Infill Percentage Guide
Infill is a strength-vs-time-and-material tradeoff, not a single "correct" number — here's what each range is actually for.
| Infill | Relative strength | Material & time cost | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5% | Very low | Minimal | Display models, prototypes never handled under load |
| 10–15% | Light duty | Low | Standard default for most non-structural prints |
| 20–30% | Moderate | Moderate | Functional parts, brackets, light mechanical use |
| 40–60% | High | High | Load-bearing parts, parts that will be drilled or tapped |
| 80–100% | Maximum | Very high | Small high-stress parts where the added time/material is worth it |
Pattern matters almost as much as percentage
Gyroid infill is a common default because it's strong in every direction and prints reasonably fast; grid and lines patterns are faster still but weaker along one axis; honeycomb and cubic patterns trade print speed for more even multi-directional strength. If a part keeps failing along one particular plane, switching pattern can matter more than just raising the percentage.
Perimeters do more than infill thinks
For parts under bending stress rather than crushing stress, adding perimeter (wall) count usually adds more real-world strength per minute of extra print time than raising infill percentage does — the outer walls carry most of the load in a lot of everyday functional prints. If a part snaps at the surface rather than crushing internally, try more perimeters before reaching for higher infill.