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// Part Size Limits

Minimum &
Maximum Sizes

How small and how large a part can be — and which of the three limits is the one stopping you.

Every material and gauge we stock, with the smallest blank the bed can hold and the largest one that fits the sheet. Type your part size in and it checks the whole catalog at once, including the secondary-operation limits that are often tighter than the laser itself. Sizes are for the flat blank, which is what has to fit the table — not the folded part.

Min. Part
Laser Bed
Margin / Edge
SKUs Checked
// Will It Fit? Flat blank

Inches, unfolded. Orientation does not matter — nesting is free to rotate the part.

// Verdict
// Cut Sizes

Pick a material. See both ends.

The smallest and largest blank we will cut in the material you choose, drawn to scale against each other. Every size here prices instantly — there is no custom-quote tier and no minimum order.

// Cut sizes

// Size Limits by Material

Every gauge, both ends of the range.

Minimum part size is a property of the machine and does not change with material. Maximum part does — it is the sheet you are cut from, minus a 0.5″ handling margin on every edge, capped by the laser working area. The column tells you which of the two bound the result.

Metal

// Which Limit Bit

Three limits, and the smallest one wins.

A blank has to clear all three. Which one stops you depends on the material, so the honest answer is never a single number.

1

The sheet, minus the margin.

A 0.5″ band on each edge is where the sheet is clamped, and where the cut stays clear of the raw mill edge — which is rarely straight or square enough to cut to. That is 1″ off each overall dimension, not half an inch. A 120″ × 48″ sheet yields a 119″ × 47″ blank; a 120″ × 60″ sheet yields 119″ × 59″.

2

The laser working area: 120″ × 60″.

Nothing leaves the table larger than the table. Most of our sheet is 48″ or 60″ wide, so the sheet usually binds first — but the bed is the ceiling that no material can raise.

3

The floor: 0.250″ × 0.250″.

Below a quarter inch square, a blank drops through the slats of the cutting bed, tips into the scrap, or cannot be picked up without damaging it. There is also a size below which nothing can be held for a secondary operation.

Smaller parts are still possible — they get cut on a tabbed skeleton, held to the surrounding sheet by micro-joints and snapped apart after delivery. That is how a run of tiny brackets or shims actually gets made. See gang sheets and volume pricing.

!

All of it applies to the flat blank, not the folded part.

This catches more people than any other rule here. A formed part unfolds much larger than its folded footprint — a 24″ deep box with 6″ flanges unfolds far wider than 24″. Unfold it in CAD and measure that. Our bend allowance calculator gives you the flat length, and the DFM lookup explains quote codes 3113 and 3114 if one comes back.

// To Scale

Where the margin goes.

The usable area against the sheet it came from, drawn to scale for the material selected below. The band is only half an inch, but it comes off all four sides.

// After the Laser

The limits that bite later.

A part can clear the laser and still be the wrong size for what happens next. These are checked against the blank in the card at the top of the page.

Powder coating carries its own size and weight envelope, and it is a hanging line — oversized or heavy parts hit the oven opening or the hook rating rather than a dimension. See powder coating and DFM codes 3331 / 3333. Every operation also has a weight ceiling; the material weight calculator will tell you what a blank weighs before you commit to a gauge.

// Common Questions

Size limits, answered.

The questions that come up most about how small and how large a part can be.

What is the smallest part you can laser cut?
0.250″ × 0.250″. Below that a blank drops through the slats of the bed, tips into the scrap, or cannot be picked without damage. Smaller parts are still possible on a tabbed skeleton — held to the surrounding sheet by micro-joints and snapped apart after delivery. That is the normal route for tiny shims and brackets; see gang sheets.
What is the largest part you can laser cut?
The smaller of two limits: the laser working area at 120″ × 60″, and the sheet you are cut from minus 0.5″ on every edge. On 120″ × 48″ stock that is 119″ × 47″; on 120″ × 60″ stock it is 119″ × 59″. The table above gives it per gauge and names which limit bound the answer.
Why is the maximum part smaller than the sheet?
Because the sheet has to be held while it is cut. The 0.5″ band on each edge is the clamping zone, and it also keeps the cut away from the raw mill edge, which is rarely straight or square enough to cut to. Note it comes off both sides — 1″ off each overall dimension, which is the part people forget.
Is the limit based on the folded part or the flat blank?
The flat blank, always. A formed part unfolds much larger than its folded footprint, and it is the unfolded blank that has to sit on the table. This is the single most common reason a part that looks comfortably small gets rejected as too large. Unfold it in CAD, or use the bend allowance calculator to get the flat length before you check.
Are there size limits after the part is cut?
Yes, and they are often tighter than the laser. Deburring on the Weber 1350 needs at least 2″ × 2″ — smaller parts shift or flip under brush pressure. A single press-brake bend cannot exceed 120″. Powder coating has its own size and weight envelope because it is a hanging line. All of these are checked against your blank in the section above.
Can I get a part larger than the sheet?
Not as one piece. Split the design into panels joined by fasteners, rivets, or welding; reduce flange depths so the blank unfolds smaller; or reorient the part so its long dimension runs along the length of the sheet rather than across the width. That last one is free and solves it more often than people expect — most of our stock is 120″ long and only 48″ or 60″ wide.
Do all materials come in the same sheet size?
No, and the maximum part follows the sheet. The materials live in the instant quote app carry a confirmed sheet size; for everything else the figure in the table is our standard default (96″ × 48″) and the exact sheet is confirmed at order. The status column marks which is which, and the filter above will narrow the table to confirmed sizes only.
Where do these numbers come from?
All from our own published figures: the 0.250″ minimum and the 0.5″ per-edge margin are the same values the per-gauge DFM preflight on every material page reports, the 120″ × 60″ working area is from fiber laser and capabilities, the deburring floor is from the deburring guide, and sheet sizes come from the live material catalog. Nothing here is interpolated.
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