What Can It Cut?
Pick a laser — or just a laser type and wattage — and see a material × thickness grid of what it's rated to cut in one pass, several passes, or only engrave. Add a second laser to compare.
How this works
Enter your own numbers or keep our defaults. Results update as you type and are calculated on your device; nothing is sent to us. Each default value shows where it came from.
Assumptions you can change
Cells come from manufacturer cut-depth claims, not our measurements. Plywood/MDF and multi-pass cells are our estimates (hatched). Glue, resin and moisture make real results vary.
Short answer: the 6–44 W diode lasers we track claim one-pass cuts of 10–20 mm wood and 6–15 mm dark acrylic; CO2 lasers are the only common type that cuts clear acrylic; fiber lasers mark metal but barely touch wood. Everything below is a manufacturer claim — lab verification pending.
xTool S1 20WBlue diode (~445–455 nm)
- Wood
- 10 mm, one pass
- Acrylic
- 8 mm, one pass
- Clear acrylic
- no (manufacturer)
Source: xTool S1 product page and spec table · our spec sheet
xTool P2SCO2 (10,600 nm)
- Wood
- 18 mm, one pass
- Acrylic
- 20 mm, one pass
- Clear acrylic
- yes (manufacturer)
Source: xTool P2S product page and specifications · our spec sheet
Cut depth matrix
| Material / thickness (mm) | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid woodbrand's test speciesA: xTool S1 20W | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) | Engrave only (manufacturer claim) | Engrave only (manufacturer claim) | Engrave only (manufacturer claim) |
| Solid wood, B: xTool P2S | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) |
| Laser plywoodwood claim appliedA: xTool S1 20W | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) | Engrave only (our estimate) | Engrave only (our estimate) | Engrave only (our estimate) |
| Laser plywood, B: xTool P2S | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) |
| MDFwood claim appliedA: xTool S1 20W | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) | Engrave only (our estimate) | Engrave only (our estimate) | Engrave only (our estimate) |
| MDF, B: xTool P2S | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in one pass (our estimate) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) |
| Acrylic, dark/opaqueacrylic claimA: xTool S1 20W | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) | Engrave only (manufacturer claim) | Engrave only (manufacturer claim) | Engrave only (manufacturer claim) | Engrave only (manufacturer claim) |
| Acrylic, dark/opaque, B: xTool P2S | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) |
| Acrylic, clearclear-acrylic claimA: xTool S1 20W | No (manufacturer claim) | No (manufacturer claim) | No (manufacturer claim) | No (manufacturer claim) | No (manufacturer claim) | No (manufacturer claim) | No (manufacturer claim) | No (manufacturer claim) | No (manufacturer claim) | No (manufacturer claim) | No (manufacturer claim) |
| Acrylic, clear, B: xTool P2S | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in one pass (manufacturer claim) | Cut in multiple passes (our estimate) |
- Cuts through in one pass (claim)
- Cuts with several passes (claim)
- Hatched = our estimate, not a claim
- Too thick to cut: engrave only
- Not possible
- Cuttable, but no thickness claim
Everything else — by laser type
No brand publishes thickness numbers for these, so this is material-level capability from our material safety dataset for typical hobby power classes.
Never put these in any laser:
- Polycarbonate (Lexan, Makrolon)
- PVC / vinyl (incl. adhesive vinyl and HTV)
- ABS plastic
- HDPE (cutting-board plastic, milk jugs)
- PTFE (Teflon)
- Faux leather / pleather
- Coated / waterproof fabric (PVC or vinyl-coated)
- Galvanized steel
- Fiberglass (FR-4, GRP)
- Carbon fiber (epoxy/coated)
- Epoxy resin pieces
- Anything flame-retardant treated
- Polystyrene foam (EPS, Styrofoam, foam core)
- Polypropylene foam
- Rubber of unknown composition (neoprene, etc.)
- Food (bread, cookies, fruit)
Every published cut claim we track
The same data as the matrix, as a plain table. Claims are what each brand publishes on its spec page — usually for its best-case test material (xTool, for example, rates wood cuts on specific species) with air assist on.
