Hardened steel nozzles on Bambu Lab printers: which models have one and how to fit it

Bambu Lab’s X1 Carbon, X1E, P2S, X2D and H2 series have a hardened steel nozzle from the factory. The A1, A1 mini, A2L, P1P and P1S ship with stainless steel and need a Bambu hardened steel hotend ($11.99 to $34.99 at the Bambu Lab US store on October 21, 2026), plus $19.99 hardened extruder gears on the P1P and P1S. After the swap, set the nozzle type on the printer’s screen.

Which Bambu Lab printers come with a hardened steel nozzle?

The Bambu Lab X1 Carbon, X1E, P2S, X2D, H2S, H2D and H2C come with a hardened steel nozzle and hardened steel extruder gears. The Bambu Lab A1, A1 mini, A2L, P1P and P1S ship with a stainless steel nozzle, so each needs a hardened steel hotend before printing carbon fiber, glass fiber or glow filament.

Rows are sorted alphabetically by model. Prices are for the hardened steel 0.4, 0.6 or 0.8 mm version at the Bambu Lab US store on October 21, 2026.

Model	Stock nozzle	Stock extruder gears	Hardened part to buy	US price
A1	Stainless steel	Hardened steel	Bambu Hotend - A1/A2 (A1, hardened steel)	$11.99
A1 mini	Stainless steel	Not stated by Bambu Lab	Bambu Hotend - A1/A2 (A1 mini, hardened steel)	$11.99
A2L	Stainless steel	Hardened steel	Bambu Hotend - A1/A2 (A2L, hardened steel)	$11.99
H2C, H2D, H2S	Hardened steel	Hardened steel	None needed	n/a
P1P, P1S	Stainless steel	Stainless steel	Bambu Hotend - P1 Series (hardened steel), plus the Hardened Steel Extruder Gear Assembly	$14.99 (Hotend) or $34.99 (Complete Hotend); gears $19.99
P2S	Hardened steel	Hardened steel	None needed	n/a
X1 Carbon, X1E	Hardened steel	Hardened steel	None needed	n/a
X2D	Hardened steel	Hardened steel (main and auxiliary)	None needed	n/a

Bambu Lab sells the 0.2 mm size for these printers in stainless steel only. To check what is fitted now, look at the hotend’s heat-dissipation fins: Bambu Lab’s nozzle guide says hardened steel hotends have black fins and stainless steel ones have gray.

For a like-for-like spare (same store, same date), the X1 Carbon takes Bambu Hotend - X1C at $14.99 for the hotend or $34.99 complete. The H2 series, P2S and X2D take Bambu Hotend - H2/P2S/X2D at $17.99 (standard flow). The same printers also take Bambu Lab’s Tungsten Carbide Hotend, from $59.99, which the wear-resistant nozzle comparison sets against other nozzle materials. Third-party hotends for the X1 and P1 series are listed in the hotend table on the Bambu Lab hub.

On the A series, P2S, X2D and H2 series the hotend is a tool-free clip-in part. On the X1 and P1 series it is held by two screws and wired to the toolhead.

How do you install a hardened steel nozzle on a Bambu Lab P1S?

On a Bambu Lab P1S the nozzle is replaced as a hotend. Power off, open the toolhead front cover, unplug the fan, thermistor and heater cables, and remove two screws with an H2.0 hex key. Fit the hardened steel hotend, reconnect it, then select the new nozzle under Settings > Accessories > Nozzle on the printer.

Bambu Lab’s hardened steel parts for the P1 series, sorted by price at the Bambu Lab US store on October 21, 2026:

Part	What you get	US price
Bambu Hotend - P1 Series, Hotend (hardened steel)	Hotend, two M3-14 step screws, silicone sock, thermal grease and retaining clip; you move your heater and thermistor across (step 5)	$14.99
Hardened Steel Extruder Gear Assembly	Driven gear and active gear; fits the X1 and P1 series	$19.99
Bambu Hotend - P1 Series, Complete Hotend (hardened steel)	Complete hotend assembly; nothing to move across	$34.99
Hardened Steel Upgrade Combo - P1 Series	Gear assembly plus a 0.4 mm hardened steel Complete Hotend	$49.48 (listed down from $54.98)

Bambu Lab calls the Complete Hotend the quickest upgrade, and your stainless hotend stays whole as a spare.

How to install a hardened steel hotend on a Bambu Lab P1S, step by step

1. Unload and cool. Unload the filament, wait until the nozzle is below 50 °C, then power off and unplug the printer.
2. Open the toolhead. Lift open the toolhead front cover, disconnect the toolhead fan connector and remove the cover.
3. Unplug the hotend. Disconnect the hotend cooling fan (top), thermistor and ceramic heater (bottom) cables, then release them from their clips.
4. Remove the old hotend. Take out its two screws with an H2.0 hex key and lift it out. If filament residue holds it, Bambu Lab says to put on heat-resistant gloves, warm the hotend slightly and pry it loose with tweezers or a screwdriver.
5. Move the heater and thermistor (Hotend version only). Skip this with a Complete Hotend. Otherwise remove the fan (two screws), sock and metal clip from the old hotend. Slide out the heater and ease out the thermistor; a hair dryer softens dried grease. Clean both with isopropyl alcohol and spread a thin layer of the new thermal grease on the new hotend and inside its thermistor hole. Refit everything on the new hotend, with the clip’s thermistor channel facing the thermistor wire.
6. Fit the hardened steel hotend. Place it in the toolhead and tighten its two screws with the H2.0 hex key.
7. Reconnect. Seat the fan, thermistor and heater cables in their clips and connect them to the interface board. Reconnect the front cover fan and close the cover.
8. Set the nozzle type. Power on, then on the printer screen go to Settings > Accessories > Nozzle and select hardened steel and the diameter you fitted.
9. Calibrate. Run the printer’s Calibration. Bambu Lab says it takes about 20 minutes, and a pass means the swap worked.

