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Laser cutting Cardboard 2mm: speed, time and cost
Cardboard 2mm cuts at about 50 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 Cardboard 2mm →Cardboard 2mm at a glance
| Material group | Cardboard / Paper |
|---|---|
| Thickness | 2 mm |
| Reference cut speed (100 W CO2) | 50 mm/s × 1 pass |
| Air assist | gentle 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 | 10 mm/s | 32 s | €0.53 |
| xTool D1 Pro 20W / S1 20W | 15 mm/s | 21 s | €0.36 |
| OMTech K40 (40W CO2) | 25 mm/s | 13 s | €0.21 |
| OMTech / Gweike 60W | 37.5 mm/s | 9 s | €0.14 |
| OMTech / Thunder / Gweike 80W | 45 mm/s | 7 s | €0.12 |
| 100 W CO2 (workshop reference) | 50 mm/s | 6 s | €0.11 |
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 Cardboard 2mm
low power, high speed; multiple fast passes beat one slow pass (fire risk). Never leave unattended. Test-cut a small square first: dial speed, not power, until it just cuts through — cleaner edge, less char.
Can your machine actually cut this?
Every laser here cuts cardboard, including the weakest diode, and it is the fastest material on the site. Because it needs so little power, the usual mistake is using far too much — which scorches the cut face brown instead of leaving it clean.
At 2 mm this is a single-pass, high-speed cut. The risk at this thickness is going too slowly: the heat has nowhere to go in a thin sheet, so it spreads sideways and you get a wide, scorched kerf instead of a crisp line. If the edge looks burnt, speed up before you touch the power. Thin cardboard also warps from the heat of a long job — cut in a different order, or tab the parts, if you see pieces lifting.
Buying the right sheet
Corrugated board hides the same trap as cheap plywood: the flutes between the liners are air gaps. The beam crosses a flute, spreads, and the cut can stop or wander. Solid greyboard and chipboard cut far more predictably than corrugated if the edge matters.
Safety — read this before the first cut
This is the highest fire-risk material on the site. Cardboard is thin, dry and porous, and it will sustain a flame happily. Never run a paper or card job unattended, even a short one, and keep the lid closed. Keep air assist low — a strong blast fans an ember into an actual flame rather than putting it out.
Getting a clean edge
Aim for the fastest speed that still cuts through in one pass. Multiple slow passes on card is how fires start, and the second pass rarely lands in exactly the same place anyway.
Cardboard 2mm FAQ
How fast can you laser cut Cardboard 2mm?
On a 100 W CO2 laser about 50 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 6 s at 50 mm/s.
How much does laser cutting Cardboard 2mm cost?
Laser cutting is priced by machine time: cut length ÷ speed = time, × hourly rate (€60/h typical for a small shop) + setup + material. At 50 mm/s a 100 × 60 mm part is about €0.11 of machine time before material and setup.
What settings do I use for Cardboard 2mm?
Start from your machine's cardboard / paper preset, use gentle air assist, and do a test cut: if it doesn't cut through, slow down 10–15% before adding power. low power, high speed; multiple fast passes beat one slow pass (fire risk). Never leave unattended.
Where to buy Cardboard 2mm
Cardboard is the cheapest way to prototype a fit before committing plywood, and it is worth keeping a stack for exactly that.
Check prices on Amazon ↗ Where to buy laser materials
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Other Cardboard / Paper: Cardboard 1mm · Cardboard 3mm