Layer height for PLA, PETG, ABS and TPU, and the first layer for each

PLA prints at a 0.20 mm layer height on a 0.4 mm nozzle, with a 0.20 mm first layer. PETG, ABS, ASA and TPU take the same heights, because the nozzle sets the usable range. The filament sets how fast a tall layer can print.

Filament	Layer height, 0.4 mm nozzle	First layer	What changes
PLA	0.20 mm (0.08 to 0.32 mm)	0.20 mm	Nothing, it is the reference
Silk PLA	0.16 mm for gloss (Bambu Lab)	0.20 mm	Slow outer walls, hotter nozzle
PETG	0.20 mm	0.20 mm	Bed at 70 to 90 °C, glue on smooth PEI
ABS, ASA	0.20 mm	0.20 mm	Bed at 90 to 110 °C
TPU	0.20 mm (UltiMaker’s own profiles stop there)	0.20 mm	Standard TPU presets cap flow at 3 to 3.6 mm³/s: 33 to 40 mm/s

For other nozzle sizes, the layer height calculator gives the range and the first layer.

What layer height should you use for PLA?

Use 0.20 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle, the height of Bambu Studio’s 0.20mm Standard process and PrusaSlicer’s default MK4S preset. PLA prints anywhere from 0.08 to 0.32 mm, 20% to 80% of the nozzle, and Bambu Lab sets its ceiling at 0.28 mm. Thinner layers look smoother but take longer; Prusa advises against going under 0.10 mm.

Bambu Lab’s wiki shows the time cost on one model: 1 h 19 min at 0.08 mm, 36 min at 0.20 mm and 28 min at 0.28 mm.

Other filaments keep 0.20 mm because Bambu Studio and PrusaSlicer store layer height in the print preset (Bambu Studio calls it the process). Bambu Studio’s filament files contain none. Even UltiMaker Cura 5.13.0, which makes a quality profile per material, gives PLA, PETG and ABS the same five heights (0.06 to 0.3 mm) on the UltiMaker S5’s AA 0.4 print core.

Silk PLA

Bambu Lab’s silk PLA guide recommends 0.16 mm layers for models with curved or sloped surfaces, because taller layers leave stair-steps that dull the gloss. It pairs that with:

• Outer walls: 40 to 60 mm/s under Process > Speed; start at 50 mm/s.
• Nozzle: 235 °C on every layer (the Bambu PLA Silk profile ships at 230 °C), in a 0.2 or 0.4 mm size (not 0.6 or 0.8 mm).

What layer height should you use for PETG?

Use 0.20 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle, the same as PLA, since switching the filament to PETG leaves the print preset’s layer height untouched. What PETG changes is speed: Prusament PETG’s 12 mm³/s cap allows 133 mm/s at 0.20 mm, against 167 mm/s for Prusament PLA.

Bambu Lab’s wiki explains the lower cap: PETG absorbs heat more slowly than PLA and sticks to the nozzle walls when molten. Presets range from 21 mm³/s (Bambu PETG HF) to 8 mm³/s (Prusament PETG on the Original Prusa MK3S: 89 mm/s at 0.20 mm).

PETG’s first layer stays at 0.20 mm, but the plate needs care. Prusa recommends its satin or textured sheet, with glue stick as a separator on smooth PEI (polyetherimide), because PETG can bond hard enough to damage the sheet. Prusa also warns that cleaning with IPA (isopropyl alcohol) makes PETG stick very strongly. Bambu Lab’s PETG presets don’t support the Cool Plate.

What layer height should you use for ABS and ASA?

Use 0.20 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle, as with PLA. The flow caps are 16 mm³/s for Bambu ABS, 18 for Bambu ASA and 15 for Prusament ASA. Neither Bambu preset supports the Cool Plate.

What layer height should you use for TPU?

Use 0.20 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle, since Bambu Studio and PrusaSlicer apply no TPU-specific layer height. UltiMaker’s own Cura profiles offer TPU at 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2 mm only, at a 25 mm/s print speed. The real limit is flow: Bambu TPU 95A’s 3.6 mm³/s cap allows 40 mm/s at 0.20 mm.

The nozzle and plate matter more than the layer height:

• 0.2 mm nozzle: incompatible with every Bambu Lab TPU.
• TPU 85A: needs a 0.6 or 0.8 mm nozzle. On 0.6 mm, Bambu Lab’s 20% to 70% rule gives 0.12 to 0.42 mm layers.
• Build plate: any Bambu Lab plate except the Cool Plate SuperTack. Prusa’s textured powder-coated sheet needs no glue stick.

The flow cap also slows TPU’s 0.20 mm first layer. With Bambu Studio’s 0.5 mm first-layer lines, Bambu TPU 95A tops out at 3.6 ÷ (0.20 × 0.5) = 36 mm/s, under the process’s 50 mm/s first-layer speed and 105 mm/s first-layer infill.

How fast can each filament print at 0.20 mm and 0.28 mm?

