Laser Cutting
Laser cutting for steel: tolerances, thickness limits and what a quote needs
Laser cutting is a thermal cutting service: a focused beam melts a narrow line through the sheet, so the cut follows any contour a blade could never take. This page covers what actually decides the outcome — the tolerance the standard defines against the tolerance a supplier will commit to, how thick the process reaches per material, the kerf it removes, and the seven things a shop needs before it can quote a firm price instead of a range. Where the industry publishes no figure, this page says so rather than filling the gap.
Tolerances
| Process | Form | Tolerance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIN EN ISO 9013, tolerance class 1 | — | Up to 3 mm | ±0.1 mm | Standard-defined | Source: cltmetalservice.de tolerance table, DIN EN ISO 9013 tolerance class 1 (thickness up to 1 mm) |
| DIN EN ISO 9013, tolerance class 1 | — | Up to 10 mm | ±0.2 mm | Standard-defined | Source: cltmetalservice.de tolerance table, DIN EN ISO 9013 tolerance class 1 (thickness up to 3 mm) |
| DIN EN ISO 9013, tolerance class 1 | — | Up to 35 mm | ±0.4 mm | Standard-defined | Source: cltmetalservice.de tolerance table, DIN EN ISO 9013 tolerance class 1 (thickness up to 6 mm) |
| DIN EN ISO 9013, tolerance class 1 | — | Up to 30 mm | ±0.6 mm | Standard-defined | Source: cltmetalservice.de tolerance table, DIN EN ISO 9013 tolerance class 1 (thickness up to 10 mm) |
| DIN EN ISO 9013, tolerance class 1 | — | Up to 3 mm | ±0.075 mm | Standard-defined | Source: teprosa.de, DIN EN ISO 9013-1 class 1 — DISAGREES with the table above on an overlapping range; both are published, neither is averaged |
| Repeatability | — | — | ±0.05 mm | Supplier-published | Source: Fractory — machine repeatability, not a tolerance quoted on a finished part |
| Positioning accuracy | — | — | ±0.1 mm | Supplier-published | Source: Fractory — machine positioning accuracy, not a tolerance quoted on a finished part |
| Fibre laser | — | — | ±0.127 mm | Supplier-published | Source: Protolabs — published as ±0.005 in, all features except hardware holes |
| Fibre laser | — | — | ±0.381 mm | Supplier-published | Source: Xometry — published as ±0.015 in |
Read against DIN EN ISO 9013, class 1. Indicative figures published by suppliers and standards, not a quotation. Confirm what is achievable for your grade, thickness and quantity with the provider.
Thickness limits
| Material | Process | Thickness | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon steel | Fibre laser | up to 30 mm | Supplier-published | Source: Fractory laser cutting service page |
| Stainless steel | Fibre laser | up to 30 mm | Supplier-published | Source: Fractory laser cutting service page |
| Aluminium | Fibre laser | up to 30 mm | Supplier-published | Source: Fractory laser cutting service page |
| Carbon steel | Fibre laser | 0.635 – 6.35 mm (0.025 in – 0.250 in) | Supplier-published | Source: Protolabs — a sheet-metal shop range, not a heavy-plate one |
Indicative figures published by suppliers and standards, not a quotation. Confirm what is achievable for your grade, thickness and quantity with the provider.
Kerf width
0.15–0.5 mm per cut
Supplier-published
Source: Fractory (cutting line under 0.5 mm) and SendCutSend (0.15–0.25 mm beam diameter) — two suppliers, two bounds, not one averaged figure
What drives the price
- Material and thickness
- Quantity
- Process scope — cutting only, or cutting plus finishing and assembly
- Part complexity
What a quote needs
- A 2D DXF for flat parts
- A 3D file (STEP, SLDPRT, IPT) if the part is bent or formed
- The material and grade
- The sheet thickness
- The quantity
- The tolerance you actually need
- Any finishing — deburring, forming, coating
- Delivery address and the date you need it
Traceability and EN 10204 certificates
- 2.1
- 2.2
- 3.1
- 3.2
Standard for steel purchases: 3.1
Standard-defined
Source: EN 10204 defines inspection-document types.
Services
What tolerance can laser cutting achieve?
It depends on the thickness and on the size of the feature being cut. Suppliers publish tolerance tables against DIN EN ISO 9013 tolerance class 1: roughly ±0.1 mm on thin sheet and small dimensions, widening to about ±0.6 mm at 10 mm thickness. One supplier's class 1 table starts tighter, at ±0.075 mm — the two published tables disagree for overlapping ranges while citing the same standard, so treat the class as the reference and the exact figure as something to confirm. Separately, suppliers advertise machine repeatability of ±0.05 mm and positioning accuracy of ±0.1 mm; those describe the machine, not the tolerance you will be quoted on a finished part.