The same parts and steps apply to the P1P, since Bambu Lab sells one hotend for the P1 series.

Does a P1S need hardened steel extruder gears as well as the nozzle?

Yes, Bambu Lab recommends both for abrasive filament. The Bambu Lab P1S ships with stainless steel extruder gears. Bambu Lab’s P1S upgrade guide says abrasive particles wear them down over time and cause filament slippage and under-extrusion. The nozzle is the urgent part: Bambu Lab says the most abrasive filaments can damage it in a single print.

In that guide, a stainless nozzle came out of 10 hours of PETG-CF with a visibly enlarged orifice. To check your own nozzle, see signs of nozzle wear. Buy the gears alone for $19.99 or in the $49.48 combo (table above).

The gears sit inside the extruder, which has to come off the printer; Bambu Lab shows the removal in a video in the same guide. With the extruder off:

1. Open the extruder. Remove the four back cover screws.
2. Swap the drive gear. Pull the yellow gear straight out, keeping the bearing in its center. Slide the hardened gear’s shaft in with the bearing on the back.
3. Swap the idler gear. Loosen the side screw without disturbing the spring and metal cap beside it. Lift the idler gear out, fit the new one, align the spring and retighten the screw.
4. Reassemble. Refit the back cover and attach the hotend with two screws (wires through the side clip). Mount the extruder with three screws, plug in its three connectors, and refit the cutter blade and lever screw.

Then finish with steps 8 and 9 above: set the nozzle type and calibrate.

How do you install a hardened steel nozzle on a Bambu Lab A1?

The Bambu Lab A1 uses a tool-free, clip-in hotend. Power off, remove the front cover and silicone sock, unlock the nozzle buckle, pull the old hotend out by its heatsink and press the hardened steel one in flush. Close the buckle, refit the sock and cover, then set the nozzle under Settings > Maintenance > Nozzle.

Bambu Lab’s A1 FAQ says the A1’s extruder gear is already hardened steel, so the hotend is the only part to change. Bambu Lab’s hotend replacement guide covers the whole A1 series, A1 mini included. The A2L has its own hotend guide.

How to install a hardened steel hotend on a Bambu Lab A1, step by step

1. Cool and cut. Power off and let the nozzle cool. Press the filament lever on the right side of the toolhead to release and cut the filament.
2. Uncover the nozzle. Pull the front cover off from its bottom front right corner, then pull the silicone sock off the nozzle.
3. Unlock the buckle. Push the nozzle buckle to the right, then swing its left side outward. A short piece of filament helps you reach it.
4. Pull the old hotend. Hold the heatsink and pull the hotend out. If residue holds it, warm the hotend slightly, put on heat-resistant gloves and pry it loose with tweezers or a screwdriver. Trim any filament left on top.
5. Insert the hardened steel hotend. Tilt it slightly toward the back of the printer so the built-in magnet pulls it onto the screws, then press the heatsink flush against the heating assembly.
6. Lock the buckle. Flip the left side into place, then lock the right side. If it will not lock, the nozzle is not sitting flat.
7. Refit the sock and cover. Fit the sock snugly on both sides, then press the cover’s bottom corners until it clicks.
8. Set the nozzle. Power on, then tap Settings > Maintenance > Nozzle and choose hardened steel and the diameter. Check that the hotend does not wobble and that the printer extrudes normally.

Do you need to change any settings after fitting a hardened steel nozzle?

Yes: the nozzle type and diameter, set on the printer rather than in the slicer. Since Bambu Studio V02.01.01.52, the nozzle field under Printer Parts is display-only, and Bambu Lab says nozzle changes must be made on the printer. If the diameter changed, also pick the matching printer preset in Bambu Studio, such as “Bambu Lab P1S 0.6 nozzle”.

The setting matters because Bambu Studio checks each filament against the nozzle the printer reports. Its nozzle table rates stainless steel at a Rockwell C hardness (HRC) of 20 and hardened steel at 55, and the Bambu PLA-CF and PETG-CF profiles require 40. Leave the printer set to stainless and the send dialog warns that the filament “may cause nozzle wear, leading to material leakage and unstable flow.”

• Nozzle size: Bambu Lab’s filament guide makes 0.6 mm hardened steel the first choice for carbon- and glass-fiber filaments, because it clogs less. For its own PLA-CF, PETG-CF, PLA Marble, PLA Sparkle and PLA Glow, Bambu recommends 0.4 mm first. With other fiber filaments on 0.4 mm, it suggests 0.15 to 0.3 mm layers and about 100 mm/s at most. Keep fiber filament out of a 0.2 mm nozzle: Bambu Lab calls the clogging risk “extremely high”.
• Temperature: Bambu Lab’s replacement guides call for no temperature or flow change, only the calibration run. The hotends are rated to 320 °C, but the A and P1 series printers stay capped at 300 °C. For how the two steels differ in heat transfer, see hardened steel vs stainless nozzles.

For which filaments need the hardened nozzle at all, see when to use a hardened steel nozzle.