What does laser cutting cost?
The configurator prices every part as you draw it, with no enquiry and no waiting. This page shows what that price is made of, with five examples computed by the same formula when the page loaded, and what you can change on a part so it costs less.
Price your own partHow the price is built
Every part is priced from four shares: the metal it consumes, the time the laser needs for it, the handling at the bench, and the setup that happens once per line. VAT is added on top.
Material
You pay for the sheet the part uses up: its area times thickness times density, plus an allowance for the offcuts left between parts on the sheet. A part that is mostly open space, such as a ring or a frame, is charged on the rectangle around it, because the metal inside it is scrap. A thicker sheet weighs more, and stainless steel and aluminium cost more per kilogram than mild steel.
Cut length
The laser traces every contour: the outside edge, every hole, every cut-out, every letter. The time is cut length divided by cutting speed, and the speed falls almost in proportion to the thickness: 4 mm takes about twice as long as 2 mm. Stainless and spring steel cut more slowly than aluminium. A sign with cut-out text has a lot of cut length on little area, which is why it costs more than a plain plate of the same size.
Pierces
Every hole and every cut-out starts with a pierce, where the laser drills through the sheet before it follows the contour. That costs machine time regardless of how big the hole is, and more on thicker sheet. A plate with 40 holes has 40 pierces and 40 hole circumferences of cut length more than the same plate without them.
Quantity
Every line is set up once: nesting the parts, generating and proving the program, loading the sheet, checking the first piece. Larger, thicker or more intricate parts take a little more of it. The setup is shared by every piece on the line, so the second piece costs far less than the first and the unit price falls with the quantity. There is no separate setup fee and no minimum order: the share sits inside the unit price, which the configurator shows for 1, 10 and 100 pieces side by side.
VAT and shipping
All prices in the configurator and on this page are gross, including 19 % VAT. Shipping within Germany is a flat €5.95 per order and free from €39.00 order value.
Five examples
The prices were computed when this page loaded, with the configurator's own formula. Each example is a template from the configurator; the link opens the part's page, where you can recreate the same dimensions.
| Part | Material | 1 pcs | 10 pcs | 100 pcs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Mounting Plate with Holes100 × 60 mm, 2 × 2 holes | 2 mm Steel DC01 | €12.70 | €4.72 | €2.76 |
| Custom Mounting Plate with Holes100 × 60 mm, 2 × 2 holes | 2 mm Stainless Steel 1.4301 | €15.11 | €6.90 | €4.71 |
| Custom Gusset Plates, Laser Cut100 × 100 mm | 4 mm Steel S355MC | €16.72 | €7.21 | €4.80 |
| Custom Laser-Cut Metal Sign80 × 30 mm | 1 mm Stainless Steel 1.4301 | €14.10 | €6.70 | €4.90 |
| Custom Washers and Shims, Laser CutM10: 30 × 10.5 mm | 1 mm Aluminium AlMg3 | €8.19 | €2.23 | €0.80 |
Price per piece incl. VAT, plus shipping.
What the examples show
- Rows 1 and 2 are the same plate. The only difference is the material: stainless costs more per kilogram and cuts more slowly than DC01 steel.
- Row 3 is a gusset plate in 4 mm structural steel, twice as thick as the plate in row 1: more metal on the same area, and the laser needs about twice as long for every millimetre of contour.
- Row 4 is a small sign in 1 mm stainless, and still not cheap: the cut-out letters are more cut length and more pierces than the whole plate in row 1.
- Row 5 is a washer that costs almost nothing to make. For a single piece the price is nearly all setup; at 100 pieces that setup is shared, and the unit price falls to a fraction.
How to make a part cheaper
- Only the holes you need. Every hole is a pierce and a length of cut; a hole you will drill out later anyway can be left off.
- As thin as the application allows. A thinner sheet weighs less and cuts faster, and both lower the price. The minimum hole and web sizes per thickness are on every material page.
- DC01 steel instead of stainless when the part need not be rust-proof, or will be painted or galvanised anyway. Rows 1 and 2 of the examples show the difference.
- Order the whole quantity as one line. Ten pieces on one line share one setup; two orders of five set up twice.
- Simple contours. Rounded corners cost nothing, but decorative cut-outs, fine lettering and many small openings are cut length and pierces.
- Fill up to €39.00. From that order value shipping is free, and a second part in the same order saves the second shipping fee.
Questions about the price
- Is there a minimum order or a setup fee?
- No. You can order a single part, and there is no separate setup or tooling fee. The setup is inside the unit price, which is why a single piece costs proportionally more than every further one.
- Is the configurator's price binding?
- Yes. The price shown is the price you pay. If we cannot make a part as uploaded, we decline the order and refund the full amount; we never adjust a price afterwards.
- Why does a second piece cost so much less than the first?
- Because setting up a line, that is nesting, program, loading the sheet and checking the first piece, happens once and is shared by every piece. Material and laser time cost the same for the second piece as for the first.
- Do the prices include VAT?
- Yes, every price in the configurator and on this page includes 19 % VAT. Business customers see the net amount stated on the invoice.
- What does a quote for larger quantities cost?
- Nothing. The configurator shows the unit price for any quantity at once. For more than 500 pieces or recurring orders, ask through the quote form and we price the line by hand.
Price for 1, 10 and 100 pieces as you draw or upload a DXF. No account needed.