How thick a steel plate can be laser cut?
For fibre lasers, suppliers advertise up to 30 mm in carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminium alike. At the thin end, one sheet-metal supplier quotes a working range of 0.025 in to 0.250 in, that is 0.635 mm to 6.35 mm, which reflects a sheet-metal shop rather than a heavy-plate one. The honest summary is that the limit is set by the machine in front of you, not by the process, so ask the provider what they run.
How wide is the laser kerf?
Narrow. Suppliers describe the cutting line as under 0.5 mm for most materials, with beam diameters around 0.15 to 0.25 mm depending on the material. That is the practical advantage of the process for nesting: you lose very little material between parts, so more parts fit on a sheet.
How big is the heat-affected zone?
There is no industry figure for this, and that is worth saying plainly. Neither the standard nor any supplier we could find publishes a numeric heat-affected zone width for laser cutting steel. What can be said honestly is comparative: because the beam melts a very narrow line, the heat-affected zone is narrower than plasma or oxyfuel cutting. If a specific millimetre value matters for your application — because the part will be machined, welded or fatigue-loaded at the cut edge — that is a question for the provider about their machine and your material, not something the industry has standardised.
Fibre or CO2 laser — does it matter for my job?
Every supplier we reviewed publishes figures for fibre lasers, and none published a comparable CO2 figure per material, so we will not manufacture the comparison. In practice the question that matters to you is simpler than the technology: ask what maximum thickness the shop holds in your material, and what edge quality they commit to. Those two answers decide your job regardless of which source produces the beam.
What file format do you need?
For flat parts, a 2D DXF is what shops ask for. If the part is bent or formed, suppliers prefer a 3D file — STEP, SLDPRT or IPT — because the flat pattern has to be derived from it. Wider format lists exist (STEP, STP, SLDPRT, DXF, IPT, PRT, SAT), but DXF for flat and STEP for formed covers almost every enquiry.
What information do you need for a quote?
The file in the right format, the material and grade, the sheet thickness, the quantity, the tolerance you actually need, any finishing such as deburring or forming, and the delivery address with the date. Those seven turn an enquiry into a firm price rather than a range. Note that any minimum and maximum part size a shop quotes is their machine envelope, not an industry limit — a larger shop cuts larger.
Laser cutting or sawing — which should I use?
They solve different problems. Sawing removes material mechanically with a blade and is how stock is cut to length; laser cutting melts a narrow line and is how a contour is produced from sheet. The kerf difference is the visible consequence — the laser removes well under a millimetre while a saw removes considerably more, though the sawing figure belongs to the sawing page and its own source rather than being restated here. If you need bar cut to length, saw it. If you need a shape out of plate, laser it.
Laser, plasma or waterjet — what is the difference?
All three cut contours a blade cannot follow, and they differ in the edge they leave. Laser melts a very narrow line and leaves the narrowest heat-affected zone of the thermal processes. Plasma cuts thicker material faster but with a wider kerf and more heat input. Waterjet cuts cold, so there is no heat-affected zone at all, which is why it is chosen for materials that must not see heat — at the cost of speed. We have sourced figures for laser only, so treat the plasma and waterjet comparison here as directional and confirm specifics with a provider.
Do I get an EN 10204 3.1 certificate?
The same answer as for any cut-to-order steel: cutting does not create a certificate. EN 10204 defines the inspection document types 2.1, 2.2, 3.1 and 3.2, and 3.1 is the usual default in steel procurement, but the certificate belongs to the material, not to the cutting operation. What matters is whether traceability survives the cut and how each part is marked so it stays linked to its heat. Ask the provider that directly.
Is there a minimum order quantity?
There is no industry-wide minimum order quantity for laser cutting; it varies by provider. Some shops cut single parts and quote them online, others price small quantities in a way that makes them impractical. Ask as part of your enquiry rather than assuming.
What does laser cutting cost?
Laser cutting is not priced from a single rate, so any figure quoted here would mislead. What drives it is the material and its thickness, the quantity, the complexity of the part, and the scope of the work — cutting alone, or cutting plus finishing and assembly. Send the seven items in the quote checklist and you will get a firm price instead of a range.
Related services
Contract sawing
Contract sawing for steel: tolerances, saw types and what a quote needs
Flame Cutting
Flame cutting for steel: thickness range, tolerance class and what a quote needs
Slitting
Steel coil slitting: capability, tolerances and what a quote needs
Waterjet Cutting
Waterjet cutting for steel: tolerances, thickness reach and what a quote needs
Plasma Cutting
Plasma cutting for steel: thickness, tolerances and what a quote needs
Shearing
Steel shearing: tolerances, the sheared edge, and where the thickness ceiling is
Cutting to length
Cutting to length: coil-fed steel sheet, tolerances and how it differs from sawing