed Essentium PCTG in May 2021, roughly 2.8 times the 8.6 kJ/m² the same channel measured on Prusament PETG in February 2020.
• 74-76 °C vs 67 °C is the heat deflection temperature at 0.455 MPa on the 3D-Fuel, Spectrum and Fiberlogy PCTG sheets versus 3D-Fuel’s PETG sheet. At 1.82 MPa the gap shrinks to 64 vs 62 °C.
• 6 vs 12 mm³/s is the maximum volumetric flow Bambu Studio’s generic PCTG and generic PETG profiles allow. At a 0.2 mm layer and 0.42 mm line that is about 71 vs 143 mm/s of sustained printing.
• 0 recalls: we found no recall of PCTG filament, or of any of these six makers, in the U.S. CPSC recall database on November 6, 2026.

PCTG filament prices at a glance

Prices are for 1.75 mm filament on each maker’s own US store, checked November 6, 2026. Most PCTG makers price every color the same. Temperatures are each maker’s own recommendation.

Fiber-filled PCTG costs more: 3D-Fuel Pro PCTG-GF10 is $59.95 per kilogram ($49.90 in its ReFuel color mix) and PCTG-CF10 $54.95, Protopasta’s carbon fiber PCTG $54.99 to $64.99 and its glass fiber PCTG $59.99, and 3DXTech’s static-dissipative ESD-PCTG $110 per 750 g. One oddity on Push Plastic’s store: its 25 kg spool ($699.99, $28.00/kg) costs more per kilogram than its 5 kg and 10 kg spools ($25.00/kg).

What PCTG is, and what it isn’t

PCTG stands for polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate glycol-modified. Like PETG, it is a copolyester built from terephthalic acid and two glycols, ethylene glycol and cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM). 3D-Fuel’s own PETG datasheet describes PETG as PET modified with “a second glycol, cyclohexanedimethanol”; in PCTG the CHDM share is larger, which is what makers credit for its extra toughness and clarity.

PCTG is not polycarbonate. COEX states that its PCTG Prime “does not contain polycarbonate”, and CNC Kitchen’s 2021 Essentium PCTG review opens with the same correction. Real polycarbonate filament prints around 260-310 °C, warps hard and wants an enclosure; PCTG prints like a slightly hotter PETG. If you need polycarbonate’s heat resistance, PCTG will not give it to you.

PCTG vs PETG: what the datasheets actually say

Every PCTG listing leads with impact strength. The numbers behind that claim depend heavily on how the test bars were made, so we put the published figures side by side.

Three things stand out.

The headline figures are not printed-part numbers. The ISO page of 3D-Fuel’s Pro PCTG datasheet lists exactly the same values as Spectrum’s PCTG Premium sheet: 44 MPa yield, 46 MPa break, 220% elongation, 1,600 MPa flexural modulus, 93 kJ/m² notched Izod and 76/64 °C heat deflection. Fiberlogy’s sheet is within 1-2 units of the same figures. Identical values across competing brands read like base-resin data, not tests of each maker’s printed filament. They show what the plastic can do, not what a printed bracket will do.

On printed parts, PCTG still wins, by less. Push Plastic is the only maker we found that publishes PCTG and PETG results from 3D-printed specimens on the same sheet format. Its PCTG absorbed 66.8 J/m in the notched Izod test against 44.4 J/m for its PETG, a 50% gain. CNC Kitchen’s printed results point the same way with a bigger margin: 24 kJ/m² for Essentium PCTG against 8.6 kJ/m² for Prusament PETG in an earlier test on the same rig, roughly 2.8 times. Neither comes close to “8-12x”, and CNC Kitchen also found that PCTG samples printed standing up collapsed to 1.5 kJ/m², “like most polymers”.

PCTG is not a heat upgrade. At 0.455 MPa the PCTG sheets list 74-76 °C against 67 °C for 3D-Fuel’s PETG; at 1.82 MPa it is 64 vs 62 °C. CNC Kitchen found printed PCTG went soft at 80 °C, the same as PETG. Push Plastic’s 108 °C heat deflection figure is far above every other PCTG sheet we found and does not state the load, so we would not design around it.

What printed PCTG does do well is bend instead of snapping. CNC Kitchen measured 48-51 MPa tensile strength on flat samples “with heavy yielding and necking” and 38 MPa on standing samples, about 75% of the flat value and “one of the best ratios I have ever measured”. That layer bonding is the practical reason PCTG parts survive drops and snap-fit cycles that crack PETG.