Each filament preset sets a max volumetric speed: the plastic per second the hotend can melt. A taller layer puts more plastic into each millimeter of line, so the slicer slows that line to stay under the cap:

max print speed (mm/s) = max volumetric speed (mm³/s) ÷ (layer height × line width)

The table assumes a 0.45 mm line and a 0.4 mm nozzle: Bambu Studio 02.08.04.57 on the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon (standard nozzle), PrusaSlicer 2.9.6 on the Original Prusa MK4S.

Filament preset	Max volumetric speed	Max speed at 0.20 mm	Max speed at 0.28 mm
Bambu PLA Basic	21 mm³/s	233 mm/s	167 mm/s
Bambu PLA Silk	12 mm³/s	133 mm/s	95 mm/s
Bambu PETG HF	21 mm³/s	233 mm/s	167 mm/s
Bambu PETG Basic	15 mm³/s	167 mm/s	119 mm/s
Bambu ABS	16 mm³/s	178 mm/s	127 mm/s
Bambu ASA	18 mm³/s	200 mm/s	143 mm/s
Bambu TPU 95A HF	12 mm³/s	133 mm/s	95 mm/s
Bambu TPU 95A	3.6 mm³/s	40 mm/s	29 mm/s
Prusament PLA	15 mm³/s	167 mm/s	119 mm/s
Prusament PETG	12 mm³/s	133 mm/s	95 mm/s
Prusament ASA	15 mm³/s	167 mm/s	119 mm/s
Prusa Generic FLEX	3 mm³/s	33 mm/s	24 mm/s

Worked example, Bambu PLA Basic at 0.28 mm: 21 ÷ (0.28 × 0.45) = 21 ÷ 0.126 = 167 mm/s. Bambu Studio’s 0.28 mm X1 Carbon process asks for 200 mm/s on inner walls and sparse infill, so those lines get slowed. Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer model rounded line sides, so their caps run 11% above this table at 0.20 mm and 15% above at 0.28 mm.

A line held at the cap lays the same 21 mm³/s at either height, so a taller layer saves time only on lines that were under the cap. Bambu Studio’s Generic presets sit lower: 12 mm³/s for Generic PLA, PETG and ASA, 3.2 mm³/s for Generic TPU. Run your own filament in the volumetric flow calculator.

What first layer height should you use for each filament?

Use 0.20 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle for PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA and TPU alike. Bambu Studio’s presets set the first layer at 50% of the nozzle, and Prusa says its own print profiles always use 0.20 mm.

What the filament preset changes is the first-layer temperatures:

Filament preset	Nozzle, first layer	Nozzle, other layers	Bed, first layer
Bambu PLA Basic	220 °C	220 °C	55 °C
Bambu PLA Silk	230 °C	230 °C	55 °C
Bambu PETG HF	230 °C	245 °C	70 °C
Bambu PETG Basic	245 °C	255 °C	70 °C
Bambu ABS	260 °C	270 °C	90 °C
Bambu ASA	270 °C	270 °C	100 °C
Bambu TPU 95A	230 °C	230 °C	35 °C
Prusament PLA (MK4S)	230 °C	225 °C	60 °C
Prusament PETG (MK4S)	250 °C	250 °C	85 °C, then 90 °C
Prusament ASA (MK4S)	260 °C	260 °C	105 °C, then 110 °C
Prusa Generic FLEX (MK4S)	230 °C	230 °C	50 °C

Bambu bed temperatures are for the Textured PEI Plate. Bambu PLA Basic drops to 35 °C on the Cool Plate. For the width of first-layer lines, see first layer line width.

Does a thicker first layer stick better?

Yes, within limits. PrusaSlicer’s tooltip says a thicker first layer improves adhesion and tolerance for build plates that are not perfectly flat, and OrcaSlicer’s wiki recommends 0.25 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle. Keep it at or under 65% of the nozzle, 0.26 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle, and redo your first layer calibration afterwards.

If the first layer still lifts, Prusa advises against squishing it with Live Adjust Z. Check these instead:

1. Select the plate you print on in the slicer. It sets the bed temperature, and Bambu Lab printers lower the nozzle 0.04 mm for the Textured PEI Plate, so picking another plate leaves the first layer too high.
2. Wash the plate with hot water and detergent, as Bambu Lab advises, and don’t touch the surface.
3. Use glue stick on smooth PEI for PETG, ABS, ASA and flexible filaments, as Prusa recommends (not for PLA).
4. Raise the bed 5 to 10 °C above the preset, as Prusa suggests when the recommended temperatures aren’t enough.

Where to set each value

Setting	Bambu Studio	PrusaSlicer
Layer height	Process > Quality > Layer height	Print Settings > Layers and perimeters > Layer height
First layer height	Process > Quality > Initial layer height	Print Settings > Layers and perimeters > First layer height
Max volumetric speed	Filament > Volumetric speed limitation > Max volumetric speed	Filament Settings > Advanced > Print speed override > Max volumetric speed
First layer temperatures	Filament > Print temperature, “Initial layer” per plate and nozzle	Filament Settings > Filament > Temperature, “First layer” for nozzle and bed