How much does it cost · sheet metal
Short answer: the price of a laser cut and bent sheet metal part is built from two times and a setup. The cutting time (cut length ÷ speed), the bending time (number of bends × time per bend), and the setup of each machine, paid once per batch. As a retail price, thin sheet of 1 to 3 mm cut by laser sells for €50 to €150 per square metre (source: Le Tandem (in French), 5 February 2025).
By the RFQdecoder team · updated 27 September 2026
The cut length is the outer outline of the part plus the circumference of every hole. The speed depends on laser power, material, thickness and assist gas.
| Mild steel, 3 kW fibre laser | Cutting speed |
|---|---|
| 1 mm | 35 m/min |
| 2 mm | 20 m/min |
| 3 mm | 10 m/min |
| 5 mm | 5 m/min |
| 10 mm | 1.8 m/min |
Source: LaserSpecHub, reviewed March 2026, oxygen cutting. With nitrogen, for oxide-free edges, speed drops by 30 to 40% according to the same source.
Example values: steel plate 300 × 200 × 2 mm, 4 holes of 10 mm, 3 kW fibre laser at €150/h, setup of 15 min per batch.
| Item | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Cut length | outline 1,000 mm + 4 holes × π × 10 mm | 1.13 m |
| Cutting time | 1.13 m ÷ 20 m/min | 3.4 s |
| Cutting cost per part | time × €150/h | €0.14 |
| Setup, once per batch | 15 min × €150/h | €37.50 |
| Plate mass | steel, 7.85 kg/dm³ | 0.94 kg |
| Quantity | Cutting per part, excl. material |
|---|---|
| 1 part | €37.64 |
| 10 parts | €3.89 |
| 50 parts | €0.89 |
| 250 parts | €0.29 |
| 1,000 parts | €0.18 |
The cut itself costs €0.14 per part; for a one-off, the setup makes the price. Add the material: mass × price per kilo of sheet, offcuts included. Sheet utilisation ranges from 60 to 85% depending on geometry and nesting (DFMA (Boothroyd Dewhurst)).
QuoteBuddy (9 July 2026) publishes a worked example: a control-box lid with 4 bends, on a press brake at €90/h, with a 25 min setup (€37.50), about 12 s per hit and 30 s of handling per part, i.e. €3.15 per part.
| Quantity | Bending per part |
|---|---|
| 1 part | €40.65 |
| 10 parts | €6.90 |
| 50 parts | €3.90 |
| 250 parts | €3.30 |
Table taken from QuoteBuddy. It recalculates: €37.50 ÷ quantity + €3.15.
| Benchmark | Published value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laser cutting hourly rate | $100 to $200/h | DFMA (Boothroyd Dewhurst) |
| Laser cutting setup | 10 to 20 min | DFMA (Boothroyd Dewhurst) |
| Press brake hourly rate | $60 to $120/h | DFMA (Boothroyd Dewhurst) |
| Time per bend | 15 to 45 s | DFMA (Boothroyd Dewhurst) |
| Press brake setup | 10 to 40 min | QuoteBuddy |
| Thickness | Published average budget |
|---|---|
| Thin sheet, 1 to 3 mm | €50 to €150 per m² |
| Medium sheet, 4 to 7 mm | €150 to €300 per m² |
| Thick sheet, 8 mm and more | €300 to €500 per m² |
Source: Le Tandem (in French), 5 February 2025, French market. These are retail budgets: they give an order of magnitude, not the price of an industrial part in series.
For a single part, the price depends mainly on cut length, thickness and the setup spread over the batch. As a retail price per square metre, Le Tandem publishes €50 to €150 for thin sheet of 1 to 3 mm, €150 to €300 from 4 to 7 mm and €300 to €500 from 8 mm upwards.
Cut length divided by cutting speed. The cut length is the outline of the part plus the circumference of every hole. On a 3 kW fibre laser, mild steel is cut at 20 m/min in 2 mm according to LaserSpecHub.
Because the setup (program, sheet, first trial) is paid once per batch. DFMA puts it at 10 to 20 minutes on a laser: on a single part it weighs far more than the cut itself.
A bend is counted in press brake time: DFMA gives 15 to 45 seconds per bend, on a brake at $60 to $120 per hour depending on tonnage. Add the brake setup, 10 to 40 minutes according to QuoteBuddy, spread over the batch.
In time, yes: LaserSpecHub gives a speed 30 to 40% lower with nitrogen, which leaves oxide-free edges. The same cut therefore takes more machine time.
Upload your PDF, DXF or STEP drawing: cut length, bends and the cost of each step, assumptions shown.