Material Shrinkage Calculator

Shrinkage by Material

Material	Typical	Range	Scale Factor
PLA	0.3%	0.2% – 0.5%	100.30%
PETG	0.4%	0.2% – 1%	100.40%
ASA	0.5%	0.4% – 0.7%	100.50%
HIPS	0.5%	0.2% – 0.8%	100.50%
PC	0.6%	0.5% – 0.8%	100.60%
ABS	0.8%	0.7% – 1.6%	100.81%
TPU 95A	0.8%	0.4% – 1.4%	100.81%
Nylon PA12	1.4%	0.7% – 2%	101.42%
Nylon PA6	1.5%	0.7% – 3%	101.52%
PP	1.5%	1% – 3%	101.52%

Values sourced from manufacturer datasheets and community testing. Actual shrinkage depends on print temperature, cooling rate, enclosure, part geometry, and filament brand. Always calibrate with a test print for critical dimensions.

What Is Material Shrinkage?

All thermoplastics contract as they cool from printing temperature to room temperature. This thermal shrinkage causes printed parts to end up slightly smaller than the CAD model. The amount varies by material — amorphous plastics like PLA and PETG shrink very little (0.2–0.5%), while semi-crystalline materials like Nylon and PP shrink significantly more (1–3%) because crystallization during cooling causes additional volume reduction.

Shrinkage is different from warping. Warping is caused by uneven cooling creating internal stresses that curl or lift parts off the bed. Shrinkage is a uniform dimensional change that affects the entire part. You can compensate for shrinkage by scaling the model up; warping requires better temperature control (enclosure, heated bed, draft shields).

Amorphous materials (PLA, PETG, PC, ASA) have low, predictable shrinkage because they don't crystallize.
Semi-crystalline materials (Nylon, PP) have higher and more variable shrinkage due to crystallization.
Fiber-reinforced variants (CF-Nylon, GF-PETG) have reduced shrinkage because the fibers restrict polymer chain movement.

Tips & Best Practices

Use a 100 mm Test Cube

A 100 mm cube makes the math trivial — if it measures 99.2 mm, your shrinkage is 0.8%. Larger cubes give more accurate measurements because caliper error is a smaller proportion of the total.

XY vs Z Shrinkage

Shrinkage is mostly uniform in X and Y, but Z can differ slightly due to layer stacking mechanics. For most materials, applying the same compensation to all axes is a reasonable starting point. Measure Z separately if your application requires tight vertical tolerances.

Enclosure Matters

Printing in an enclosure slows cooling and reduces effective shrinkage. If you calibrate with an enclosure, your compensation values won't apply when printing the same material without one. Recalibrate whenever your thermal environment changes.

Per-Material Setting

Shrinkage varies between materials and even between brands. Calibrate once per filament type and save the shrinkage compensation in your slicer's filament profile so it applies automatically on every print.