American 3D Printer filament companies raise the flag, not the price

While the cost of your next 3D printer may be going up in the U.S., the cost of your filament doesn't have to increase. Or that is, it won't if you buy American. Many customers in the U.S. are bemoaning the impact of President Trump's tariff war on their favorite hobby, with new 3D printers possibly going up hundreds of dollars or remaining mysteriously out of stock.

Polymaker, a global supplier of affordable filament, recently announced that it will be forced to increase prices by 10% on May 1st. In a statement issued on its website, Polymaker said it reviewed the amount of stock sitting in U.S. warehouses before making the difficult decision to hike prices to compensate for tariffs.

I had the chance to talk to Polymaker representatives at Rapid + TCT in Detroit earlier this month and ask them if the new Houston, TX plant would help keep costs down. The answer was yes and no. Unfortunately for the average consumer, the Texas facility specializes in wholesale cus tomers and only produces PLA, PETG, ABS, and ASA in limited colors. You also have to buy over $1,000 in materials to place a wholesale order. But if that's you, congratulations, your prices are holding steady.

You may like

David Randolph, CEO of Printed Solid in Newark, Delaware, with one of his Jessie PLA filament lines. (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Many American filament manu facturers are able to keep their supply chain domestic thanks to NatureWorks, a U.S. plastics company that creates raw PLA pellets from Nebraska-grown corn.

American filament companies are taking advantage of the tariff talks to remind customers that they can always buy local. Polar Filament in Troy, MI announced on social media that pricing would remain the same, as its entire supply chain is US-based.

"So far, we've confirmed that the most critical components, including the resin (the raw plastic pellets), colorants, spools, and even the paper used in our boxes, are all sourced domestically. We're also setting up our own injection molding machine so we can make spools right here at our facility," said Mitch Davis in the statement.

Polar Filament currently sets its price for Basic PLA at $18.99 and $21.99 for premium colors, besting Polymaker's price by several dollars. Free shipping for US customers kicks in after three spools.

Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.

Polar Filament bears the US flag. (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

I also stopped to chat with New York-based GreenGate manufacturer Rich Silberfeld during Rapid + TCT in Detroit. GreenGate makes premium recycled PETG filament that can easily print at lower PLA temperatures. Silberfeld said his filament not only saves plastic scraps from going into the landfill, but also uses domestic colorants and spools. He was showcasing a special color, Spartan Armor Green, in honor of Michigan State University while stationed in the America Makes section of Rapid + TCT.

GreenGate is running a sale on the American Bundle, a three-pack of Red, White, and Blue PETG, which also includes free shipping and a t-shirt, for just $86.37.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Here are a few more of our favorite tried and tested, Made in the USA filaments that use domestic NatureWorks raw materials.

3D-Fuel from Fargo, ND sells a wide variety of filament from PLA to PCTG. Its PLA+ is all Amercian NatureWorks Ingeo and starts at $29.90, with discounts when you buy in bulk.

American Filament from Huntsville, AL takes the cake as the most patriotic company. Their line of PLA AF filaments are $25.99 a spool, wi th a $6 discount when you build a custom three-pack. Free US shipping starts at orders over $49.

Atomic Filament out of Kendallville, IN, makes premium PLA from NatureWorks, and has some of my favorite glitter colors. They also create PETG, ABS, and ASA. Its MeltMiser black PLA starts at just $22.69, with free shipping in the lower 48 starting at $50.

COEX 3D from Green Bay, WI sells a Made in the USA PLA starter pack with Red, White, Blue plus black and grey for $126, which breaks down to $25.20 a spool. Free shipping to the lower 48 starts at $49.

IC3D from Hilliard, OH all American PLA starts at $35 a kilogram, but gets cheaper if you buy giant spools. A 10 kg spool of PLA will set you back $200, or $20 per kg. They're also one of the few companies that actively collects and reuses spools from its customers.

Printed Solid, located in Newark, DE, may have been bought by European based Prusa Research, but only to help the printer manufacturer becom e the largest maker of 3D printers in the U.S. Joining the Prusa team has allowed Printed Solid to expand and hire more US employees. Spools of Jessie PLA go for $19.99, with free shipping in the lower 48 starting at $50.

Protopasta, a manufacturing company in Vancouver, WA, is not only staying the course on prices but also holding a sale on "spring" colors like…Red, White, and Blue HTPLA. Full kilogram spools are available for $35, with the sale price, and include free shipping in the lower 48 starting at $49.

Zyltech Filament cranks out plastic in Houston, TX. Basic PLA starts at $17.95 per spool, with "Texas Sized" 5KG spools priced at $119.95.

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.