What a laser cut costs to run
Fiber lasers are quick, especially on thin sheet, so labor per part is low. The running costs that matter are the assist gas and the electricity to drive the laser and chiller. Nitrogen for clean edges is the expensive one; oxygen and air are cheaper. This calculator separates labor, gas, and power so you can see where the money goes and which material thickness still pays.
How it adds up
Arc-on time is cut length over speed plus the pierces, which on a laser are fast. Labor and machine cost is the shop rate times that time. Assist gas is billed per hour of cutting. Electricity is the machine draw in kilowatts times the cutting hours times your rate per kilowatt-hour.
Gas choice drives the number
High-pressure nitrogen gives oxide-free edges but burns through gas quickly, so it dominates the cost on thicker stainless and aluminum. Switching to air or oxygen where the edge allows can cut the gas line dramatically.
Related tools
For the time alone, use the cutting time calculator. Compare processes with the plasma cutting calculator and waterjet cost calculator.
Worked example
Sixty inches at 300 IPM with four fast pierces, $90/hr labor, $12/hr nitrogen, a 20 kW draw at $0.12/kWh: arc-on is about 0.25 min, labor about $0.38, gas about $0.05, power about $0.01 — roughly $0.44 for the cut.
FAQ
Why is power so small?
Even a big laser runs only a fraction of a minute on a short cut, so the kilowatt-hours are tiny. Power matters more across a full shift than on any single part.
Does cut speed really change cost that much?
Yes — since every cost here scales with time, doubling the feed roughly halves the cost, which is why thin material on a fast laser is so cheap to cut.