How to Accurately Calculate the Cost of Laser-Cut Parts

Calculating the cost of cutting a metal or plastic part may seem straightforward — but for many workshops, it remains one of the most time-consuming and inconsistent tasks in production.

In this article, we’ll explain how the cost of cutting is formed, why traditional methods don’t work for custom jobs, and how our online service CUTL.online automates this process to deliver fast, accurate quotes for every part.

The Basics: Material + Labor

Every manufacturer knows the foundation of cost calculation:Material + Labor = Base Cost.

To that, we later add overhead, taxes, and margin — but everything starts with two key variables:

• How much material is needed

• How long it will take to process the part.

In mass production, these questions are easy to answer: every operation is standartized and measured in norm-hours, making cost estimation predictable.

But what if your production is custom or one-off - where each part is unique and never repeated? In that case, spending hours calculating labor norms makes no sense.

The Challenge of One-Off Production

CNC workshops eventually face the same question: How can we estimate machine time quickly and reliably?

Fortunately, most CNC machines already provide program-based time estimation — they can simulate tool paths and calculate cutting time. That estimate becomes the foundation for pricing.

But in practice, the process is rarely smooth. Here’s how it typically unfolds.

How It Works in Real Life

1. A client sends a request for five laser-cut parts, attaching a JPEG or PDF drawing.

2. The manager forwards it to Production, which replies: “We need a vector file (DXF, DWG, etc.), not a picture.”

3. The manager asks the client for the file — but often, the client doesn’t have one.

4. A designer must then redraw the part from the image. This can take one to several days.

5. Once the vector file is ready, the manager sends it to Production for cutting time and length estimation.

6. Production is busy, so the manager waits another few hours (or days).

7. Finally, the manager receives the data and can calculate the quote.

Result? Even for a simple part, the quote can take a week — slowing down sales and frustrating both sides.

A Universal Approach: Cutting Length = Cutting Time

Over time, most manufacturers have converged on one practical approach:

Cutting time is proportional to cutting length.

For each material type and thickness, it’s possible to determine:

• Time required to cut one meter, and

• Cost per minute of machine operation.

Multiplying these two values gives the cost per meter of cutting.From there, any part’s cost becomes a matter of calculating its total cutting length.

Example

Suppose a part has:

• Area: 0.002784 m²

• Cutting length: 0.245 m

Then the formula looks like this:

(Area × Material cost per m²) + (Length × Cutting cost per meter) = Part cost

Simple, right? Not quite.

Add a few holes or internal contours, and things change dramatically.Although the cutting length might increase by just 30%, the machine time can double — depending on the number of piercings, material thickness, and cutting method (laser, plasma, or waterjet).

The Hidden Variable: Piercing Time

Each new contour requires the machine to:

• Move the cutting head,

• Lower it,

• Pierce the material before cutting.

Every piercing adds several seconds — and the more contours, the more cumulative time.In some cases, piercing time can rival the actual cutting time.

Example:

Drawing	Cutting length	Piercings	Cutting time
#1	4.5 m	2	Short
#2	4.5 m	36	Much longer

Even though the cutting length is identical, Drawing #2 will take significantly longer to produce.

The Practical Formula

To estimate cost quickly and reliably, you only need three parameters:

1. Part area (or bounding rectangle area)

2. Total cutting length

3. Number of piercings

From there, the cost formula is straightforward:

(Area × Material cost per m²) + (Cutting length × Cutting cost per meter) + (Piercings × Piercing cost)

All of this information can be extracted directly from a vector drawing file (DXF).

Why DXF Is the Standard

DXF (Drawing Exchange Format) is an open CAD standard developed by AutoCAD and supported by almost every design program on the market.It’s easy to open, read, and process — unlike proprietary formats such as FRW (Kompas 3D), AI (Adobe Illustrator), CDR (CorelDraw), or SLDPRT (SolidWorks).

That’s why most workshops now require DXF files for fast quoting.Some clients even send 3D models that can automatically generate DXF contours.

The Pain Point: Software Dependency

However, there’s one major issue:CNC simulation software often won’t run without the physical machine connected.

Since managers typically aren’t CNC operators, they can’t easily perform estimates using these specialized tools.As a result, many companies still rely on a hybrid manual process — Excel spreadsheets, rough visual estimates, and handwritten notes — which leads to inconsistent and time-consuming results.

The Solution: CUTL Online Quoting Platform

To eliminate this bottleneck, we built CUTL.online — an online service that automates cutting cost estimation.

By uploading a DXF file and defining your material prices and cutting rates, you can get an accurate cost calculation within minutes — no CAD software or machine connection required.

CUTL automatically detects:

• Bounding area of each part

• Cutting length per contour

• Number of contours (piercings)

• Closed contour areas (for engraving)

Advanced Features

• Calculate cutting and piercing time based on defined machine parameters

• Account for material waste and nesting efficiency

• Adjust for multi-pass cutting or complex geometries

• Generate sheet nesting layouts

• Recognize line types (solid, dashed, dotted) for bending or engraving

• Add manual operations (painting, welding, polishing, packing, etc.)

• Include extra materials (fasteners, packaging, etc.)

• Export all results to PDF

Collaboration and Integration

CUTL also provides tools for team workflows and integrations:

• Batch calculation of multiple parts with total material needs

• Public share link for quote review and approval

• XML export for ERP or CRM import

• Direct email sending of quotations to customers

Conclusion

Accurate and fast cost estimation is no longer a luxury — it’s a competitive advantage.With CUTL.online, manufacturers can:

• Eliminate manual calculations,

• Reduce quoting time from days to minutes, and

• Deliver consistent, transparent pricing to clients.

Whether you cut with laser, plasma, or waterjet, CUTL helps you focus on what truly matters — production and profitability, not paperwork.