<p>Degradation starts at 260&nbsp;&deg;C and shifts towards full blown decomposition towards 350&nbsp;&deg;C. 250&nbsp;&deg;C is technically fine, but you should keep in mind that you've got little to no wiggle room for error at that temperature. Your thermistor and board may not be accurate enough to guarantee you'll never overshoot that temperature, and the way 3D printers often handle temperature adjustment exacerbates that risk. You <strong>can</strong> print at 250&nbsp;&deg;C, just be aware you've got basically no margin for error. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-03T11:29:42.167Z
how fast does ptfe detoriorate at 260°? is that something that takes seconds or days?
matthias_buehlmann
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-03T11:41:42.603Z
More like weeks or months.
Davo
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-03T14:16:46.200Z
yeah if you're exactly at the temperature it's going to take an extended amount of time. I still wouldn't try printing at those temperatures though, because PTFE breaking down isn't an issue because it's wearing out, it's an issue because of the highly toxic and corrosive compounds that teflon degenerates into. Check this link out:
https://www.ewg.org/research/canaries-kitchen/teflon-offgas-studies
Nach0z
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-03T15:58:13.670Z
"Highly toxic" is meaningless without specifying concentration and exposure. Non-stick pans regularly get around or above 250°C in cooking use. I'd be a lot more concerned about the fumes from the materials being printed at these temperatures than from the PTFE.
R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-03T16:02:30.743Z
Also, the PTFE end is not supposed to be getting that hot - if it were, the filament would be melting inside it. Assuming your cooling is working right (and if it's not, you'll have catastrophic failure regardless of what your hotend temp is set to), it should be at least a few degrees, and ideally a few tens of degrees, cooler than the set temperature.
R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-05T20:01:36.770Z
Also note that 260C equals 500F. It might be a less exact limit than we think.
Wirewrap
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-03T11:28:31.497Z
2019-06-03T12:23:55.920Z
2019-06-03T12:23:55.920Z
Nach0z
<p>High temperature rated PTFE tape is rated for up to 288°C (550°F).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-23T17:27:55.810Z
2020-12-23T17:27:55.810Z
Perry Webb
<p>I read that PTFE starts to deteriorate past 260&nbsp;&deg;C. Does that mean heating to 250&nbsp;&deg;C is no problem at all, or will that destroy the PTFE material over time to?</p>

<ptfe-tube>
PTFE detoriation temperature
matthias_buehlmann
# PTFE detoriation temperature

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-06-03)

I read that PTFE starts to deteriorate past 260 °C. Does that mean heating to 250 °C is no problem at all, or will that destroy the PTFE material over time to?

**Tags:** ptfe-tube

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-06-03. Score: 4

Degradation starts at 260 °C and shifts towards full blown decomposition towards 350 °C. 250 °C is technically fine, but you should keep in mind that you've got little to no wiggle room for error at that temperature. Your thermistor and board may not be accurate enough to guarantee you'll never overshoot that temperature, and the way 3D printers often handle temperature adjustment exacerbates that risk. You **can** print at 250 °C, just be aware you've got basically no margin for error.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: how fast does ptfe detoriorate at 260°? is that something that takes seconds or days?  
> **username_2**: More like weeks or months.  
> **username_1**: yeah if you're exactly at the temperature it's going to take an extended amount of time. I still wouldn't try printing at those temperatures though, because PTFE breaking down isn't an issue because it's wearing out, it's an issue because of the highly toxic and corrosive compounds that teflon degenerates into. Check this link out: https://www.ewg.org/research/canaries-kitchen/teflon-offgas-studies  
> **username_3**: "Highly toxic" is meaningless without specifying concentration and exposure. Non-stick pans regularly get around or above 250°C in cooking use. I'd be a lot more concerned about the fumes from the materials being printed at these temperatures than from the PTFE.  
> **username_3**: Also, the PTFE end is not supposed to be getting that hot - if it were, the filament would be melting inside it. Assuming your cooling is working right (and if it's not, you'll have catastrophic failure regardless of what your hotend temp is set to), it should be at least a few degrees, and ideally a few tens of degrees, cooler than the set temperature.  
> **username_4**: Also note that 260C equals 500F. It might be a less exact limit than we think.  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2020-12-23. Score: 0

High temperature rated PTFE tape is rated for up to 288°C (550°F).


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