How do you calculate laser cutting cost per part?

Multiply parts by per-part machine and assist gas cost, add nest/setup and burdened labor for the total, then divide by parts. With 240 parts at $1.25 each plus $185 setup and $320 labor, total is $805 and cost per part is $3.35.

What is a good laser cutting cost per part?

It depends heavily on material, thickness, and assist gas. Rather than chase a universal number, compare your computed per-part cost (here $3.35) to your sell price and confirm it clears cost plus margin.

Why is assist gas such a big cost driver on laser?

High-pressure nitrogen for oxide-free stainless and aluminum edges consumes gas fast and is far pricier than oxygen. That's why per-part machine and assist gas is isolated — $300 of the $805 example total sits in that variable line.

Laser vs plasma cutting cost — which is cheaper?

Laser typically wins on thin sheet (under ~1/4 inch) for speed and clean edges, while plasma is cheaper on thick carbon steel. Run both calculators with matched quantities and thickness to see the loaded per-part difference.

How does nesting affect laser cutting cost?

Tighter nesting fits more parts per sheet, reducing scrap and spreading the fixed $185 setup over more parts. It won't change the per-part gas cost but it directly lowers the fixed-cost share of each piece.

Does this include the laser's capital cost?

Not separately — depreciation and maintenance of the laser should be baked into your per-part machine rate or burdened labor. The calculator does not amortize the machine purchase on its own.

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Laser Cutting Cost Calculator

Laser cutting cost captures the true loaded price of a fiber or CO2 laser job — machine time, assist gas (nitrogen or oxygen), lens and nozzle consumables, electricity, nesting and setup, and burdened operator labor — reduced to a cost per part you can quote confidently. Sheet metal estimators and laser programmers rely on it because assist gas alone, especially high-pressure nitrogen on stainless, can dominate the variable cost and quietly wreck a quote built on machine rate only. Nesting efficiency also matters: a tight nest spreads fixed setup across more parts and drops the per-piece number. This calculator splits variable per-part cost from fixed nest/setup and labor so you can price and improve each lever separately.

What this calculator does

Estimate laser cutting cost from parts cut, machine hourly rate per part, assist gas, and setup with operator labor.
Use it when quoting fiber or CO2 laser cutting jobs and you need to load machine hourly rate, assist gas (N2 or O2), and operator time into the per-part cost.
It computes total laser cutting cost as parts times per-part machine and assist gas cost plus nest/setup cost plus burdened labor, then divides by parts for cost per piece.

Formula used

Total laser cutting cost = parts cut on the job × per-part laser machine and assist gas cost + nest and assist gas setup cost + operator labor with burden
Laser cutting cost per part = total laser cutting cost ÷ parts cut on the job

Inputs explained

Parts cut on the job:
Per-part laser machine and assist gas cost:
Nest and assist gas setup cost:
Operator labor with burden:

How to use the result

Use it when quoting sheet metal laser jobs, comparing nitrogen versus oxygen cutting, or checking laser against plasma and waterjet on a given thickness.
It assumes your per-part machine and assist gas figure reflects the actual gas mode and pressure you'll run; switching from oxygen to high-pressure nitrogen can change that number dramatically and the calculator won't warn you.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 348.53 (BLS, May 2026), up 6.7% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
Industrial electricity averages 8.66 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA, Apr 2026), up 5.5% from a year earlier. Energy-intensive steps carry this directly into unit cost.
U.S. iron and steel imports ran $2.1B in May 2026 (Census International Trade). The U.S. ran a trade deficit of $0.4B in the category that month. Import volumes are the pressure gauge behind tariff and reshoring decisions.
The U.S. has 53,790 fabricated metal products establishments employing about 1,441,471 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate laser cutting cost per part? Multiply parts by per-part machine and assist gas cost, add nest/setup and burdened labor for the total, then divide by parts. With 240 parts at $1.25 each plus $185 setup and $320 labor, total is $805 and cost per part is $3.35.
What is a good laser cutting cost per part? It depends heavily on material, thickness, and assist gas. Rather than chase a universal number, compare your computed per-part cost (here $3.35) to your sell price and confirm it clears cost plus margin.
Why is assist gas such a big cost driver on laser? High-pressure nitrogen for oxide-free stainless and aluminum edges consumes gas fast and is far pricier than oxygen. That's why per-part machine and assist gas is isolated — $300 of the $805 example total sits in that variable line.
Laser vs plasma cutting cost — which is cheaper? Laser typically wins on thin sheet (under ~1/4 inch) for speed and clean edges, while plasma is cheaper on thick carbon steel. Run both calculators with matched quantities and thickness to see the loaded per-part difference.
How does nesting affect laser cutting cost? Tighter nesting fits more parts per sheet, reducing scrap and spreading the fixed $185 setup over more parts. It won't change the per-part gas cost but it directly lowers the fixed-cost share of each piece.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.