We Tested 8 PC-CF Filaments So You Don't Have To

Polycarbonate-carbon fiber filament, or PC-CF, sits at the top of the desktop FDM material pyramid. It is stiffer than nylon, more heat resistant than PETG, and less prone to warping than pure polycarbonate. A new video from My Tech Fun puts eight popular PC-CF and carbon fiber filaments through the same torture test: tensile strength, layer adhesion, shear, bending, impact, and heat resistance.

The video covers Prusament PC Blend Carbon Fiber, Polymaker Fiberon PC-CF, MatterHackers NylonX, 3DXTECH CarbonX PC+CF, eSUN PLA-CF, Overture PETG-CF, and others. The differences are not subtle. Some filaments survived repeated impact tests without cracking. Others shattered on the first drop.

Prusament PC Blend Carbon Fiber delivered the highest stiffness in deflection tests, roughly 40% less flex than standard PC. It needs an enclosed chamber and bed temperatures around 100 to 110 degrees Celsius. If your printer lacks an enclosure, skip it.

MatterHackers NylonX emerged as the best choice for functional parts that take abuse. The nylon 6 base with 20% carbon fiber offered superior impact resistance. Drone arms printed in NylonX survived drop tests that broke PLA-CF and PETG-CF specimens. The tradeoff is moisture management. Nylon is hygroscopic and must be dried before every print session.

For users who want carbon fiber stiffness without the hassle of high-temperature enclosures, Polymaker PolyLite PLA-CF is the easiest entry point. It prints at standard PLA temperatures, around 210 to 220 degrees Celsius, with minimal warping. Just do not expect it to survive a hard impact. It is ideal for brackets, camera gimbals, and drone frames where weight matters more than toughness.

PC-CF is not for beginners. It requires a hardened steel nozzle, an all-metal hotend, and a printer that can sustain 270 to 300 degrees Celsius at the nozzle. Polycarbonate is also extremely hygroscopic. Even a few hours exposed to ambient humidity will degrade print quality. Dry the filament at 80 to 90 degrees Celsius for four to six hours before each session.

The full video includes downloadable results so you can see the exact strength numbers for each brand. If you are deciding between PC-CF and CF-Nylon for your next functional part, that data is worth the watch time.