Is my Polymaker spool cardboard or plastic?

Most current Polymaker filament ships on a recycled cardboard spool, which Polymaker specs at 140 g for the 1 kg size. If your spool is solid plastic, it is older stock and much heavier. When in doubt, weigh the empty spool and pick Custom.

Why does my cardboard spool weigh more than 140 g empty?

Polymaker's own figure carries a plus-or-minus 7 g tolerance, and cardboard absorbs moisture, so a spool that lived in a humid room can read several grams heavier than one from a dry box. Anything in the low-to-mid 140s is normal.

Does Polymaker publish official spool weights?

Yes, for cardboard spools. A spool table on some Polymaker product pages lists 140 ± 7 g for 1 kg, 125 ± 7 g for 0.75 kg, 190 ± 7 g for 0.5 kg and 370 ± 18.5 g for 2 kg. We found no Polymaker figure for older plastic spools. Either way, your own scale is the final word.

Empty spool weights

Polymaker empty spool weight: cardboard spool vs older plastic

1 kg cardboard spool

140 ± 7 g

0.5 kg cardboard spool

190 ± 7 g

Older 1 kg plastic spool

~250 g

Polymaker publishes a spool table on some of its product pages: the 1 kg cardboard spool weighs 140 g give or take 7 g. Most current Polymaker filament ships on cardboard spools. If you still have older stock on a plastic spool, it is much heavier; the one community figure we found is 250 g, and Polymaker does not publish one.

So the first question is which spool you are holding. Cardboard also drifts a few grams with humidity, because it absorbs moisture along with your filament, so weigh one once if you want to be exact.

Polymaker spool weights at a glance

Spool and what is on the scale	Empty weight (g)	Evidence
Cardboard spool, 1 kg Empty cardboard spool	140 ± 7 g empty	Manufacturer Polymaker's spool table. Polymaker has since described a newer cardboard spool with reinforced edges and has not published a separate weight for it. Source
Cardboard spool, 0.75 kg Empty cardboard spool	125 ± 7 g empty	Manufacturer Same Polymaker spool table. Source
Cardboard spool, 0.5 kg Empty cardboard spool	190 ± 7 g empty	Manufacturer Same table. Heavier than the 1 kg spool as published; weigh yours if the number matters. Source
Cardboard spool, 2 kg Empty cardboard spool	370 ± 18.5 g empty	Manufacturer Same Polymaker spool table. Source
Plastic spool, 1 kg (older stock) Empty plastic spool	~250 g empty	Community database One community database entry for PolyLite PLA on a plastic spool. Polymaker publishes no figure for its older plastic spools. Source

“Manufacturer” means the brand publishes the number. “User measurements” means people weighed their own spools and posted the result, so your spool can differ. The exact answer takes one minute: weigh an empty spool of the type you use, write the number on it, and pick Custom in the calculator from then on.

What a wrong tare does to your answer

Every gram of tare error moves the remaining-filament answer by the same gram. Say the scale reads 300 g and you are unsure whether the tare is 200 g or 225 g. One gives 100 g of filament left, the other 75 g. For an 80 g print, that is the difference between 20 g to spare and 5 g short. When a print is close, weigh an empty spool of the same type before you trust any preset.

How to weigh it right

Take the spool off the printer or out of the AMS. Anything supporting the spool skews the reading.
Use a kitchen scale on a flat surface. Gram resolution is plenty; you do not need a lab scale.
Enter the total weight above, pick the matching spool type, and read off grams remaining. The result updates as you type.

Frequently asked

Is my Polymaker spool cardboard or plastic?: Most current Polymaker filament ships on a recycled cardboard spool, which Polymaker specs at 140 g for the 1 kg size. If your spool is solid plastic, it is older stock and much heavier. When in doubt, weigh the empty spool and pick Custom.
Why does my cardboard spool weigh more than 140 g empty?: Polymaker's own figure carries a plus-or-minus 7 g tolerance, and cardboard absorbs moisture, so a spool that lived in a humid room can read several grams heavier than one from a dry box. Anything in the low-to-mid 140s is normal.
Does Polymaker publish official spool weights?: Yes, for cardboard spools. A spool table on some Polymaker product pages lists 140 ± 7 g for 1 kg, 125 ± 7 g for 0.75 kg, 190 ± 7 g for 0.5 kg and 370 ± 18.5 g for 2 kg. We found no Polymaker figure for older plastic spools. Either way, your own scale is the final word.

Where these numbers come from

Each row above names its evidence. Sources were last checked October 10, 2026. Spool designs change without notice, so if your spool disagrees, trust your scale over any table, including this one.

Correction note: October 10, 2026: the older plastic-spool preset changed from 215 g to 250 g. We could not trace 215 g to any source; 250 g is the one community database entry we found. The cardboard source link now points to a Polymaker page that shows the spool table.