Beige ribbed elongated 3D-printed PLA bauble hanging low on a Christmas tree branch, a cat reaching up with one paw, a second bauble lying unbroken on the wooden floor, warm fairy lights

Shatterproof Christmas Baubles: 22 g of PLA Instead of Glass

5 min read Updated November 4, 2026 By Kahaus · printed in Poland

In short

A 12.4 cm ribbed PLA bauble weighs 22 g and does not shatter like glass when it falls off the tree.
For the lowest branches pick light, closed shapes: the small tree (13 g), the Santa trio (about 10.7 g each) and the bell (35 g). Keep thin snowflakes higher up.
PLA softens in heat: no real candles, no spot right above a radiator or in front of a fireplace.

Shatterproof Christmas baubles usually mean plastic copies of glass balls. Ours are different: we print them in Poland from PLA, in shapes that glass cannot do, with ribs, tiers and a bell that really rings. The ribbed bauble is 12.4 cm tall and weighs 22 g, so when a cat, a dog or a two-year-old knocks it down, you pick it up and hang it back.

This guide is for homes where the tree gets touched: what to hang low, what to keep high, and where PLA should not go at all. For the whole tree, start with our guide to decorating the Christmas tree.

Shatterproof Christmas baubles: what PLA does and does not do

PLA is a light, rigid plastic: the 12.4 cm ribbed bauble weighs 22 g, the 9.3 cm Japandi one 75 g. A piece that falls on the floor does not break into splinters, which is the whole point in a home with children and animals. The surface shows fine layer lines; that is how 3D printing works, not a defect.

What PLA does not do: it does not take heat. It softens at high temperatures, so our ornaments are for indoors only, away from radiators, fireplaces and hot lights. If you light real candles on the tree, the old way, use glass and metal ornaments, not ours.

Beige ribbed elongated PLA bauble hanging on a jute string from a Christmas tree branch, fairy lights and a fireplace behind — Ribbed bauble, 12.4 cm and 22 g: the slim shape fills gaps between branches. See the product →

Which shapes to hang low: toddler, cat, dog

The lowest third of the tree gets grabbed, batted and brushed by a tail. Hang there what is light, closed and has no thin arms.

Toddler. A small child pulls what it can reach. The small tree ornament (8.7 cm, 13 g) and the Santa trio (6 cm, three pieces) are the lightest, so a tug on the branch does no harm. These are decorations, not toys: with a child who still puts things in the mouth, leave the lowest branches empty.

Cat. Cats go for what dangles. The bell has a separate clapper inside and chimes softly when the branch is touched, which tells you where the cat is. At 35 g and 6.9 cm it hangs straight without pulling the branch. Keep the thin-armed snowflakes higher up, out of paw range.

Dog. A wagging tail clears the lowest branches in one pass. Hang the Japandi bauble there: a smooth closed ball, 9.3 cm tall and 7.3 cm across, 75 g, with nothing to catch fur. It also stands on its own, so with a lively dog you can leave the bottom of the tree bare and put the baubles on a shelf.

Beige ribbed PLA bell lying on a wooden table with the clapper visible, next to fir sprigs, pine cones and a spool of jute string — Bell, 6.9 cm, 35 g: the clapper inside really rings. See the product →

Beige ribbed three-tier PLA tree ornament hanging on a string from a fir branch, gold baubles and fairy lights behind — Small tree, 8.7 cm and 13 g: the lightest piece for the lowest branches. See the product →

Sizes and weights at a glance

Weight decides which branch an ornament can hang on. Every piece comes in beige, white, black, oak, chocolate, grey, silk silver and silk gold; most also in olive, pink, cherry red and green.

Ornament	Size	Weight	Where on the tree
Ribbed bauble	12.4 cm tall, Ø 4.7 cm	22 g	middle and top, between branches
Japandi bauble	9.3 cm tall, Ø 7.3 cm	75 g	sturdy lower branches, or a shelf
Bell with clapper	6.9 cm tall, Ø 5.9 cm	35 g	low, where it gets touched
Small tree	8.7 cm tall, Ø 5.4 cm	13 g	lowest branches
Santa, 3 pcs	3.7 × 3 × 6 cm each	32 g for three	middle and lower part
Flat snowflakes, 2 pcs	8 × 7 cm, 0.3 cm thick	10 g for two	high, in front of the lights
3D snowflakes, 3 pcs	largest about 8 × 8 × 8.6 cm	44 g for three	high, delicate arms
5 flat designs	largest about 5.1 × 6 cm, 0.2 cm thick	15 g for five	anywhere, also on gifts
Ball gift box	5.9 × 6 × 6.5 cm	28 g	middle, with a small present inside

The ball gift box is two halves that close by fitting their toothed edges together; it holds something the size of earrings. We do not state inner measurements.

How to hang them: hooks, string and loops

Every piece has a loop or a hole, but no string in the box. Thread your own jute or ribbon, or use our tree hooks: 36 S-shaped hooks, 4 × 2 cm each, 18 g for the whole pack. One curved end goes over the branch, the other takes the ornament. The hooks are thin and meant for light ornaments: the ribbed bauble, the tree, the snowflakes.

The 3D snowflakes arrive flat: two halves with a slot slide into each other crosswise, no glue, about a minute each; hanging loops are included. The 40 small stars (2.9 cm) are not for hanging: scatter them on the table or stick them on cards with your own glue. They are small parts, so keep them away from small children.

A few shapes in one colour look calmer than many colours in one shape: the 5 flat designs, a few ribbed baubles and the bell in one shade dress a small tree. Ready combinations are in Sets, the rest in Home decor.

Where PLA baubles should not hang

The weak point of PLA is heat, not force. Three places to avoid:

Real candles. Never on a tree with wax candles, never beside a burning candle on a wreath. LED candles only.
Radiators and fireplaces. Not over a running radiator, not on the mantelpiece of a lit fireplace, not on a windowsill that gets hot. For the windowsill and sideboard we have separate ideas that keep PLA out of the heat.
Hot lamps. LED fairy lights are fine; old bulbs that get hot to the touch are not. The hooks and the thin snowflake arms suffer first.

Do not bend the flat pieces. After the holidays, box everything dry at room temperature; the light material copes well with yearly storage.

Beige Japandi PLA bauble with a ribbed top half standing on a wooden table beside fir sprigs, pine cones and a spool of jute string — Japandi bauble, 9.3 cm, 75 g: a closed ball that also stands on a shelf. See the product →

See our Christmas ornaments

Questions we often hear

Will a PLA bauble survive a fall from the top of the tree?

It will not shatter like glass; the ribbed bauble weighs 22 g and lands lightly. The thin snowflake arms are the delicate part, so hang those higher up.