What metal thickness can be cut — a per-material table
Short answer
Our fiber laser cuts mild and carbon steel up to 10mm, stainless steel (inox) up to 6mm, aluminum up to 5mm, and brass or copper up to 3mm, at ±0.1mm positional tolerance. Minimum order is one piece and quotes go out within 24 hours. Thicker sheet is routed to a vetted partner workshop — plasma and waterjet cutting are not in-house.
Thickness is the first question every metal cutting buyer asks, and it decides three things at once: whether the part can be cut, how long it takes, and what the edge looks like. This page puts the real ceiling for every material we handle into one table: mild and carbon steel (what Georgians colloquially call rkina), stainless steel (inox, nerzhaveika), aluminum, brass and copper. The numbers come from our fiber laser's actual working envelope, not a blanket marketing claim — when a part exceeds our ceiling we say so and route it to a vetted partner workshop. Each row lists maximum thickness, the ±0.1mm positional tolerance and a minimum hole diameter, and below we break down 1, 3, 5 and 10mm individually.
Key facts
- Mild / carbon steel
- up to 10mm
- Stainless steel (inox)
- up to 6mm
- Aluminum
- up to 5mm
- Brass and copper
- up to 3mm
- Positional tolerance
- ±0.1mm on all materials
- Minimum hole diameter
- ≈ 1× material thickness on steel
- Minimum order
- 1 piece
- Quote turnaround
- within 24 hours of receiving the file
What metal thickness can be cut, and why does the ceiling differ by material?
The thickness ceiling is not one number — it differs per material, because two physical properties govern the cut: how much of the beam the metal absorbs, and how fast it pulls heat away from the kerf. Mild steel absorbs the beam well, so its ceiling is the highest at 10mm. Aluminum and copper do the opposite: they reflect a large share of the beam and conduct heat away quickly, so at the same laser power their limits sit at 5mm and 3mm. Stainless falls between the two at 6mm. Thickness also sets cut time and edge appearance — the thicker the sheet, the slower the cut and the more visible the thermal tint along the edge.
- Metal and litoni are the same word in Georgian; rkina is the colloquial term for ferrous metal
- Inox = nerzhaveika = stainless steel — one material, three names
- Black metal (shavi litoni) = carbon steel
Why is 3mm the most commonly ordered thickness?
3mm is the one thickness that sits inside the ceiling for all four materials — mild steel, stainless, aluminum and brass — and delivers equally stable results on each. At this gauge the edge comes out clean and usually needs no deburring, and the part stays flat. Nameplates, signage letters, mounting brackets and structural fittings are mostly cut at 3mm: the sheet is already rigid enough not to sag under its own weight, and still thin enough that cut time — and therefore price — stays low. On brass and copper, 3mm is the upper limit itself; anything thicker in those two metals is outside our machine.
5mm and 10mm metal cutting — where is the real limit?
Mild and carbon steel cut up to 10mm on our machine — the thickest material in the range. Stainless stops at 6mm: it conducts heat less readily than mild steel and forms chromium oxide along the kerf, so above 6mm edge quality is no longer reliable on our setup. 5mm is comfortable on both: on steel there is still plenty of headroom below the ceiling, while on stainless we are close to the limit and the thermal tint along the edge is more visible. In both cases that tint is a normal thermal effect and can be covered by polishing or paint when required. Anything past 10mm steel or 6mm stainless is not declined — it is routed to a partner workshop.
- Mild steel / carbon steel — up to 10mm in-house
- Stainless steel (inox) — up to 6mm in-house
- Aluminum — up to 5mm; brass and copper — up to 3mm
Is cutting 1mm thin metal difficult?
Sheet at 1mm and thinner is easy for the machine and awkward for the fixturing. Thin metal warps readily under thermal stress if it is not held flat on the cutting bed. That is why 1mm parts get extra clamping and a reduced cut speed, so the sheet cools while still lying flat. This gauge is typical for engraved keychains, metal business cards, thin nameplates and decorative inserts, where weight and flexibility matter more than rigidity. On thin copper and brass, when the ornament is very fine, we recommend engraving instead of cutting — the drawing comes out cleaner and the part is not structurally weakened.
