1.75mm is the dominant consumer filament diameter and fits the vast majority of FDM printers, while 2.85mm (sometimes labelled 3mm) is used by Ultimaker-architecture machines and a handful of professional systems; the two are not interchangeable in the same hotend.
Feed the wrong filament diameter into a 3D printer and nothing good happens. Push 2.85mm stock through a hotend built for 1.75mm and it jams almost instantly; thread thin 1.75mm into a 2.85mm feed path and the extruder gear loses grip and grinds. The number stamped on the spool is not marketing, it is a mechanical spec your machine was designed around, and getting it right is the first compatibility check before any other settings.
The vast majority of consumer FDM printers use 1.75mm filament, so if you are unsure, that is almost certainly what you need. 2.85mm (often loosely labelled "3mm") belongs to Ultimaker-architecture machines and a few professional systems. The two are not interchangeable in the same hotend.
The hotend, the PTFE-lined feed path and the extruder gear are all sized for one diameter. A 1.75mm hotend has a melt chamber and nozzle throat too narrow to accept 2.85mm stock at all. Going the other way, a 2.85mm feed path is too wide for 1.75mm filament to be gripped consistently, so the drive gear skips and under-extrudes. There is no firmware setting that fixes a physical mismatch, which is why diameter is the very first thing to confirm when you shop for spools or a new machine.
Check the manufacturer's spec sheet first, since it states the required diameter outright. If you no longer have it, look at the existing spool that shipped with the machine, or measure the bore of the PTFE tube feeding the hotend. A roughly 1.9mm to 2mm inner tube points to 1.75mm filament; a noticeably wider bore points to 2.85mm. Entry-level and hobbyist printers in the local market are overwhelmingly 1.75mm, and you can compare current options across the Evetech 3D printer lineup to see which diameter each model expects before you commit.
Beyond just being the common standard, 1.75mm melts slightly faster for its volume and responds more crisply to retraction, which helps with stringing and fine detail. The spool selection is far wider too, so colours, specialty blends and budget bulk rolls are easier to find. For a home or classroom printer in South Africa, sticking with 1.75mm keeps you in the part of the market with the most stock and the keenest pricing.
2.85mm is not worse, it is just specialised. The thicker strand is more rigid, which suits direct-drive Bowman-style feed paths on Ultimaker and similar machines and can handle flexible materials with less buckling in the feed tube. If you own one of those systems, buy 2.85mm and do not try to retrofit 1.75mm. Replacement nozzles, spare tubing and other consumables sit alongside printer gear in the accessories best sellers if you need to restock while you are sorting filament.
In practice, yes. "3mm" is a legacy label that almost always refers to the actual 2.85mm standard. True 3.00mm filament is rare, so if a spool says 3mm it is safe to treat it as 2.85mm stock for an Ultimaker-class machine.
Not realistically. You would need a new hotend, a wider feed tube and a different extruder, which costs more than the saving on filament. It is far simpler to buy the correct diameter for the machine you have.
Indirectly. Both diameters print well when matched to the right machine. The bigger quality factor is consistent diameter tolerance within a spool, so look for filament rated to a tight tolerance such as plus or minus 0.02mm.
1.75mm, unless the printer's spec sheet explicitly says 2.85mm. It is the default for nearly every entry-level and mid-range FDM printer and has the widest material choice.
Not sure which diameter your next machine takes? Browse the current 3D printer range at Evetech, check the filament spec on each model, and match your spools with confidence before you print.
In practice, yes. "3mm" is a legacy label that almost always refers to the actual 2.85mm standard. True 3.00mm filament is rare, so if a spool says 3mm it is safe to treat it as 2.85mm stock for an Ultimaker-class machine.
Not realistically. You would need a new hotend, a wider feed tube and a different extruder, which costs more than the saving on filament. It is far simpler to buy the correct diameter for the machine you have.
Indirectly. Both diameters print well when matched to the right machine. The bigger quality factor is consistent diameter tolerance within a spool, so look for filament rated to a tight tolerance such as plus or minus 0.02mm.
1.75mm, unless the printer's spec sheet explicitly says 2.85mm. It is the default for nearly every entry-level and mid-range FDM printer and has the widest material choice.
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