Laser 101 · Pricing
How much does laser cutting cost?
There is no flat price-per-cut. Laser cutting is quoted per job — but the math behind it is simple, and once you know the three things that move the price, you can estimate your own job before you ever send a file.
The short answer
Most small custom laser cutting jobs — a sign, a batch of coasters, a prototype panel — are priced as a single itemized quote rather than billed by the hour. The smallest job we take is the $65 project minimum; below that, setup takes longer than the cut itself. From there, price climbs with how much laser time your design needs and how much material it uses. The only number that means anything is a real quote on your actual file — and a real person reviews every one before you are charged a cent.
Three things set the price
Every laser cutting quote comes down to these. Nothing else.
1 · File complexity
The laser is billed by time on the machine. More cut lines and finer detail mean more time. A few simple shapes cut fast. Intricate filigree, dense patterns, and large engraved areas take longer — and cost more.
2 · Material
Some materials cut faster than others — acrylic and basswood are quick, thick hardwoods take longer. Material is itemized at cost. Bring your own laser-safe stock and you pay nothing extra for it.
3 · Quantity
Setup takes the same time whether you order 1 or 100. Larger runs spread that setup across more parts, so the per-piece price drops as quantity goes up.
A real five-shop price comparison
To show how much laser cutting cost actually varies, we sent one identical file for one identical job to five providers and recorded what each charged. No cherry-picking, no hypotheticals.
Our $56.70 broke down as $46.20 of laser time plus $10.50 of material — itemized, with no setup fee and no material markup. Most national fabrication shops mark material up three to four times and add a flat setup charge per job. That difference is the gap between the low quote and the high one.
Why there is no price-per-hour chart
People often ask for an hourly rate so they can do the math themselves. We do not quote laser cutting, scoring, or engraving by the hour, because an hour of laser time is meaningless without your file in front of us — the same hour can produce one large sign or two hundred small parts. Instead you get one clear per-project price: laser time plus material, itemized. No setup fees, no surprise charges, and no automated quote engine padding the margin.
The $65 project minimum
The $65 minimum is the smallest job we will quote. It exists because every job — even a single tiny part — needs the file checked, the material loaded, and the machine set up. Below $65, that fixed effort costs more than the cut. If your part is small, this is the moment to add to the order: a batch of the same part, or a few related pieces, often fits inside the same minimum and gives you far more for the money.
How to get an accurate quote fast
The fastest path to a real number is a vector file (AI, DXF, or PDF) drawn at actual size, plus three details: the material you want, the quantity, and your deadline. With those, most quotes come back the same business day. If you only have a sketch or a photo, send it anyway and we will tell you what we need — we need a finished file for about 90% of jobs, though for one-off prototypes we can sometimes work from a drawing. For the full breakdown, see our pricing page and the step-by-step file submission guide.
Get a real price on your job.
Send your file for an itemized quote — laser time plus material, no setup fees. A real person reviews every request, usually the same day.