What happens if your metal is thicker than our technical ceiling?
When an order exceeds our ceiling — steel over 10mm, stainless over 6mm, aluminum over 5mm, or brass and copper over 3mm — we say so directly. Plasma cutting, waterjet cutting, press-brake bending, CNC milling and lathe work are not performed in our workshop. For those jobs we advise on the right technology and route the order to a vetted partner workshop. That is not a refusal: thicker stock needs different equipment, and we do not take on work we cannot deliver to standard.
- Plasma cutting — not in-house
- Waterjet cutting — not in-house
- Press-brake bending — not in-house
- CNC milling and lathe work — not in-house
Thickness ceiling, tolerance and minimum hole size by material
| Material | Max thickness (mm) | Tolerance (±mm) | Min. hole diameter | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mild / carbon steel (rkina) | 10 | 0.1 | ≈ 1× thickness | Highest ceiling; edge darkens near the upper limit |
| Stainless steel (inox, nerzhaveika) | 6 | 0.1 | ≈ 1.2× thickness | Low thermal conductivity and chromium oxide cap the ceiling |
| Aluminum | 5 | 0.1 | ≈ 1.5× thickness | High reflectivity keeps the ceiling below steel |
| Brass and copper | 3 | 0.1 | ≈ 1.5× thickness | Decorative gauges; engraving beats cutting for fine ornament |
| Above our ceiling | by request | — | — | Vetted partner workshop (plasma/waterjet — not in-house) |
How it works — step by step
- 1
Measure the thickness
Measure the sheet with calipers, or read the thickness in millimetres from your supplier's invoice or material spec sheet.
- 2
Check it against the table
Find your material in the table above: if the thickness is within the ceiling (steel 10mm, stainless 6mm, aluminum 5mm, brass/copper 3mm), the job is cut in our workshop.
- 3
Send the file
Send a vector drawing (DXF, DWG, AI or vector PDF) and state the material, thickness and quantity. Minimum order is one piece.
- 4
Get a quote within 24 hours
You receive price and lead time within 24 hours of us receiving the file. If the thickness exceeds our ceiling, the same reply includes a referral to a partner workshop.
Frequently asked questions
How many mm of metal can a laser cut?
It depends on the material: we cut mild and carbon steel up to 10mm, stainless up to 6mm, aluminum up to 5mm, and brass or copper up to 3mm. Positional accuracy is ±0.1mm on all four.
Can 3mm be cut on every material?
Yes. 3mm sits inside the technical ceiling for all four materials — mild steel, stainless, aluminum and brass/copper. It is the one thickness where quality is equally stable across the board.
Can 10mm metal be cut?
On mild and carbon steel, yes — that is our maximum in-house thickness. On stainless, aluminum, brass and copper, 10mm exceeds our ceiling and the order is routed to a partner workshop.
Is cutting 5mm steel difficult?
No. 5mm mild steel sits well below our 10mm ceiling and cuts consistently. On stainless, 5mm is close to its 6mm limit, so a more visible thermal tint appears along the edge.
Is cutting 1mm metal difficult?
It is technically simple, but thin sheet warps easily under heat, so it needs extra fixturing and a reduced cut speed. Typical uses are keychains, metal business cards and thin nameplates.
What is the thickness difference between stainless and mild steel?
Mild steel cuts up to 10mm, stainless only up to 6mm. Stainless conducts heat less readily and forms chromium oxide along the kerf, which limits its maximum workable thickness.
What is the smallest hole that can be cut in a part?
As a working rule the hole diameter should not go below the material thickness — roughly 1:1 on steel, and 1.2–1.5× thickness on stainless, aluminum and brass. We confirm the exact limit once we see your file.
If my metal is thicker than your ceiling, can nothing be done?
Thicker sheet is routed to a vetted partner workshop with plasma or waterjet cutting. We do not own those technologies in-house, but the job still gets completed.