Pricing guide · as of August 2026

What does laser cutting cost? Pricing factors, numbers + instant price calculator

The honest answer first: there’s no serious flat rate “per metre” in laser cutting. The price comes from material, thickness, contour length and quantity – and changes with the day’s current sheet metal prices. That’s why the instant price calculator works out every file individually in about 60 seconds, free of charge and with no registration. The minimum order value is €50 net plus shipping.

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Pricing factors 1–3

Material, thickness, contour length – the foundation of every laser cutting price

Seven factors determine what your laser part costs. The first three lie in the physics of the part itself: what is it made of, how thick is it, how long is the cut line?

Pricing factor 01

Material: from €1.10 to €6.20 per kilogram of raw material

The material is the most obvious price lever. The table below shows the material price basis from the Laserteile Online calculator database – the raw material rate per kilogram from which the part price is built, together with cutting time, setup costs and options. Important: these are not part prices, but the raw material basis (as of August 2026, updated daily in the calculator).

Material price basis in €/kg (raw material, not a part price) – calculator database, as of August 2026
Material	Basis €/kg
Steel (S235)	1.10
DD11 / DC01	1.20
S235 galvanised	1.30
Steel (S355)	2.00
HB 400 (wear-resistant plate)	2.20
Stainless steel V2A 1.4301	3.50
Corten (weathering steel)	4.00
Stainless steel V4A 1.4404	6.10
Stainless steel V4A 1.4571	6.10
Aluminium AlMg3	6.20

The spread is enormous: structural steel S235 starts at €1.10/kg, stainless steel V4A costs more than five times that at €6.10/kg. If you have room to move on material, that’s where you’ll save the most.

Pricing factor 02

Material thickness: thicker means slower – and pricier

The thicker the sheet, the slower the laser has to travel and the more machine time each metre of cut takes. A part made from 15 mm sheet therefore costs noticeably more than the same part from 3 mm – even with an identical contour. These are the thickness ranges the calculator covers:

Available material thicknesses by material group (calculator database, as of August 2026)
Material group	Thickness range
Steel S235 / S355	0.5–20 mm
Stainless steel V2A/V4A, Corten, DD11/DC01, HB 400	0.5–15 mm
Aluminium AlMg3	0.5–12 mm
S235 galvanised	0.5–6 mm

Practical tip: does it really need to be 8 mm, or would 6 mm also carry the load? One thickness step down cuts both material use and cutting time at the same time.

Pricing factor 03

Cut and contour length: every curve costs run time

The laser doesn’t charge for area, but for distance. What matters is the total cut line: outer contour plus every internal cut-out, bore and opening. A plain rectangle is cut in seconds – an intricate ornament with a hundred internal cut-outs ties up the machine for minutes, even though both parts are the same size. On top of that, every pierce into an internal cut-out is its own work step.

That’s why the calculator’s AI analyses your CAD file geometrically and calculates the actual contour length into the price – flat per-square-metre or per-metre rates simply can’t capture that.

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Pricing factors 4–7

Quantity, options, delivery time, shipping – the levers within your order

The second half of the pricing factors sits not in the part, but in your order. This is where you have the most room to manoeuvre yourself.

Pricing factor 04

Quantity: setup costs get spread out

Programming, material handling and machine setup are incurred once per order – regardless of whether 1 part or 100 parts are cut afterwards. With a single part, one part carries these fixed costs in full; in a batch, they’re spread across many shoulders: the unit price drops noticeably. That’s exactly why the price of a single décor piece differs so much from the unit price of a small batch. Try it in the calculator: change the quantity, see the price effect live.

Pricing factor 05

Add-on options: finishing costs money – but saves coordination

Deburring, grinding, powder coating or threading increase the part price, but in return replace a second supplier plus the transport in between. The calculator calculates the options bending, deburring, tumbling, powder coating, threading and grinding directly into each line item – you see immediately what the finishing adds, instead of getting a surcharge later.

Pricing factor 06

Delivery time: express costs a surcharge, patience creates room

Standard delivery starts at 2 working days; with material in stock, production sometimes starts within 24 hours. If it needs to be even faster, same-day express production is possible for a surcharge. Conversely: giving the order a longer lead time gives production planning more room – and gets you the cheaper standard rate instead of the express surcharge.

Pricing factor 07

Shipping: parcel or freight carrier

Shipping comes on top of the part price, since the minimum order value of €50 net is understood as plus shipping costs. Compact parts travel as a parcel – parcel express is possible within 24 hours. Large formats up to 3,000 × 1,500 mm or heavy line items go by freight carrier with 24–72 hours transit. Rule of thumb: an order with several parts spreads the shipping cost just like the setup cost.

