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Laser Cutting Cost Calculator
Enter the cutting length, number of pierces and material of a part to get the cutting time, cost per minute, material cost and a quote price per part instantly. Free, no sign-up.
Switching the currency loads example prices in that currency; the formula stays the same.
Part and material
Outer contour plus all inner cuts.
Don't know it? Estimate the cutting lengthPierces per part (one per hole or contour)
Time
Suggested from the table.
Suggested based on thickness.
Usually 10–20% for rapid moves and slowdowns.
Rate and material
Selling rate per machine minute (example value).
Enter your monthly costs to get the machine's cost per hour and per minute.
Laser + chiller + compressor
- Monthly depreciation
- $3,869.05
- Monthly fixed costs
- $13,319.05
- Fixed cost per hour
- $73.99
- Electricity per hour
- $12.60
- Machine cost per hour
- $95.59
- Cost per minute
- $1.59/min
- Selling rate per minute
- $1.99/min
If you use the selling rate, the markup below is added on top of it; to avoid a double markup, use the cost rate or set the markup to 0.
Example price; update it.
Sheet offcuts and skeleton.
0 = no minimum
How was this calculated?
Time per part
[1.4 m ÷ 4.2 m/min + 5 pierces × 0.3 s ÷ 60] × (1 + 15%) = [0.3333 + 0.025] × 1.15 = 0.412 min
Total time
0.4121 min × 100 pcs = 41.21 min
Cutting cost
41.21 min × $1.95/min = $80.36
Part weight
200 × 300 × 3 mm × 7.85 g/cm³ ÷ 1,000,000 = 1.413 kg
Material cost
1.413 kg × 100 pcs × (1 + 15%) × $1.20/kg = $194.99
Total cost
$80.36 + $194.99 = $275.35
Quote (excl. VAT)
$275.35 × (1 + 25%) = $344.19
Price per part
$344.19 ÷ 100 pcs = $3.44
Stop doing this by hand for every quote
LazerCRM reads cutting time and part weight from your Metalix/MetalX cutting report, prices the job with your own rate per minute and price per kg, and prepares a branded PDF quote. The LazerCRM interface is currently in Turkish only. If you are interested, get in touch with us.
How do you calculate laser cutting cost?
Laser cutting cost has two main parts: the cost of the machine time and the cost of the sheet metal used. Cutting time is the total cutting length of the part divided by the cutting speed, plus the pierce time for every hole or contour; an allowance of usually 10–20% is added for rapid moves and slowdowns.
Cutting cost = total cutting time (min) × machine rate per minute. Material cost = part weight (width × length × thickness × density) × quantity × (1 + scrap rate) × sheet price per kg. The quote is the sum of both plus your markup, and it should never fall below your minimum order charge. Example: 1.4 m of cutting at 4.2 m/min with 5 pierces of 0.3 s and a 15% allowance takes about 0.41 min per part.
The cutting speeds and pierce times in the calculator are rough starting values for 3, 6 and 12 kW fiber lasers. Depending on cut quality, nozzle, sheet quality and machine maker they can vary by ±30%, so use your machine's cutting parameter table for firm quotes. If you don't know your rate per minute, enter your monthly costs in the "Calculate my machine rate" panel.
How to use the results
The results are technical estimates. For a binding quote, material price, scrap, labour and your own shop rules also have to be taken into account.
Frequently asked questions
How is laser cutting cost calculated?
Multiply the total cutting time by your machine rate per minute and add the material cost (weight × quantity × scrap allowance × price per kg). Add your markup to get the quote excluding VAT; the amount should not drop below your minimum order charge.
How do I work out laser cutting time?
Divide the part's total cutting length (m) by the cutting speed (m/min), add pierces × pierce time (s) ÷ 60 and allow 10–20% for rapid moves. For example, 1.4 m of cutting at 4.2 m/min with 5 pierces of 0.3 s gives about 0.41 minutes per part.
Are the cutting speeds in the calculator accurate?
They are approximate starting values for 3, 6 and 12 kW fiber lasers and can vary by ±30% depending on the machine, nozzle and sheet quality. Enter the speed from your own machine's cutting table to make the result exact.
I don't know my machine rate per minute. What should I do?
Open "Calculate my machine rate" and enter the machine investment, depreciation period, monthly rent, staff, maintenance and overhead, operating hours, electricity and gas cost. The calculator works out the machine cost per hour and the selling rate per minute with markup, and copies it into the rate field.
How is it priced if the customer supplies the material?
Switch on "Customer supplies the material". The material cost is set to zero and only the cutting is priced; weight and scrap are still shown.
Does the calculated price include VAT?
No. All results exclude VAT (or sales tax); add it separately in your quote.
Related calculators
- Cutting length estimatorRough cutting length in mm and m from a rectangle or circle outline plus free segments — no DXF needed.
- Sheet metal weight calculatorApproximate sheet weight in kg from length, width, thickness and material density.
- Scrap rate calculatorLinear scrap in mm and as a percentage from bar stock length and the total length cut from it.
Still quoting in spreadsheets?
LazerCRM reads your Metalix cutting report and prices every quote automatically with your own machine and material rates.