Minimum hole size for laser cutting
Holes, slots and small details that cut clean every time, and the simple rules that keep your part from coming out wrong.
The short answer.
As a rule of thumb, make every hole at least as wide as the metal is thick. In 1/4″ steel, that means holes of 1/4″ or bigger. Smaller holes can be cut, but they come out less round and the edges get rougher, especially in thicker plate.
Why? The laser has to pierce the metal before it starts cutting, and that pierce needs room. In a tiny hole, the pierce and the cut overlap, the heat builds up, and the hole can end up tapered or with a bump where it started.
Distances that matter.
| What | Rule of thumb | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hole diameter | At least the metal thickness | Rounder holes, cleaner edges |
| Hole to outside edge | At least 1× the thickness, more is better | The edge doesn't bulge or tear |
| Hole to hole | At least 1× the thickness | The thin web between them stays flat |
| Hole to a bend line | About 2.5× the thickness plus the bend radius | The hole stays round after bending |
| Slot width | At least the metal thickness | Same reason as holes |
These are starting points, not guarantees. Every shop's machines are a little different, which is why our size check reads your actual file against our supplier's real limits.
Text, logos and fine detail.
Cut lettering looks best from about 1/2″ tall. Letters with closed shapes, like O, A and R, lose their middles unless they use a stencil font with small bridges. Keep bridges at least half the metal thickness, or they burn away.
- Use a bold stencil font for signs and house numbers.
- Convert text to outlines before you export your file.
- Thin decorative lines read better as engraved-looking slots than as hairline cuts.
Threaded holes and exact fits.
Need a tapped thread or a hole that fits a bolt snugly? Draw the hole at the tapping or clearance size and say so in your order notes. Precise press fits, tight tolerances and threads are priced as a custom job so a person can check them.
Not sure your design works? Upload it. Our size check flags anything too small or too close before you pay, and a person looks at every custom job.
Keep reading.
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