What does it actually cost to laser cut one part?
Updated:
Short answer
Cost per part is assist gas, electricity, consumables (nozzle, lens, filters) and machine time, roughly in that order of size for nitrogen jobs. On thin mild steel with oxygen, gas and consumables are cheap and machine time dominates; on thick stainless with nitrogen, gas alone can be the largest line.
Where the cost actually goes
| Symptom | Likely cause | First action |
|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen cutting of stainless or aluminium. | High-pressure gas through a wide nozzle is the single biggest hourly cost on this job. | Use the smallest nozzle that still clears the melt, and do not run pressure higher than the table needs. |
| Thin mild steel with oxygen. | Gas is cheap and low-pressure; the job is dominated by cycle time and nesting efficiency. | Optimise nesting density and cutting order before touching gas parameters. |
| Frequent nozzle or lens replacement. | Worn consumables force lower feed rates, which quietly inflates machine-time cost. | Track consumable life; a cheap nozzle replaced on schedule costs less than the slowdown it prevents. |
| Small, complex parts with many pierces. | Pierce time on thick plate can be 1–3 seconds each; a nest of 200 holes is real machine time. | Use ramped piercing and count pierces, not just cutting length, when quoting a job. |
Run gas, nozzle and time through the calculator for a real number — inside the app. Open SBM Laser Help →
Or take it with you:
A rough per-part formula
- Gas cost = flow rate (m³/h) × gas price × cutting time in hours.
- Electricity = machine power draw (kW) × time × local tariff — fiber sources are efficient; this is usually the smallest line.
- Consumables = nozzle/lens price divided by their life in cutting hours.
- Machine time = cutting + piercing + rapid moves, at your shop’s hourly rate. Add the four for a real number instead of guessing from material cost alone.
Cost share by job type (directional)
| Job type | Gas | Consumables | Machine time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thin mild steel, O2 | Low | Low | Dominant |
| Thick mild steel, O2 | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Thin stainless, N2 | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Thick stainless, N2 | Dominant | Medium | Medium |
Directional, not a quote — use the calculator inside the app for numbers on your machine and local gas price.
Related questions
- Is nitrogen always more expensive than oxygen?
- For the gas line alone, yes — nitrogen runs at far higher pressure than oxygen through a similar nozzle. It buys a clean, weldable edge in return, which oxygen cannot give on stainless.
- Does laser power affect cost per part much?
- Less than people expect. A larger source cuts faster, which lowers the machine-time line, but gas and consumable costs per metre of cut stay close to the same.
- How do I price a job without a full cost model?
- Time yourself cutting a representative test part end to end, including pierces and gas ramps, then apply your shop’s real hourly rate — that beats guessing from a generic table.