What is layer height in 3D printing? Meaning, resolution and common values

Layer height is the thickness of each layer an FDM (fused deposition modeling) 3D printer lays down, set in the slicer in millimeters. On a 0.4 mm nozzle the standard is 0.20 mm (the default in OrcaSlicer and Bambu Studio), and usable values run from 0.08 to 0.32 mm. Thinner layers hide layer lines better but take longer to print.

What is layer height in 3D printing?

Layer height is the vertical thickness of each layer in an FDM print: how far the Z axis moves between one layer and the next. You set it in the slicer, and 0.20 mm is the everyday value on a 0.4 mm nozzle. A 20 mm tall part printed at 0.20 mm has 20 ÷ 0.20 = 100 layers.

              one line, seen end-on: 0.40 to 0.45 mm wide (XY)
                   |<-->|
 layer 100   [####][####][####][####]   19.80 to 20.00 mm
 layer 99    [####][####][####][####]   19.60 to 19.80 mm
    ...
 layer 2     [####][####][####][####]    0.20 to 0.40 mm
 layer 1     [####][####][####][####]    0.00 to 0.20 mm
 ============== build plate ==============
 each row is one layer: 0.20 mm tall (Z)

Each row’s height is the layer height. Each line’s width follows the nozzle: 0.40 mm in UltiMaker Cura (the nozzle size), 0.42 to 0.45 mm in Bambu Studio and 0.45 mm (1.125 × the nozzle) in PrusaSlicer. Layer 1 has its own setting, the first layer height, which Bambu Studio’s presets set to half the nozzle: 0.20 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle.

Where to find the setting in each slicer:

Slicer	Where to set layer height
Bambu Studio	Process > Quality > Layer height
OrcaSlicer	Process > Quality > Layer height
PrusaSlicer	Print Settings > Layers and perimeters > Layer height
UltiMaker Cura	Print settings > Quality > Layer Height

Is layer height the same as resolution?

Only on the vertical axis. Layer height is the Z resolution, and Prusa’s knowledge base says it “changes only the vertical resolution.” Detail across each layer (XY) comes from the nozzle and line width, 0.40 to 0.45 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle. Thinner layers smooth curves and slopes but add no detail across the layer.

Spec sheets use “resolution” for more than one thing. UltiMaker’s page for the UltiMaker S5 lists two, and the nozzle sets a third:

Term	What it measures	Set by	UltiMaker S5
Layer resolution (Z resolution, layer height)	Thickness of each layer	Slicer setting, within the nozzle’s range	60 to 400 microns, by nozzle and profile
XYZ resolution	Smallest move the axes can make	Stepper motors and drive	6.9, 6.9 and 2.5 microns
XY detail	Width of the narrowest line	Nozzle and line width	0.40 mm line from a 0.4 mm nozzle in Cura

Layer heights on spec sheets are in microns: 1 mm is 1,000 microns, so 0.20 mm is 200 microns. The S5’s 2.5 micron Z figure is the smallest step its Z axis can make, not a layer it prints: its thinnest layer is 60 microns (0.06 mm).

For sharper small features, change the nozzle rather than the layer height: Prusa’s advice for “increased resolution in the XY plane” is to check nozzles with a different diameter.

Going thinner also stops paying off early: Prusa does not suggest going under 0.10 mm, because 0.07 and 0.05 mm layers improve quality only slightly for much longer prints. For what thinner layers change on the surface, see does layer height affect quality.

How do common layer heights compare?

Bambu Studio’s presets for a 0.4 mm nozzle run from 0.08 mm (almost invisible layer lines, longest print) to 0.28 mm (visible lines, shortest print). 0.20 mm is the general-purpose default. Bambu Lab’s example model took 1 h 19 min at 0.08 mm, 36 min at 0.20 mm and 28 min at 0.28 mm.

Bambu Studio’s 0.4 mm nozzle presets for the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon, with each preset’s own description:

Preset	Layers in a 20 mm part	What Bambu Studio says it gives	Example print time
0.08mm Extra Fine	250	Almost negligible layer lines, longer printing time	1 h 19 min
0.12mm Fine	167	Almost negligible layer lines, higher quality, longer time	not given
0.16mm Optimal	125	Less apparent layer lines, higher quality, longer time	not given
0.20mm Standard (default)	100	General layer lines and quality, “suitable for most general printing cases”	36 min 14 s
0.24mm Draft	83	More apparent layer lines, lower quality, slightly shorter time	not given
0.28mm Extra Draft	71	More apparent layer lines, lower quality, shorter time	28 min 27 s

Layer counts are 20 mm ÷ the layer height, rounded. The 0.20 mm first layer shifts the real count by a layer or two.

Print time changes less than the layer count. 0.08 mm has 2.5 times the layers of 0.20 mm but took 79 ÷ 36.23 = 2.2 times as long. 0.28 mm has 29% fewer layers but saved about 21% (28.45 ÷ 36.23 = 0.79).

Bambu Lab’s reason: a taller layer extrudes more plastic, so the hotend needs a slower speed to melt it. Bambu Studio’s presets drop the inner-wall speed from 350 mm/s at 0.08 mm to 200 mm/s at 0.28 mm. To estimate your own model, use the print time calculator.

Preset names across slicers

Slicer and profile, 0.4 mm nozzle	Presets
Bambu Studio, Bambu Lab X1 Carbon	0.08 Extra Fine, 0.12 Fine, 0.16 Optimal, 0.20 Standard, 0.24 Draft, 0.28 Extra Draft
UltiMaker Cura 5.13, UltiMaker S5 with PLA	0.06 Extra Fine, 0.10 Fine, 0.15 Normal, 0.20 Fast, 0.30 Extra Fast (experimental)
PrusaSlicer 2.9, Original Prusa MK3 family	0.05 and 0.07 ULTRADETAIL, 0.10 DETAIL, 0.15 and 0.20 QUALITY or SPEED, 0.30 DRAFT

Read the number, not the name. “Fine” is 0.12 mm in Bambu Studio and 0.10 mm in Cura, and Cura’s “Fast” is the same 0.20 mm as Bambu Studio’s “Standard”.

Some presets share a height and change other settings: Bambu Studio’s High Quality presets at 0.08, 0.12 and 0.16 mm lower the speeds and acceleration, and its 0.20mm Strength preset adds wall loops and infill.

Layer height options outside the presets

OrcaSlicer documents a usable range of 20% to 80% of the nozzle diameter: 0.08 to 0.32 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle. Bambu Lab sets a lower ceiling: 70%, or 0.28 mm. The layer height calculator gives the range for other nozzles and the heights that land on full motor steps. To pick a height for the job on the standard nozzle, see layer height for a 0.4 mm nozzle.