Laser cutting Cardboard 2mm: speed, time and cost
Cardboard 2mm cuts at about 50 mm/s on a 100 W CO2 laser in one pass. Below: what that means in time and money on common machines, plus settings tips. Price your own file in the calculator — it runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
Open the calculator preset for Cardboard 2mm →Cardboard 2mm at a glance
| Material group | Cardboard / Paper |
|---|---|
| Thickness | 2 mm |
| Reference cut speed (100 W CO2) | 50 mm/s × 1 pass |
| Air assist | gentle air assist |
| Diode lasers | yes, slower (5–10×), more passes as thickness grows |
Time and cost by machine (100 × 60 mm part, €60/h)
| Machine | Speed | Time | Machine cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| xTool D1 Pro 10W | 10 mm/s | 32 s | €0.53 |
| xTool D1 Pro 20W / S1 20W | 15 mm/s | 21 s | €0.36 |
| OMTech K40 (40W CO2) | 25 mm/s | 13 s | €0.21 |
| OMTech / Gweike 60W | 37.5 mm/s | 9 s | €0.14 |
| OMTech / Thunder / Gweike 80W | 45 mm/s | 7 s | €0.12 |
| 100 W CO2 (workshop reference) | 50 mm/s | 6 s | €0.11 |
Speeds scale from the workshop reference by machine class. Material, setup and margin come on top — open the calculator to add them and nest parts on your sheet.
Settings tips for Cardboard 2mm
low power, high speed; multiple fast passes beat one slow pass (fire risk). Never leave unattended. Test-cut a small square first: dial speed, not power, until it just cuts through — cleaner edge, less char.
Cardboard 2mm FAQ
How fast can you laser cut Cardboard 2mm?
On a 100 W CO2 laser about 50 mm/s in a single pass. Diode lasers are roughly 5× slower (and need more passes above 3 mm). A 100 × 60 mm part (320 mm of cutting) takes about 6 s at 50 mm/s.
How much does laser cutting Cardboard 2mm cost?
Laser cutting is priced by machine time: cut length ÷ speed = time, × hourly rate (€60/h typical for a small shop) + setup + material. At 50 mm/s a 100 × 60 mm part is about €0.11 of machine time before material and setup.
What settings do I use for Cardboard 2mm?
Start from your machine's cardboard / paper preset, use gentle air assist, and do a test cut: if it doesn't cut through, slow down 10–15% before adding power. low power, high speed; multiple fast passes beat one slow pass (fire risk). Never leave unattended.
Other Cardboard / Paper: Cardboard 1mm · Cardboard 3mm