PCTG vs PETG at a glance

PCTG is slightly less stiff than PETG, so a PCTG bracket flexes a little more under the same steady load. That is the trade-off for its toughness: parts give and spring back instead of cracking.

The PCTG filaments worth buying

1. 3D-Fuel Pro PCTG: the best all-round pick

3D-Fuel is the easiest PCTG to start with: it is the cheapest per kilogram among the standard unfilled 1.75 mm spools we compared, comes in dozens of colors, and has a 2.85 mm version ($39.90/kg) plus glass and carbon fiber grades on the same base resin. Discount the toughness multiplier and treat it as a tougher, slightly pricier PETG.

2. Push Plastic PCTG: best for bulk, and the most honest datasheet

If you print enough functional parts to justify a 5 kg spool, Push Plastic’s $25.00 per kilogram is the lowest PCTG price we found. Its printed-specimen datasheet is also the most useful one for deciding whether PCTG is worth it over PETG for your parts.

3. COEX PCTG Prime: best value from a Midwest extruder

COEX is the pick if you want a solid, opaque PCTG at a sale price with clear published settings. Its own guide recommends an enclosure, which the product page does not require; for small parts on an open printer it is optional.

4. Atomic Filament PCTG PRO: best colors and samples

Atomic is the PCTG to buy when the part has to look good as well as survive: lamp shades, translucent enclosures and display pieces. The sample coils make it cheap to check a color before committing.

5. Protopasta Clear PCTG: best for clear parts

Protopasta is candid about PCTG’s quirks on its listing, including that it is less stiff than its HTPLA. Its 2 mm³/s starting flow is very conservative; that is the trade-off for maximum clarity.

6. Fiber-filled PCTG: for stiff jigs and fixtures

3D-Fuel Pro PCTG-GF10 ($59.95/kg, 10% glass fiber) and Protopasta’s carbon fiber and glass fiber PCTGs ($54.99-$64.99/kg) trade some of PCTG’s flex for stiffness and a matte surface that hides layer lines. 3D-Fuel says GF10 needs a hardened steel nozzle of 0.4 mm or larger, prints at 260 °C on a 65-70 °C textured PEI bed (“at 80 °C it sticks too well and can damage the sheet”), runs at 6-8 mm³/s and should be dried at 70 °C for 6-8 hours. For snap-fits and living hinges, 3D-Fuel itself says unfilled PCTG is “the tougher, more ductile choice”.

7. 3DXTech MAX-G PCTG: for engineering buyers

3DXTech, which makes it in Grand Rapids, Michigan, sells MAX-G PCTG in 750 g spools at $38.00 ($50.67/kg), with natural and white 2.85 mm spools on sale at $22.80. It is pricier per kilogram than the other five, but 3DXTech also sells a static-dissipative ESD-PCTG ($110 per 750 g) and lists PCTG pellets for large-format pellet printers (out of stock on November 6), which nobody else on this list offers.

PCTG print settings: what the makers recommend

Two rules hold across all of them. Print hot: CNC Kitchen’s temperature tower showed spikes printed at 270-280 °C only bent, while cooler sections snapped off more easily. Go light on the fan: the same review found layer strength rose from 38 to 40 MPa when cooling dropped from 30% to 10%. Use just enough fan for overhangs and bridges.

PCTG also bonds very strongly to smooth surfaces. COEX warns that PETG and PCTG bond “very strongly to glass” and recommends glue stick or hairspray as a release layer, and 3D-Fuel warns that its GF10 grade at an 80 °C bed can damage a textured PEI sheet. If you print on smooth PEI, use a release agent. Our 3D printer build plate guide covers which surfaces handle PETG-family plastics best.

Why PCTG prints slower than PETG

Bambu Studio’s built-in profiles show the speed gap clearly. Generic PCTG allows 6 mm³/s of melt flow, generic PETG 12 mm³/s and Bambu’s own PETG HF 21 mm³/s. At a 0.2 mm layer and 0.42 mm line width, those limits work out to roughly 71, 143 and 250 mm/s of sustained printing. Protopasta starts its Clear PCTG at just 2 mm³/s, about 24 mm/s.

