Shrinkage Calculator — Compensate for Material Shrinkage

PLA has very low shrinkage, typically 0.2-0.4%. On a 100mm part, this is only 0.2-0.4mm. For most applications this is negligible, but for precision fits and large parts it becomes significant.

ABS has a high coefficient of thermal expansion and is printed hot (around 240°C), so it contracts significantly as it cools, causing 0.5-1.0% shrinkage. ABS is an amorphous polymer, so it does not crystallise — but uneven cooling causes uneven contraction, which is why ABS is prone to warping. An enclosed heated chamber reduces uneven shrinkage.

For uniform shrinkage compensation, use the slicer scale function (set to the scale factor percentage). For non-uniform compensation (different shrinkage in XY vs Z), adjust dimensions in your CAD software.

Infill mainly affects warping and internal stress rather than the linear scale factor. Denser infill resists contraction forces, so a part holds the listed shrinkage more reliably and distorts less. Very sparse infill (around 10-15%) does not change the material shrinkage percentage much, but it can let walls pull inward unevenly, so for precision parts print a calibration cube at your real infill and re-measure before scaling.

Not exactly. XY shrinkage is usually similar, but Z shrinkage can differ because layers are compressed by the weight above. For most materials, the difference is small (under 0.1%) but for precision parts, test in each axis.