HDPE filament properties
Data taken from 1 datasheets from manufacturers in Spain, Europe, the United States and China, reviewed on October 26, 2026. The shaded bar marks the median of the declared values and each colored tick is a different datasheet. The scales are the same across the whole library, so you can compare materials at a glance.
HDPE temperature and print settings
| Setting | Typical value | Range in datasheets |
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle | 240–290 °C | 240–290 °C |
| Bed | 80–100 °C | 80–100 °C |
| Print speed | 30–200 mm/s | 30–200 mm/s |
HDPE vs Polypropylene, PETG, and ABS: comparison
Medians from each material's datasheets. Click a material to see its full range.
Meters of HDPE per spool
Calculated with the median density from the datasheets (1.1 g/cm³). Real spools can vary by a few meters because of diameter tolerance.
What is high-density polyethylene (HDPE)
HDPE is a polyethylene with little-branched chains, which makes it stiffer and denser than the polyethylene of plastic bags. It is one of the most widely manufactured plastics in the world: milk and detergent jugs, bottle caps, pipes, cutting boards and chemical tanks. It is light, highly resistant to chemicals, does not absorb water and recycles easily (recycling code 2).
Don't confuse it with the PET of water bottles: they are different plastics and print very differently.
Why HDPE is so hard to print
- Almost nothing sticks to it. Its low surface energy, the same one that keeps labels from adhering to a jug, means it does not grip the usual bed surfaces either. It is usually printed on a sheet of the same polyethylene or with dedicated tapes.
- It shrinks a lot as it cools. It is a semicrystalline plastic and its contraction causes warping and deformed parts.
- Layers bond worse than with PLA or PETG if the temperature or speed are not right.
Because of that difficulty, there are very few HDPE filaments on the market. In the library we have found only 1 manufacturer datasheet with complete data, so the values on this page correspond to that product and not to a market range. Its declared density (1.1 g/cm³) is higher than that of unfilled HDPE, which points to a formulation modified for printing.
What HDPE filament is for
It makes sense when you need a part that resists aggressive chemicals, does not absorb water or is compatible with other polyethylene parts, for example to repair or heat-weld HDPE objects. It is also used in recycling projects that turn caps and jugs into filament.
For most everyday parts there are much simpler alternatives: PETG for parts resistant to water and the most common chemicals, and polypropylene when you want a similar, lightweight and flexible plastic.
Frequently asked questions about HDPE filament
What temperature do you print HDPE at?
The only HDPE filament datasheet with complete data that we have found gives 240–290 °C at the nozzle and 80–100 °C at the bed. With so few sources, always follow the datasheet for your spool.
Can you make filament from plastic bottle caps?
Yes, caps are usually HDPE or polypropylene, and there are projects that shred and extrude them as filament. The result is uneven and hard to print, but it works for simple parts.