So a part that takes two hours in PETG HF on a fast printer can take noticeably longer in PCTG, even on a CoreXY machine rated for 500 mm/s. Vendor profiles, such as 3D-Fuel’s for Bambu printers, may allow more flow than Bambu’s conservative generic profile, but expect PCTG to run slower than high-flow PETG either way. A higher-flow hot end helps; our 3D printer hotend guide explains what limits melt rate.

Drying and storage

PCTG makers disagree on how moisture-sensitive it is. 3D-Fuel says Pro PCTG has “a lower moisture absorption rate than PETG” and Spectrum calls a dry box “not necessary”, while COEX recommends drying an opened spool at 65 °C for 4-6 hours and Fiberlogy at 60 °C for 4 hours. CNC Kitchen printed all of its Essentium samples from a dry box. Fiber-filled grades absorb moisture faster, according to 3D-Fuel.

In practice, treat PCTG like PETG: print straight from a fresh sealed bag, and dry spools that have been open for a few weeks, especially if you see stringing, popping or a rough surface. A filament dryer that reaches 65 °C covers every PCTG setting above.

Using PCTG in a Bambu Lab AMS

Bambu Lab’s US store listed no PCTG of its own on November 6, 2026, but Bambu Studio ships a Generic PCTG profile for its A1, A1 mini, A2L, P-series, X-series and H-series printers (it was added to the software in March 2024). Third-party spools have no RFID tag, so you select the material and color for each AMS slot manually. 3D-Fuel says its Pro PCTG spool works in the AMS, AMS 2 Pro and AMS HT and asks you to pick its “PCTG Pro” profile, and Atomic Filament sells its PCTG PRO on AMS-compatible spools. Fiber-filled PCTG is abrasive; 3D-Fuel advises feeding it with as little path friction as possible. Our Bambu Lab AMS guide covers which unit fits which printer.

Who should buy PCTG, and who shouldn’t

• Buy PCTG for snap-fits, clips, living hinges, drone guards, tool holders, protective housings and anything that gets dropped. These are the parts where PCTG’s layer bonding and ductility pay off.
• Buy PCTG for clear or translucent functional parts. Makers list 90% light transmittance, and the translucent ranges from 3D-Fuel and Atomic are wider than most PETG lineups.
• Stay with PETG for everyday functional prints where price and speed matter more. Good PETG costs $10.58-$21.99 per kilogram and prints at double the flow. See our best PETG filament guide.
• Choose ASA instead for parts in a hot car or strong sun. SUNLU’s spec sheet lists 95 °C heat deflection for its ABS, and ASA adds UV resistance. See our best ASA filament guide.
• Choose nylon instead for gears and parts that need wear resistance. See our best nylon filament guide.

Bottom line

PCTG is the upgrade to PETG for parts that have to take a hit. It prints on the same open-frame printers, needs a hotter nozzle and a lighter fan, runs at roughly half the flow rate, and costs about twice as much per kilogram. The toughness gain is genuine on printed parts, 50% in Push Plastic’s printed-bar data and about 2.8 times in CNC Kitchen’s tests, but nowhere near the 8-12x some listings quote, and it adds almost no heat resistance. Start with 3D-Fuel Pro PCTG ($28.95/kg), buy Push Plastic if you want 5 kg or more at $25.00/kg, and pick Atomic or Protopasta when the part needs to look as good as it performs.

Sources: maker US stores and product listings (3D-Fuel, Push Plastic, COEX, Atomic Filament, Protopasta, 3DXTech, SUNLU, Overture), checked November 5-6, 2026; technical datasheets from 3D-Fuel (Pro PCTG, rev. 9-2-25, and PETG), Push Plastic (PCTG and PETG v1.0), Spectrum Filaments (Premium PCTG) and Fiberlogy (PCTG); COEX PCTG print-parameter page; Bambu Studio filament profiles on GitHub (Generic PCTG, Generic PETG, Bambu PETG HF); CNC Kitchen, “Essentium PCTG Review” (May 29, 2021) and “Comparing PLA, PETG & ASA” (February 3, 2020); SUNLU FDM performance comparison sheet; U.S. CPSC recall database.

Related guides

• Best PETG filament: the cheaper, faster-printing alternative.
• PLA vs PETG: when to step up from PLA in the first place.
• PETG vs ABS: the heat-resistance step beyond the PETG family.
• Nylon vs PETG: when a part needs wear resistance instead of impact toughness.
• Best filament dryer: for drying PCTG and fiber-filled grades.
• Bambu Lab AMS: running third-party PCTG in a multi-color unit.
• Best 3D printer filament: how every common material compares.