Laser cutting cost calculator
AllTerra Calculator prices a laser job from the nested parts plus the rates and cutting modes saved for your company. This page explains how cost is built at calc.1cterra.ru today. It includes one clearly labelled example with round numbers.
What the cost of a laser-cut part consists of
Cost is not one black-box total. The calculator first works out machine time from cut length, speed, corners, pierces and idle moves. Then it adds material and other cost lines, depending on the pricing model you chose. Every money line comes either from the nest or from a value saved in your company settings.
In the Business plan model, the cost lines can include material (always), consumables, equipment, operator, assistant, engineer, premises, logistics, administration and margin. You switch each one in company settings. In the Hourly rate model, the quote is material plus billable machine time at your hourly rate. Gas, energy, depreciation and rent are set to zero there, so they are not counted twice. Pick the model that matches how your shop already explains price to customers.
- Material — sheet price from your catalogue, times the sheets the nest used.
- Machine time — cut time from length and speed, corner slowdown, pierces × pierce time, plus idle travel between cuts.
- Gas — in Business plan: flow × cut time × price, plus gas per pierce where set. Not charged on idle moves.
- Energy and equipment — Business plan cost lines, set in company settings.
- Labour and premises — operator, assistant, engineer, rent, logistics and administration, when those cost lines are on.
- Margin percent on top of cost in Business plan, then optional VAT on the selling price.
Inputs the shop sets once
Before you start quoting, the company profile holds your materials, Hourly rate, gas prices, which cost lines are on and the VAT setting. It also holds cutting modes for each machine, material and thickness. These settings apply to every new order until you change them.
A cutting mode stores what the time calculation needs: cut speed (mm/min), pierce time (s), gas type and flow, power and duty cycle, corner slowdown factor, corner zone length, corner penalty and kerf width. These are your shop's own values. The calculator does not make them up for each order.
| Cutting-mode field | Role in the calculation |
|---|---|
| Cut speed, mm/min | Turns nested cut length into base cutting hours. |
| Piercing time, s | Multiplied by the number of pierces and added to cut time. |
| Gas type / flow | Used for gas cost during cut time in Business plan. |
| Corner zone & slowdown | Adds time when the head slows near corners. |
Per-order calculation
For each order you upload DXF parts, choose material and thickness, run nesting, then run costing. Cut length, pierces, sheets and utilisation from the nest become the inputs. You do not type metres of cut by hand. If you change quantities or rotation rules, nest again and cost is recalculated from the new results, not patched by guesswork.
An order can use Business plan or Hourly rate, including an optional hourly rate override on the order. Shops get automatic nesting, so you do not pick a nesting method for each order. Cost always uses the nest results plus your company profile. It does not use external average prices or industry averages. The live calculator bills in RUB today.
Worked example (synthetic round numbers)
Example only — synthetic round numbers for illustration. Not a real customer order and not a benchmark of shop performance.
Say a nest gives 12 000 mm of cut length and 40 pierces. Cut speed is 6 000 mm/min and pierce time is 0.5 s. This sketch ignores corners and idle travel.
- Base cut time ≈ 12 000 / 6 000 = 2 min ≈ 0.033 h.
- Pierce time ≈ 40 × 0.5 s = 20 s ≈ 0.006 h.
- In Hourly rate mode with 3 500 RUB per hour, cutting cost ≈ rate × billable time (cut time plus handling, as set up).
- Material is added as sheets used × your sheet price. VAT is added only if it is on in company settings.
Real orders also add corner slowdown and idle travel. Business plan adds gas, energy and overhead cost lines. Open the calculator to price your own DXF with your own rates. Do not read the sketch totals as published statistics or promised savings.
Per-part price on the quote
After costing, the result shows totals and a breakdown. The PDF quote lists each part with its price, plus a cost summary. You can lower the quote price towards cost. It cannot go below cost, or below cost plus VAT when VAT is in the price. Download quote (PDF) when the figure is ready for the customer. You can attach the nesting layout. For the exact discount floor, the PDF contents and who can edit price, see the quoting software page linked below.
Keep the example separate from real jobs. Round numbers only explain the arithmetic. Your pierce times, gas prices and sheet catalogue decide the real total. For a customer, export the PDF from a real nest. Do not quote the sketch on this page.