Laser Cutting Time Calculator

Work out laser cutting time instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Laser Cutting Time Calculator

Cutting time is the path length divided by the feed rate, plus a fixed pierce time for every point where the beam has to start a new hole. On designs with many small holes the pierce time can rival the cutting time, which is why nesting and combining contours speeds up a job.

Formulas

Cutting time

seconds = path length / cutting speed

Total

total = cutting time + pierces x pierce time

Worked example

With the default values below, Laser Cutting Time Calculator returns Total cutting time of 3.716. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Total cut path lengthminimum 1 mm: 3,200 mm
Cutting speedminimum 0.1 mm/s: 15 mm/s
Number of pierce pointsminimum 0: 24
Time per pierceminimum 0 s: 0.4 s

Results

Total cutting time: 3.716 min
Time as minutes and seconds: 3:43
Time spent cutting: 213.33 s
Time spent piercing: 9.60 s

Step by step

1Values used
2Cutting time
3Total
4Total cutting time= 3.716 min
5Time as minutes and seconds= 3:43
6Time spent cutting= 213.33 s
7Time spent piercing= 9.60 s

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Laser Cutting Time figure worked out?

seconds = path length / cutting speed. Cutting time is the path length divided by the feed rate, plus a fixed pierce time for every point where the beam has to start a new hole.

Why does this matter?

On designs with many small holes the pierce time can rival the cutting time, which is why nesting and combining contours speeds up a job.

What do I need to enter?

Enter total cut path length, cutting speed, number of pierce points, time per pierce. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.