Filament for school: the safe, easy, low-cost choice for the classroom

Short answer

The best filament for a school is PLA. It prints easy at a low temperature, runs on any classroom machine, costs the least, and gives off the least smell of the common filaments, so it suits a room full of beginners. Per the Prusament PLA datasheet, PLA prints at a 210 C nozzle with a 10 C window and a 55 to 60 C bed, with no heated chamber needed, which keeps a school line simple and safe.

Why PLA fits the classroom

A school prints with many students at different skill levels, so the filament has to be easy, low-cost, and safe. PLA is all three. It prints cool, around 200 to 210 C, and it sticks to a warm sheet with no enclosure, so a stock classroom printer turns out student work with few fails. It is also the cheapest mainstream filament, which matters when a class runs through a lot of it.

PLA also gives off the least smell and the fewest particles of the common filaments, which matters in a closed classroom. ABS and ASA, by contrast, smell and emit more, so they are a poor fit for a school room.

Materials for a school

How to stock a school

Buy PLA in a few common colors in 1.75 mm, enough to cover a term plus a buffer. Keep a small reserve of PETG for the older grades or the projects that need durability. Dry the stock and store it sealed, since a classroom holds open spools longer than it should.

For the makerspace angle, the filament for FabLab page covers a shared space, and the PLA hub covers the material in depth.