Laser cutting Cardboard 3mm: speed, time and cost
Cardboard 3mm cuts at about 35 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 3mm →Cardboard 3mm at a glance
| Material group | Cardboard / Paper |
|---|---|
| Thickness | 3 mm |
| Reference cut speed (100 W CO2) | 35 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 | 7 mm/s | 46 s | €0.76 |
| xTool D1 Pro 20W / S1 20W | 10.5 mm/s | 30 s | €0.51 |
| OMTech K40 (40W CO2) | 17.5 mm/s | 18 s | €0.30 |
| OMTech / Gweike 60W | 26.3 mm/s | 12 s | €0.20 |
| OMTech / Thunder / Gweike 80W | 31.5 mm/s | 10 s | €0.17 |
| 100 W CO2 (workshop reference) | 35 mm/s | 9 s | €0.15 |
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 3mm
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 3mm FAQ
How fast can you laser cut Cardboard 3mm?
On a 100 W CO2 laser about 35 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 9 s at 35 mm/s.
How much does laser cutting Cardboard 3mm cost?
Laser cutting is priced by machine time: cut length ÷ speed = time, × hourly rate (€60/h typical for a small shop) + setup + material. At 35 mm/s a 100 × 60 mm part is about €0.15 of machine time before material and setup.
What settings do I use for Cardboard 3mm?
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 2mm