If you own a 3D printer or buy 3D-printed products, you have run into the material question: PLA, PETG, or ABS? Each has advocates, each has trade-offs, and the right choice depends on what the printed part needs to do. This comparison is based on what we have learned printing thousands of functional parts.
What it is: A plant-based thermoplastic derived from corn starch or sugarcane. The most popular 3D printing material worldwide.
Strengths: Excellent surface finish and detail. Easy to print: low warping, no heated enclosure needed, works on any FDM printer. Wide color selection. Biodegradable under industrial composting conditions. Low odor during printing.
Weaknesses: Low heat resistance; it softens around 55–60°C (131–140°F). Brittle, so it cracks on impact rather than flexing. Absorbs moisture over very long periods, which can cause dimensional changes. Not UV-stable, so prolonged sun exposure degrades it.
Best for: Prototypes, display pieces, detailed models, and indoor projects that will not see heat or impact stress. In our shop, PLA earns its keep on prototypes and test fits, where speed and detail matter more than long-term durability.
What it is: An engineering-grade thermoplastic from the same family as the plastic in water bottles and food containers, modified for better printability.
Strengths: Excellent impact resistance; it flexes instead of cracking. Heat resistant to about 75–80°C (167–176°F). Chemical and moisture resistant. Food-safe in many formulations. Good layer adhesion for strong parts. Recyclable.
Weaknesses: Slightly harder to print than PLA. It needs higher temperatures and can string between travel moves. Surface finish is not quite as clean as PLA, and color options are more limited.
Best for: Functional parts that need durability, heat resistance, or moisture resistance. PETG is our production material: every SlabGrid display tray and CoinConnex storage case is printed in it because strength and longevity are the whole point. For how that plays out specifically in coin storage, see PETG vs PLA for coin storage.
What it is: The original 3D printing plastic, also used in LEGO bricks, automotive parts, and appliance housings.
Strengths: Good impact resistance. Heat resistant to about 100°C (212°F), the highest of the three. Can be vapor-smoothed with acetone for a glossy finish. A well-understood material with decades of industrial data behind it.
Weaknesses: Difficult to print. Heavy warping requires a heated enclosure, a heated bed, and careful temperature management. It produces styrene fumes during printing, so it needs ventilation. Poor UV resistance. Its higher shrinkage rate hurts dimensional accuracy in precision parts.
Best for: Automotive parts, high-temperature applications, and parts that need acetone smoothing. Not ideal for precision-fit products because of shrinkage variability.
For coin storage, we need two things above all: dimensional precision and long-term stability. ABS shrinks too much and too unpredictably for the tolerances our products require. A slot that should measure 62.0mm can come out at 61.6mm in ABS, and that 0.4mm difference is a slab that binds or rattles.
PETG gives our production parts the durability they need, and PLA keeps our prototyping fast. Between the two, we cover every job in the shop without taking on the downsides of ABS.
There is no universal best material. There is a best material for each job, and knowing the difference is what separates parts that last years from parts that last months.