The cheapest 3D printer filaments are often very poor quality. A few years ago, most cheap filament brands were such low quality that you couldn’t even use them.
Check out our top pick: HGZ PLA 3D Printer Filament
While that is still true for the most part, there are some better options these days. A few companies have caught on to customer demand for cheap PLA filament that is actually usable.
Below is a list of the cheapest 3D filaments that are still good quality.
Note: The prices of filaments in this range fluctuate rapidly. We try to keep this article as up to date as possible but some listings may be inaccurate. Last update: 4/6/2020
We have also included a list of places to find discounts on major brands and samples of specialty filaments. That way, even if you have a limited budget, you can still find something you like.
And when we say cheap filament, we usually mean it: We only looked at filaments that cost $15 and under.
We have also included a list of places to find discounts on major brands and samples of specialty filaments. That way, even if you have a limited budget, you can still find something you like.
(Less than $15) Cheapest 3D Filaments You Can Actually Use:
1. Industrial 3D – Cheapest Filament (Less than $15)
Industrial 3D is a relative newcomer to the filament industry, but they have already established themselves as a market leaders. Their main selling point: they offer one of the cheapest PLA filament spools on the market.
Industrial 3D has several selling points other than their price:
- The weight is approximately 1.10 lbs., which is just a little more filament than you would usually get.
- The tolerance is a crisp 1.75mm filament diameter with a stunning dimensional accuracy of +/- 0.03mm.
- All of their PLA (polylactic acid) spools come vacuumed sealed with desiccant inside of reseleable bag.
- The recommended print temperature is 190°c – 210°c (374°f – 410°f) just like other PLA filaments.
- Spool weight: 0.5 kg – Spool diameter: 8″ – spool width: 2″ – spool hub hole diameter: 2″ (see our complete Empty Filament Weight database here)
Customers almost universally agree that this filament is top notch and one of the best on the market. Are there some minor problems here and there?
Yes, but overall it is very good quality.
2. Inland
Inland is the best for the money out of all of the options in this guide.
AIO, Melca and Amolen are a bit cheaper, but they are newcomers. Inland is tried and true.
Just a little background: Inland is Microcenter’s brand of eSUN filament. And eSUN is a large Chinese manufacturer of 3D printer filament.
Read a full review of Inland filaments here.
eSUN supplies some of the biggest brands in the world as well as a seemingly endless number of smaller resellers. However, each brand is different in quality.
Here the thing: eSUN produces filament to exact specifications of each reseller, and not every reseller can afford the highest quality filament.
Among the eSUN brands, Inland is a good quality eSUN filament that you can trust. Inland offers a competitive price-to-quality ratio, especially when you buy it on Amazon or at Micro Center stores.
Check for super low prices at most Micro Center store locations. You can also often find bargains is the clearance section of some stores like I did when I went to Micro Center:
The quality is almost as good as value brands like Hatchbox and SainSmart even though those brands usually cost a lot more. For almost half the price, Inland offers nearly the same thing.
3. Hatchbox
Hatchbox filaments are some of the best cheap filaments available on the market. Specifically, Hatchbox sell cheap PLA filament that is very good.
Just to be clear: Hatchbox prices aren’t bottom of the barrel cheap, but they are still very good. For the quality, Hatchbox might be the best deal around.
Hatchbox is one of the most highly reviewed filament brands out there. Customers give universally high praise for the quality, price, and customer service that Hatchbox offers.
Considering that many Hatchbox filaments are used in professional settings, it is amazing that these filaments are so cheap. When it comes to cheap 3D printer filament, it really is the best of the best.
4. FlashForge
FlashForge sells 0.6 kg ABS spools for dirt cheap prices on Amazon. You won’t find that deal anywhere on FlashForge’s websites though. That’s an Amazon only deal.
And considering that a regular 1kg spool of FlashForge ABS sells for more than most mid-range filaments on their website, a 10% for 0.6 kg is worth checking into.
FlashForge sells good quality filament in general, and the FlashForge Creator Pro is one of the highest rated 3D Printers on 3Dhubs.com. This is definitely a good source of cheap ABS filament.
5. ProtoParadigm
ProtoParadigm, an Oregon based filament manufacturer, has a pretty good deal on their website: $5 filament for 200g spool.
This isn’t a discount though. Most 1 kg spools cost around $21, so $5 for 200 grams is actually a bit of a price increase when calculated by net weight.
So why is this a good deal? It’s not a good deal if you are only looking for regular PLA.
If that’s what you are looking for, try the ProtoParadigm PLA filament pack where you can get 6 200g PLA colors for $27.
But if you are looking for specialty colors and materials for cheap, ProtoParadigm $5 filament page has a few. You can find several high impact PLA and ABS filaments, as well as several specialty colors.
You can even find conductive filament for $5 there. Check it out here.
Cheap Filament Samples
Sometimes all you want is to pick up a few samples of interesting filaments. There many places you can find filament samples.
The best of all of these sources is Global FSD. Check it out.
Cheap Support Filament
Rigid.ink works well and it’s cheap. If you are looking for the cheapest support material on the internet, check out PVA from rigid.ink.
You can pick up a 10m spool of PVA from them for a few dollars on Amazon. That is the perfect amount of PVA since it tends to absorb moisture quickly, and an entire 1kg roll can go bad before you can use all of it.
The other good thing about this PVA is that it tends to stick slightly better to ABS than other PVA filaments, although we recommend HIPS filaments if supports are needed for ABS prints.
This PVA is also a bit easier to work with than other PVAs and requires less trial and error to find the right settings.
Final Word: Cheap Filament – The Cheapest PLA Filaments Available
If we had to choose only one source for cheap filament from this list, we would definitely choose the Global FSD. They offer samples of the best specialty filaments in the world, which you can try for as little as $2.
That’s an incredible deal. Plus their selection is so large that it will keep you occupied for a long time.
If you find other sources of cheap filament that you think we should include in our list, leave a comment below and we will check it out. There are definitely other places to find cheap filament that’s still good enough quality to print with.
As we find more sources, we will update this article. But for now, hopefully this list helps you find what your are looking for.
Foxsmart filaments has a great deal right now for ABS.They are selling 1kg spools for 9.99
You didn’t inclued Jessie or GST3D, bboth of which are good, and cheep