All 7 factors applied to your file: go to the instant price calculator

Honestly

Why price-per-metre tables from the internet mislead you

Generic cost tables – “laser cutting from X € per metre” – circulate everywhere. They have three blind spots. First, they don’t know the machine. Whether a modern fibre laser like the ByStar Fiber is cutting or an older CO2 unit fundamentally changes cutting speed and energy demand. Second, they don’t know the material purchasing – sheet metal prices move constantly, which is why Laserteile Online works with the day’s current prices and a 5-working-day quote validity period. Third, they don’t know the production load, which also has a say in what an order really costs.

A table that ignores all three variables can only guess. What’s reliable is a calculator that works with production’s real daily data – exactly what the instant price calculator does: it calculates your file against current material prices and real machine data, not against some average from who-knows-when.

Get a real price instead of an estimate See the production behind it

Cut costs

How to save on laser cutting

Five levers you control yourself – with no loss of quality at all.

Choose standard material: structural steel S235 (basis €1.10/kg) instead of V4A (€6.10/kg), when corrosion resistance isn’t required.
Bundle parts: more pieces per order spreads setup, programming and shipping costs – the unit price drops.
Simplify contours: unnecessary internal cut-outs, decorative radii and engraving details cost run time that no viewer will ever notice – the guide Create a DXF file shows how a clean cutting contour comes together.
Use standard thicknesses: steel, aluminium and stainless steel are almost always in stock in common thicknesses – that saves sourcing time and cost.
Give it delivery time: standard from 2 working days instead of an express surcharge, when the deadline allows.

Work out the savings directly

Cost calculator

Instant price calculator

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Service

Laser cutting

Fibre laser cutting up to 3,000 × 1,500 mm, steel up to 20 mm.

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Most affordable material

Steel laser cutting

S235, S355 and galvanised sheet – from a €1.10/kg material price basis.

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V2A + V4A

Stainless steel laser cutting

Rust-free up to 15 mm – when the surcharge is really worth it.

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From €5,000

Large projects

Individual quotes with current sheet metal prices and project support.

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No business registration

For private customers

Order from a single part – décor, signs and spare parts at the instant price.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions about the cost of laser cutting

What does laser cutting cost per metre?

An honest answer: there's no serious flat rate per metre. The same metre of cut costs something entirely different in 1 mm steel than in 15 mm stainless steel, and setup costs and quantity change the price further still. Only an individual calculation is reliable – the instant price calculator does that for free in about 60 seconds.

What does a single laser-cut part cost?

The minimum order value at Laserteile Online is €50 net plus shipping. So a single small part costs at least that amount; several parts can often be bundled into one order, though. The calculator shows the exact price of your part after the CAD upload.

Is there a free laser cutting cost calculator?

Yes. The Laserteile Online instant price calculator works out the price of your DXF, DWG, STEP, IGES or STL file for free, non-bindingly and with no registration – in about 60 seconds, from a single part.

Why is stainless steel more expensive than steel?

Even the raw material puts stainless steel well ahead: the material price basis in the calculator is €3.50/kg for V2A 1.4301 and €6.10/kg for V4A – against €1.10/kg for structural steel S235 (as of August 2026). On top of that comes the higher cutting effort of the alloyed material.

How much does quantity affect the price per part?

Significantly: programming and machine setup are incurred per order, not per part. With a single part, that one part carries the entire setup cost; with 50 pieces, it's spread across 50 parts. The unit price therefore drops as quantity rises – the calculator shows the effect live when you change the quantity.

What does express production cost?

Same-day express production is possible for a surcharge; the amount depends on the part and is quoted on request. Standard delivery starts at 2 working days – with material in stock, production sometimes starts within 24 hours.

Is laser cutting worthwhile for private individuals?

Yes – Laserteile Online manufactures from a single part for private customers too, with no business registration required: for example Corten steel décor, signs or spare parts. Just note the minimum order value of €50 net plus shipping.

How do I get the best price on laser cutting?

Choose standard material in a standard thickness, simplify contours and internal cut-outs, bundle several parts into one order and skip express if time allows. Then run through variants in the instant price calculator – every change shows its price effect immediately.

Stop guessing: calculate your real price

The instant price calculator applies all 7 pricing factors to your CAD file – with the day's current material prices, in 60 seconds, with no registration.

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Delivery from 2 working days · Minimum order value €50 net · Express on request