Key takeaways
- “2.0” is a name each maker chooses. SUNLU, Inslogic, CREAT3D and others all sell a “PETG 2.0”, and no common definition stands behind it.
- What SUNLU's PETG 2.0 actually changes is the print window: up to 200 mm/s with a 240–270 °C nozzle, plus a less-stringing claim. Its published properties — 43 ± 10 MPa, HDT 71 ± 4 °C — sit inside the ordinary PETG range.
- Matte PETG does not pay matte PLA's price. Panchroma Matte loses more than half its tensile strength against plain PLA; SUNLU's High Speed Matte PETG still publishes 48 MPa.
- SUNLU's impact figures are Izod (ISO 180); Polymaker's are Charpy (ISO 179). Putting the two columns side by side and comparing them is a mistake.
- None of these grades stops caring about moisture or survives a sun-baked car. The heat ceiling is still around 70 °C.
Two PETG offshoots are crowding the shelves: “PETG 2.0” and matte PETG. Both are sold as upgrades on regular PETG. This article reads each maker's own technical data sheet (TDS) to see what actually changed, and what stayed exactly the same.
What “PETG 2.0” is — and is not
No standards body defines “PETG 2.0”. It is a trade name each brand gives its own new PETG formula, and brands do not mean the same thing by it. Two spools labelled “2.0” from two brands can differ more than a “2.0” spool and a regular PETG spool from the same brand.
For SUNLU, “2.0” means two specific things written on the TDS: better stringing resistance than standard PETG, and a faster print window — 230–240 °C for 50–100 mm/s, 240–270 °C for 100–200 mm/s. Bed 70–80 °C on textured PEI, drying at 60–65 °C.
| Regular PETG (Polymaker) | PETG2.0 (SUNLU) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength | 37.9–50.8 MPa | 43 ± 10 MPa |
| Elongation at break | 8.4 % (PolyLite) | 12 ± 5 % |
| Bending strength | 69.6 MPa (PolyLite) | 70 ± 10 MPa |
| HDT 0.45 MPa | 76–78 °C | 71 ± 4 °C |
| Notched impact | 2.6–11.6 kJ/m² (Charpy, ISO 179) | 4 ± 2 kJ/m² (Izod, ISO 180) |
| Density | 1.24–1.25 g/cm³ | 1.22 g/cm³ |
Read the table correctly: every PETG2.0 property overlaps the regular PETG range. It is not stronger and it does not take more heat. The ± band SUNLU publishes — ±10 MPa on 43 MPa — is wider than the gap between the two columns. What you are buying is the print window, not the properties.
Matte PETG — PLA Matte's surface, PETG's toughness
A matte surface scatters light instead of reflecting it, so the eye stops picking out layer lines and the seam. That is why matte PLA is popular for presentation models. The question is what you trade for it — and here PETG behaves very differently from PLA.
| Regular | Matte | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLA — tensile strength | 52.3 MPa (PolyLite) | 23.2 MPa (Panchroma Matte) | more than half lost |
| PETG — tensile strength | 37.9–50.8 MPa | 48 MPa | within the range |
| PETG — elongation at break | 8.4 % (PolyLite) | 33 % | no visible toughness loss |
| PETG — HDT 0.45 MPa | 76–78 °C | 70 °C | a few degrees lower |
The two PETG rows come from two different makers, so do not read 33 % against 8.4 % as a like-for-like measurement. But the message is clear enough: matte PETG does not pay half its tensile strength the way matte PLA does. For a housing that has to look good and survive a drop, that difference decides it.
One consequence of a light-scattering surface: matte PETG is always opaque. If you need a level window or a light diffuser, that is still a job for translucent PETG.
What neither grade changes
- Heat ceiling. HDT of both new grades sits around 70 °C — level with or a little below regular PETG. A car parked in tropical sun goes past that.
- UV. SUNLU's own PETG2.0 TDS notes the product may yellow under ultraviolet light. For long-term sun, it is still ASA.
- Moisture. Both need drying and sealed storage, like every PETG.
- Bed adhesion. Any PETG grips smooth PEI hard enough to pull chips out of the sheet. Use a textured plate or a glue release layer.
PETG 2.0 changes speed. Matte PETG changes the surface. Neither changes the base polymer — and the base polymer sets the heat ceiling.
Which grade for which job
Four PETGs, four jobs
- PETG Core
- The default for parts that get wet or dropped; on an ordinary printer, or when you need a clear part
- PETG 2.0
- As PETG Core, but your printer is fast and strings are the problem
- PETG Matte
- Visible parts — housings, homeware, products for sale — that still have to be tough
- PETG-CF
- Stiffness and a matte finish, accepting more brittleness and a hardened nozzle
Starting settings and full properties for each grade are on the PETG material page. If you are still choosing between polymer families rather than between PETGs, start with PLA vs PETG vs ABS. For tougher-than-PETG clear parts, see PCTG vs PETG.
Frequently asked
Is PETG 2.0 stronger than regular PETG?
Not on published figures. SUNLU gives 43 ± 10 MPa tensile and HDT 71 ± 4 °C for PETG2.0 — inside the 37.9–50.8 MPa range and below the 76–78 °C Polymaker publishes for regular PETG. What changes is the print window: up to 200 mm/s and less stringing.
Are all “PETG 2.0” filaments the same?
No. “2.0” is a trade name each brand chooses, with no standard behind it. To know what a “2.0” spool changes, read that brand's own TDS — and if the brand publishes no TDS, the name tells you nothing.
Is matte PETG weaker than regular PETG, the way matte PLA is?
Not meaningfully, on published figures. Polymaker's Panchroma Matte drops to 23.2 MPa against 52.3 MPa for plain PLA, but SUNLU's High Speed Matte PETG still publishes 48 MPa tensile and 33 % elongation. Its 70 °C HDT is a few degrees below regular PETG.
Can matte PETG print clear?
No. A matte surface scatters light, so the part is always opaque. For a clear part, use translucent regular PETG.
Do PETG 2.0 or matte PETG need a hardened nozzle?
Neither of these two data sheets calls for one. A hardened nozzle is only required for fibre-filled PETG such as PETG-CF.