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Laser Engraving & Cutting Pricing Calculator
Build a clear, customer-ready price from your LightBurn estimate and real production costs.
Jump to resultsPricing guide
Price laser work without hiding the math
LaserQuote is a laser engraving pricing calculator for makers who want a faster alternative to a spreadsheet. Enter the inputs behind a job, then see the cost, fees, profit, and per-unit price in one place.
What belongs in a laser cutting cost calculator?
A reliable quote starts with material yield and the time it takes to make each item. Add the laser machine hourly rate, setup, finishing, consumables, marketplace fees, and the profit margin you want to keep.
LaserQuote keeps those parts separate, so you can check the recommendation instead of trusting a single unexplained number.
Use your LightBurn estimate
Use LightBurn’s estimated runtime for one item, then let the calculator scale machine time, material, and finishing for the quantity. That makes it a practical LightBurn pricing calculator when you are moving from design to a quote.
How much should you charge for laser engraving?
Start with the true production cost, account for any payment or marketplace fee, and choose a target profit margin. The recommended price covers those inputs while the breakdown shows exactly where the total comes from.
Why separate machine cost from labor?
Your machine cost per hour covers ownership and operation, such as depreciation, maintenance, and electricity. Labor is your time for design, setup, finishing, and customer work. Keeping them separate makes each quote easier to audit and adjust.
Methodology
How laser pricing works
A quote starts with what the job costs to produce. LaserQuote combines material, machine time, labor, and consumables into a production cost, then accounts for fees and the profit margin you want to earn.
Machine-time costing
Use the time LightBurn estimates for one item and multiply it by your machine cost per hour. That rate represents running and owning the machine—not the time you spend working on the order.
Material waste and yield
Material cost is based on the number of sellable items you realistically get from one sheet or blank. This yield accounts for expected waste, offcuts, and failed pieces without making you estimate a separate waste percentage for every quote.
Labor
Design and setup are charged once per job. Finishing time scales with the quantity, so sanding, painting, packaging, and similar work are not lost when an order grows.
Marketplace fees
Payment and marketplace fees reduce the amount left from a sale. Add the percentage that applies to your channel so the recommendation includes it instead of treating it as an afterthought.
Profit margin vs. markup
Margin is profit as a share of the selling price. Markup is profit as a share of cost. They are not interchangeable: LaserQuote uses your target margin to calculate a recommended price, then shows the resulting markup separately.
Common questions
Laser pricing FAQ
Practical answers for turning your production costs into a clear quote.
How much should I charge per minute for laser cutting?
There is no universal selling price per minute. Start by converting your machine cost per hour to a per-minute operating cost, then add the material, finishing labor, consumables, fees, and profit required for that specific job. A minute of cutting is only one part of the price.
How do I price laser engraving?
Calculate the material and machine time for each item, add setup and finishing labor, then include any per-job consumables. Price the resulting production cost high enough to cover marketplace or payment fees and the profit margin you want.
How do I account for machine depreciation?
Include a share of depreciation in your machine cost per hour, alongside maintenance and electricity. Divide the annual cost of owning and running the laser by a realistic number of billable machine hours, then review the rate as your workload or equipment changes.
How should I price failed laser jobs?
Set material yield to the number of sellable items you realistically get from a sheet, blank, or roll. That makes the expected cost of offcuts and failed pieces part of every quote without adding a separate waste percentage each time.
What’s the difference between markup and margin?
Margin is profit divided by the selling price. Markup is profit divided by cost. Because they use different denominators, a 25% margin is not the same as a 25% markup. Set a target margin when you price, then use markup as a separate way to review the result.