Layer Height Guide

Enter your nozzle size to see recommended layer heights and print quality tradeoffs.

Nozzle diameter (mm)

Priority

Minimum layer height —

Recommended layer height —

Maximum layer height —

Quality description —

Relative print speed —

Rule of thumb: layer height should be 25–75% of nozzle diameter. Below 25% causes poor layer adhesion. Above 75% causes overflow and poor surface quality.

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Choosing the Right Layer Height

Layer height is the single biggest factor in print quality and speed. Thinner layers produce smoother surfaces but take longer. The standard 0.4mm nozzle works well from 0.1mm to 0.3mm layers.

For miniatures and detailed models, use 0.08–0.12mm layers. For functional parts where appearance matters less, 0.2–0.3mm is a good balance. For rapid prototypes, go up to 75% of nozzle diameter.

Layer height is limited by nozzle diameter — maximum reliable layer height is about 75–80% of the nozzle diameter. A standard 0.4mm nozzle supports up to 0.32mm layer height. Going higher causes poor layer adhesion and surface quality; going lower than ~20% of nozzle diameter (0.08mm for 0.4mm nozzle) causes extrusion inconsistency.

Common layer heights and their uses: 0.1mm (fine) — detailed miniatures, visible surfaces, slow; 0.15mm (standard fine) — good balance of speed and detail; 0.2mm (standard) — the default for most FDM printing; 0.25mm (draft) — functional prototypes where appearance isn't critical; 0.3mm (fast draft) — large parts, structural pieces. Each step up roughly proportionally reduces print time.

Variable layer height (VLH) available in Prusa Slicer, SuperSlicer, and Orca Slicer: print curved or organic surfaces with finer layers where detail matters and coarser layers on flat sections. A print that would take 4 hours at uniform 0.15mm may take 2.5 hours with VLH using 0.15mm on curved features and 0.3mm on flat walls.

Layer height affects horizontal detail (XY) very little — horizontal resolution is primarily determined by nozzle diameter and extrusion width. Only the Z dimension (vertical detail, stair-stepping effect on angled surfaces) improves with finer layer heights. Orientation of the model relative to the build plate matters more than layer height for most features.