Short answer
PETG retraction settings come down to distance and speed, and both depend on your extruder type. Run 0.5 to 2 millimeters on a direct drive and 4 to 6 millimeters on a Bowden tube, at 30 to 40 millimeters per second. PETG strings more than PLA, so adjusting retraction is the main fix for the hairy look between moves.
Why PETG needs different retraction
PETG is stickier and more elastic than PLA, so it keeps oozing for a moment after the extruder stops. That ooze lands as fine strings across travel moves. Retraction pulls the filament back to relieve that pressure, and the right distance depends on how far the filament has to travel backward, which is short on a direct drive and long in a Bowden tube.
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Direct-drive distance | 0.5 to 2.0 mm | Short path, so short retraction. Start near 1 mm and tune. |
| Bowden distance | 4 to 6 mm | Long tube path needs more pullback. The Ender 3 Bowden baseline is about 5 mm. |
| Retraction speed | 30 to 40 mm/s | Fast enough to snap back, slow enough to avoid grinding the filament. |
| Extra restart | 0 mm | Avoid adding restart distance; PETG blobs if you over-push on the return. |
| Wipe while retracting | On | A small wipe clears the nozzle tip. Cura calls this coasting, a related idea. |
| Temperature | 240 to 245 C | Run PETG toward the cool end of its range to cut ooze, per the Prusament TDS. |
How to adjust PETG retraction
Dry the PETG first
Dry the spool at 60 to 65 C for a few hours. Wet PETG strings no matter your retraction distance.
Set the baseline by extruder type
Direct drive starts near 1 mm, Bowden near 5 mm. Set retraction speed to 35 mm/s.
Turn on wipe while retracting
Enable the wipe-on-retract option. In Cura, look at the related coasting setting.
Print a stringing test
Run a two-tower stringing test. If hairs appear, add distance in 0.5 mm steps on direct drive or 1 mm on Bowden.
Drop temperature if it still oozes
If stringing stays after retraction is dialed, lower the nozzle 5 C toward the cool end of the PETG range.
For the wider PETG picture, the PETG hub covers the material, and the stringing guide breaks down the full cause-and-fix chain. The Ender 3 PETG settings show retraction on a specific Bowden machine.
Related guides
Related
Sources & methodology
3 citations · reviewed 2026-07-09- 01Bambu Studio: Retraction parameters (official wiki)accessed 2026-07-08Tier 1
- 02UltiMaker Cura: Experimental settings (coasting)accessed 2026-07-08Tier 1
- 03Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet (TDS PDF)accessed 2026-07-06Tier 1