Where do I get assist-gas volume?

Use the machine’s material and thickness data or a metered nest run. Divide nest volume by the number of blanks and keep cutting and piercing gas together.

Does laser output power equal electrical cost?

No. The loaded machine rate should include actual utility use, machine ownership and assigned labor. Laser output power alone does not describe total electrical consumption.

How do I allocate a nest with mixed blanks?

Allocate cycle time and gas using documented program data or a consistent cost-driver method. Run this estimate for each blank group with its assigned setup share.

Is the denominator accepted production?

It is every blank cut. Allocate the job total over accepted blanks separately when rejects cannot ship and accepted-piece recovery is needed.

Welding & Fabrication calculator

Laser Cutting Cost Calculator

Estimate the laser cutting job charge with assist gas shown separately. You need cut quantity, allocated cycle time, a machine rate excluding gas, gas volume and price, and fixed setup cost.

What this calculator does

Price a laser cutting nest from allocated machine cycle time and measured assist-gas consumption.

Formula used

Machine hours = parts cut × allocated cycle minutes per part ÷ 60
Machine cost = machine hours × loaded machine rate without gas
Assist gas volume = parts cut × assist gas per cut part
Assist gas cost = assist gas volume × delivered gas price
Total laser cost = machine cost + assist gas cost + fixed nest setup

Inputs explained

Parts Cut: Completed laser-cut blanks in the job, including later rejects.
Allocated Machine Cycle per Part: Nest cycle including piercing, traverses and handling divided by blanks.
Loaded Machine Rate Without Gas: Approved machine, power and assigned labor rate, excluding assist gas.
Assist Gas per Cut Part: Machine gas estimate or measured nest volume divided by blanks.
Assist Gas Price: Delivered gas invoice price on the machine volume reporting basis.
Fixed Nest Setup Cost: Programming and setup charges outside allocated production cycles.

How to use the result

Best suited to assist gas sensitivity for a laser nest, repeat laser blank quotation.
Excludes sheet material, rejected-part recovery and later edge finishing. One gas-volume allowance covers cutting and piercing for the entered nest.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 381.162 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 23.4% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
Industrial electricity averages 9.77 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA, Jul 2026), up 4.7% from a year earlier. Energy-intensive steps carry this directly into unit cost.
U.S. iron and steel import customs value ran $2.2B in Aug 2026 (Census International Trade). The U.S. ran a trade deficit of $0.6B in the category that month. This dollar total mixes price, quantity, product mix, origin, and timing; it does not measure physical import volume or prove a tariff or reshoring effect.
The U.S. has 53,790 fabricated metal products establishments employing about 1,441,471 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

Where do I get assist-gas volume? Use the machine’s material and thickness data or a metered nest run. Divide nest volume by the number of blanks and keep cutting and piercing gas together.
Does laser output power equal electrical cost? No. The loaded machine rate should include actual utility use, machine ownership and assigned labor. Laser output power alone does not describe total electrical consumption.
How do I allocate a nest with mixed blanks? Allocate cycle time and gas using documented program data or a consistent cost-driver method. Run this estimate for each blank group with its assigned setup share.
Is the denominator accepted production? It is every blank cut. Allocate the job total over accepted blanks separately when rejects cannot ship and accepted-piece recovery is needed.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06.