| Machine | Laser | Wood | Acrylic | Clear acrylic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creality Falcon A1 Pro 20W | Blue diode + Fiber / IR, 20 W | 10 mm (1 pass) | 8 mm (1 pass) | No |
| xTool M2 20W | Blue diode, 20 W | 10 mm (1 pass) | 8 mm (1 pass) | No |
| xTool S1 20W | Blue diode, 20 W | 10 mm (1 pass) | 8 mm (1 pass) | No |
| Sculpfun SF-A9 40W | Blue diode, 40 W | 20 mm (1 pass) | 6 mm (1 pass), dark acrylic | No |
| xTool S1 40W | Blue diode, 40 W | 18 mm (1 pass) | 15 mm (1 pass) | No |
| Longer Ray5 40W | Blue diode, 44 W | 20 mm (1 pass) | — | No |
| LaserPecker LP4 | Blue diode + Fiber / IR, 10 W | 8 mm (1 pass), balsa | 5 mm (1 pass), dark opaque | No |
| xTool F1 | Blue diode + Fiber / IR, 10 W | 8 mm (multi-pass) | 6 mm (multi-pass), dark opaque | No |
| xTool F2 | Blue diode + Fiber / IR, 15 W | 15 mm (multi-pass) | 12 mm (multi-pass), dark opaque | No |
| xTool F1 Ultra | Fiber / IR + Blue diode, 20 W | 15 mm (multi-pass) | 12 mm (multi-pass), dark opaque | No |
| xTool F2 Ultra | Fiber / IR + Blue diode, 60 W | 23 mm (multi-pass) | 20 mm (multi-pass), dark opaque | No |
| Gweike Cloud 55W | CO2, 55 W | 20 mm (1 pass), basswood | — | Yes |
| xTool P2S | CO2, 55 W | 18 mm (1 pass) | 20 mm (1 pass) | Yes |
| Thunder Laser Nova Plus 24 (60W RF) | CO2, 60 W | 12.7 mm (1 pass) | 19 mm (1 pass) | Yes |
| Monport MEGA S 70W | CO2, 70 W | 18 mm (1 pass) | 20 mm (1 pass) | Yes |
| xTool P3 | CO2, 80 W | 20 mm (1 pass) | 25 mm (1 pass) | Yes |
How the matrix is built
- 1 pass — thickness is at or below the brand's one-pass claim for that material.
- Multi — the brand's claim already says "multiple passes", or (hatched, dotted) our estimate that several passes reach up to 1.5× a one-pass claim. That factor is our assumption, not a manufacturer number; untick the box to hide it.
- Engrave — too thick to cut, but the wavelength can mark the surface.
- No — the wavelength can't work this material (for example a blue diode on clear acrylic, which the light passes straight through).
- Plywood and MDF rows reuse the solid-wood claim and are always marked as estimates: glue layers and resin binders usually cut worse than solid wood.
- Type + power mode borrows the claim of the researched machine of that type with the closest rated power, and says which one.
Real results depend on air assist, focus, material moisture and species, lens, and how clean your optics are. When our lab measures cut depth, measured cells will replace these claims.
Why laser type matters more than watts
A 40 W blue diode and a 40 W CO2 are not interchangeable. Materials absorb 455 nm, 1,064 nm and 10,600 nm light very differently: clear acrylic passes blue light but absorbs CO2 light, and fiber lasers are the tool for bare metal. Use the material checker for the full picture, and the settings converter to move settings between machines of the same type.
Related guides
Sources
Every spec and number on this page links back to where it came from.
- Glowforge Aura: Glowforge Craft Series tech specs
- Creality Falcon A1 10W: Creality Falcon store: Falcon A1 10W product page and specs
- Creality Falcon A1 Pro 20W: Creality Falcon store: Falcon A1 Pro product page and specs
- TwoTrees TS2 20W: TwoTrees TS2-20W product page (US store)
- xTool M2 20W: xTool M2 product page and specifications
- xTool S1 20W: xTool S1 product page and spec table
- Creality Falcon2 22W: Creality Falcon2 user manual (Creality Wiki), parameters table
- Creality Falcon2 40W: Creality Falcon store: Falcon2 40W product page and specs
- Sculpfun SF-A9 40W: Sculpfun SF-A9 40W product page and specification table
- Longer Ray5 40W: Longer Ray5 40W product page and specifications
- LaserPecker LP4: LaserPecker LP4 product page and specifications
- xTool F1: xTool F2 product page, F2 vs F1 specification comparison
- LaserPecker LP5: LaserPecker LP5 product page and specifications
- xTool F1 Ultra: xTool F1 Ultra product page and specifications
- xTool F2 Ultra: xTool F2 Ultra product page and specifications
- Glowforge Plus HD: Glowforge Performance Series tech specs
- Monport Reno 45 Pro: Monport Reno 45W product page and specifications
- Gweike Cloud 55W: Gweike Cloud 55W product page and tech specs
- OMTech Polar Lite 55W: OMTech Polar Lite 55W product page and specifications
- xTool P2S: xTool P2S product page and specifications
- Thunder Laser Nova Plus 24 (60W RF): Thunder Laser USA Nova Plus 24 product page and specifications
- Monport MEGA S 70W: Monport MEGA S 70W product page, specifications and FAQ
- xTool P3: xTool P3 product page and specifications
- ComMarker B4 30W: ComMarker B4 fiber laser engraver product page
- Monport GM 30W Pro: Monport GM 20W/30W Pro product page and full specifications
- OMTech Galvo Fiber 30 (30W integrated): OMTech Galvo Fiber 30 product page and specifications
- xTool — The Complete Laser Cutting Materials List (which laser suits which material)
- xTool Support — Essentials When Processing Acrylic (blue light passes clear acrylic)
- ATX Hackerspace — Laser Cutter Materials (PDF snapshot of the wiki)
- Epilog Laser — Laserable Material Compatibility
Newsletter
Lab notes, in your inbox
New research, price changes and test results as they land. Written for people who make things to sell.