--- description: CO2 lasers can cut materials of varying thicknesses at various speeds with powers ranging from 40W to 300W. Here's a breakdown of CO2 laser cutting parameters. title: CO2 Laser Cutting Parameters: Power, Thickness, and Speed image: https://www.stylecnc.com/uploads/allimg/250926/1-250926140I80-L.jpg --- # [CO2 Laser Cutting Power, Thickness, Speed Chart](https://www.stylecnc.com/blog/co2-laser-cutting-parameters.html "CO2 Laser Cutting Power, Thickness, Speed Chart") Last Updated: 2025-09-26 By [Jimmy](https://www.stylecnc.com/author/jimmy "Jimmy")3 Min Read ![CO2 Laser Cutting Parameters: Power, Thickness, and Speed]() ## CO2 Laser Cutting Parameters: Power, Thickness, and Speed CO2 lasers can cut materials of varying thicknesses at various speeds with powers ranging from 40W to 300W. Here's a breakdown of cutting parameters, covering power, speed, thickness, and kerf for laser cutting a variety of non-metallic materials, including wood, plastic, acrylic, foam, paper, fabric, and leather. A CO2 laser cutter is a thermal cutting tool that can cut a variety of non-metallic materials, including wood, acrylic, paper, leather, fabric, rubber, and foam. CO2 lasers are ideal for cutting materials with high absorption rates at the laser wavelength, offering fast cutting speeds and high precision. ![CO2 Laser Cutting Parameters: Power, Thickness, and Speed]() [CO2 lasers](https://www.stylecnc.com/co2-laser-cutting-machine/ "CO2 Lasers") can cut through materials of varying thicknesses at various speeds, depending on laser power, as well as material type and hardness. Higher power lasers are capable of cutting thicker materials at faster speeds. In most cases, CO2 [laser cutters](https://www.stylecnc.com/products/laser-cutting-machine.html "Laser Cutters") work with a power range of 40 watts to 300 watts to cut through wood with a thickness of 1 mm to 20 mm at a speed of 1000 mm/min to 9000 mm/min, acrylic with a maximum thickness of 40 mm at a speed of around 1200 mm/min, leather and cloth with a thickness of 0.75 mm to 10 mm at a speed of 500 mm/min to 12000 mm/min, and paper with a thickness of 0.5 mm to 11 mm at a speed of about 3000 mm/min. ### Best CO2 Laser Cuttable Materials #### Wood • Solid wood (such as birch, poplar, red oak, cherry) • MDF (medium-density fiberboard) • Plywood • Cork #### Plastics • Acrylic • PP (polypropylene) • PVC (polyvinyl chloride) • ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) #### Paper • Paper Sheet • Cardstock • Cardboard #### Leather & Fabric • Organic fabrics (such as polyester) • Line fabric (multi-layer) • Artificial fabric (chemical fiber fabric) • Leather (genuine leather and artificial leather) #### Foam (Polystyrene) • HIPS • EPS • XPS ### CO2 Laser Cutting Thickness & Speed & Kerf Chart | Material | Thickness (mm) | Speed (mm/min) | Assist Gas | Kerf (mm) | | ---------------------------------------- | -------------- | -------------- | ---------- | --------- | | Organic Glass | 10 | 800 | N2 | 0.7 | | Polyester Felt | 10 | 2600 | N2 | 0.5 | | Line Fabric (Multi-layer) | 15 | 900 | N2 | 0.5 | | Cardboard | 0.5 | 3000 | N2 | 0.4 | | 2.6 | 3000 | N2 | 0.5 | | | Quartz Glass | 1.9 | 600 | | 0.2 | | PP (Polypropylene) Sheet | 5.5 | 700 | N2 | 0.5 | | Polystyrene Sheet (HIPS, EPS & XPS Foam) | 3.2 | 4200 | N2 | 0.4 | | PVC Sheet | 4 | 1700 | Air | N/A | | Organic Glass | 10 | 1200 | | | | Bakelite Board | 5 | 2100 | | | | Fiberboard | 15.6 | 4500 | N2 | | | Multi-layer Plywood | 6.2 | 9000 | | | | PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) Laminate | 3.1 | 10500 | | | | Chipboard | 3.9 | 18000 | | | | 3.1 | 22500 | | | | | Acrylamide Board | 2.8 | 33900 | | | | 3.2 | 29700 | | | | | 3.2 | 29700 | | | | | Acrylic | 2.0 | 1000 | N/A | | | Artificial Leather | 0.8 | 2500 | | | | Gypsum Board | 9.0 | 500 | | | | Plywood | 10.0 | 1100 | | | | Heat-Resistant Glass | 2.2 | 500 | | | | Rubber Sheet | 5 | 500 | | | | Leather | 4 | 2200 | | | | Artificial Fabric | 6.5 | 2200 | | | ### CO2 Laser Power and Cutting Thickness Chart | Material | Laser Power | | | | | | ----------------- | ----------- | --- | ----- | ------ | ------- | | 40W | 50W | 60W | 80W | 100W | | | Cutting Thickness | | | | | | | Acrylic | 3mm | 5mm | 5-8mm | 6-10mm | 10-12mm | | MDF | 1mm | 2mm | 4mm | 5mm | 6mm | | Plywood | 3mm | 5mm | 8mm | 10mm | 13mm | | PVC | 2mm | 3mm | 4mm | 5mm | 8mm | | Rubber | 2mm | 2mm | 3mm | 4mm | 5mm | | Leather | 2mm | 3mm | 4mm | 5mm | 7mm | | Fabric | 2mm | 3mm | 4mm | 6mm | 7mm | | Paper | 3mm | 4mm | 5mm | 7mm | 8mm | | Material | Laser Power | | | | | | ----------------- | ----------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | | 130W | 150W | 180W | 220W | 300W | | | Cutting Thickness | | | | | | | Acrylic | 12-25mm | 17-28mm | 20-30mm | 20-35mm | 20-40mm | | MDF | 8mm | 10mm | 10mm | 12mm | 18mm | | Plywood | 15mm | 15mm | N/A | N/A | N/A | | PVC | 9mm | 10mm | N/A | N/A | N/A | | Rubber | 6mm | 7mm | N/A | N/A | N/A | | Leather | 8mm | 10mm | N/A | N/A | N/A | | Fabric | 8mm | 10mm | N/A | N/A | N/A | | Paper | 10mm | 10mm | N/A | N/A | N/A | All charts are for reference only. The actual cutting thickness will vary depending on material properties and cutting parameters such as power and speed. ### Share This Article With Others ### Further Reading #### How to Get Started with Edge Banding - A Beginner's Guide 2025-08-07[Prev Post](https://www.stylecnc.com/blog/edge-banding.html "How to Get Started with Edge Banding - A Beginner's Guide") ### Laser Engraving Business Ideas from Home and Small Business 2026-01-28[Next Post](https://www.stylecnc.com/blog/laser-engraving-business-ideas-from-home-and-small-business.html "Laser Engraving Business Ideas from Home and Small Business") ### Related Topics [](https://www.stylecnc.com/cnc-solutions/Laser-cutting-machine-in-automotive-industry.html "Laser Cutting Machine in Automotive Industry") 2019-10-193 Min Read #### [Laser Cutting Machine in Automotive Industry](https://www.stylecnc.com/cnc-solutions/Laser-cutting-machine-in-automotive-industry.html "Laser Cutting Machine in Automotive Industry") Laser cutting machine is widely used in automotive industry, including automotive manufacturing, automotive repair shops from United States, German and Japan. 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