Laser cutting Leather 3mm: speed, time and cost
Leather 3mm cuts at about 12 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 Leather 3mm →Leather 3mm at a glance
| Material group | Leather |
|---|---|
| Thickness | 3 mm |
| Reference cut speed (100 W CO2) | 12 mm/s × 1 pass |
| Air assist | medium 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 | 2.4 mm/s | 2 m 13 s | €2.22 |
| xTool D1 Pro 20W / S1 20W | 3.6 mm/s | 1 m 29 s | €1.48 |
| OMTech K40 (40W CO2) | 6 mm/s | 53 s | €0.89 |
| OMTech / Gweike 60W | 9 mm/s | 36 s | €0.59 |
| OMTech / Thunder / Gweike 80W | 10.8 mm/s | 30 s | €0.49 |
| 100 W CO2 (workshop reference) | 12 mm/s | 27 s | €0.44 |
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 Leather 3mm
vegetable-tanned leather only — chrome-tanned releases toxic fumes. Expect a burnt-edge smell; mask the surface. Test-cut a small square first: dial speed, not power, until it just cuts through — cleaner edge, less char.
Leather 3mm FAQ
How fast can you laser cut Leather 3mm?
On a 100 W CO2 laser about 12 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 27 s at 12 mm/s.
How much does laser cutting Leather 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 12 mm/s a 100 × 60 mm part is about €0.44 of machine time before material and setup.
What settings do I use for Leather 3mm?
Start from your machine's leather preset, use medium air assist, and do a test cut: if it doesn't cut through, slow down 10–15% before adding power. vegetable-tanned leather only — chrome-tanned releases toxic fumes. Expect a burnt-edge smell; mask the surface.
Other Leather: Leather 1mm · Leather 2mm