How to calculate laser cutting cost per part

A laser cutting price is built from four parts: material weight, cutting time, number of pierces and gas consumption.

Material: blank area × thickness × density gives the weight. Multiply by your rate per kg and add a scrap allowance based on nesting efficiency.

Cutting time: total contour length divided by the cutting speed for that material and thickness. Thicker plate cuts slower, so time rises quickly above 10 mm.

Pierces: every hole needs a pierce. On thick plate a pierce can take several seconds, so a part with 200 small holes costs far more than its weight suggests.

Gas: oxygen for mild steel, nitrogen for stainless and aluminium. Nitrogen at high pressure is often the biggest hidden cost.

Zatpat Estimate reads these values straight from the DXF and your machine settings, so the quote is ready in about two minutes.