Skip to content How much does a laser cutter cost to run? The answer depends on the machine, how hard it is working, the ancillary equipment and your electricity tariff. The most useful starting point is not the laser’s advertised wattage — it is the total electrical power drawn from the mains.
I measured my own 50W CO₂ laser with an inline electricity meter and recorded the consumption of the controller, laser power supply, extraction fan, air pump, water pump, motion system and laser itself. This gives a much better picture of the real running cost than simply looking at the 50W printed on the tube.
Quick answer: how do you calculate laser running cost?
The basic electricity calculation is:
Hourly electricity cost = total input watts ÷ 1,000 × electricity tariff per kWh
For example, my 50W CO₂ machine measured 443.7W while running at its maximum normal operating point. At an electricity tariff of 26p/kWh:
0.4437 × £0.26 = approximately £0.115 per hour
That figure is electricity only. A true operating cost may also include extraction filters, water cooling, compressed air, optics, laser tube replacement, maintenance and materials.
Laser power is not the same as electrical consumption
A 50W laser does not consume only 50W from the mains. The 50W figure refers to the optical output of the laser source. The machine also has losses in the laser power supply plus the electrical consumption of the controller, motors, lights, extraction, cooling and air assist.
Similarly, a controller setting of 50% does not mean that the complete machine is consuming 50% of its maximum electrical power, nor does it necessarily mean the laser is producing exactly half its rated optical output. For more detail on that distinction, see Laser Cutter Power Guide: Watts, Settings & How Much Power You Need.
My 50W CO₂ laser test machine
- 330 × 520mm bed
- Ruida 6442S-B controller
- 50W SPT glass CO₂ tube
- powered Z-axis
- built-in 240V extraction fan
- LED lighting
- air-assist pump
- aquarium-style water circulation pump
- minimum reliable laser firing around 8% controller power
- maximum normal operating point around 58% controller power, based on the tube current limit
How I measured the power consumption
I connected both mains inputs from the machine through an energy monitor so the complete machine load was captured. I then enabled the machine systems progressively and recorded the total input power.
For the moving laser test, I created a 450 × 150mm bi-directional fill job in LightBurn using a 0.5mm line interval. The job travelled approximately 135 metres over 300 scan lines and took 4 minutes 11 seconds. The head speed was set to 600mm/s.
Measured electricity use of my 50W CO₂ laser
| Operating condition | Total input power |
|---|---|
| LED lighting only | 10.4W |
| Controller and low-voltage electronics powered | 27.3W |
| Laser PSU and extraction enabled | 77.2W |
| Air pump enabled | 102.9W |
| Water pump enabled | 126.5W |
| Z-axis active | 153.5W |
| Laser pulsed at 8% | 172.0W |
| Scanning at 600mm/s, 8% | 194.0W |
| Scanning at 600mm/s, 10% | 217.6W |
| Scanning at 600mm/s, 20% | 291.8W |
| Scanning at 600mm/s, 30% | 342.4W |
| Scanning at 600mm/s, 40% | 389.7W |
| Scanning at 600mm/s, 50% | 423.4W |
| Scanning at 600mm/s, 58% | 443.7W |
What the measurements tell us
The most important result is that a substantial part of the machine’s electrical consumption exists before the laser is doing useful work. Extraction, cooling, air assist, electronics and motion all contribute to the total.
- controller and low-voltage electronics added approximately 16.9W
- laser PSU and extraction added approximately 49.9W before the laser was firing
- air pump added approximately 25.7W
- water pump added approximately 23.6W
- Z-axis activity added approximately 27W during the test
- X-axis scanning added roughly 22W at 600mm/s in this setup
The exact figures are specific to this machine, but the principle is general: the laser source is only one part of the electrical load.
How much does my 50W laser cost per hour?
Because electricity tariffs change, the measured wattage is more useful than a permanently fixed cost figure. Use the formula above with your own tariff.
| Machine load | At 20p/kWh | At 26p/kWh | At 34p/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 126.5W standby/ancillaries | £0.025/hr | £0.033/hr | £0.043/hr |
| 291.8W at 20% laser power | £0.058/hr | £0.076/hr | £0.099/hr |
| 423.4W at 50% laser power | £0.085/hr | £0.110/hr | £0.144/hr |
| 443.7W at 58% laser power | £0.089/hr | £0.115/hr | £0.151/hr |
The 34p/kWh column preserves the tariff originally used when this experiment was published. It should now be treated as a historical worked example rather than a current universal electricity rate.
Example at 50% machine utilisation
A workshop laser rarely fires continuously for a full hour. As a simple example, suppose the machine spends half an hour at approximately 126.5W and half an hour cutting or engraving around 423.4W.
Average energy use over that hour is approximately:
(0.1265 × 0.5) + (0.4234 × 0.5) = 0.27495kWh
At 26p/kWh that would cost about 7.1p per hour in electricity. At 34p/kWh it would cost about 9.3p per hour.
Comparison with larger CO₂ laser machines
I also collected power-consumption figures for several other glass CO₂ machines. I did not carry out these measurements myself, so they should be treated as comparative examples rather than laboratory-standard data.
The original data used 80% controller power as the highest comparison point. That does not prove that each tube was producing exactly its rated optical output at 80%; controller percentage and optical watts are not directly interchangeable.
| Machine | Standby | 20% setting | 50% setting | 80% setting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40W, 400 × 300mm | 100W | 150W | 240W | 350W |
| 80W, 900 × 600mm | 125W | 214W | 465W | 570W |
| 100W, 1200 × 900mm | 140W | 250W | 580W | 690W |
| 150W, 1400 × 900mm | 190W | 350W | 868W | 990W |
Ancillary equipment can cost more to run than expected
Small desktop CO₂ machines often use relatively modest fans, pumps and air-assist systems. Larger machines may use a dedicated recirculating chiller, higher-pressure air supply and industrial extraction system, and these can materially increase the electrical load.
This means two machines with the same nominal laser wattage can have very different mains consumption. Bed size, extraction design, cooling system and air supply all matter.
Electricity is only one part of the running cost
For many smaller CO₂ lasers, electricity is surprisingly inexpensive compared with the other costs of operating the machine. Depending on how the machine is used, you should also allow for:
- Laser tube or source replacement — a glass CO₂ tube is a consumable and gradually loses output.
- Optics — lenses and mirrors can become contaminated or damaged.
- Extraction filters — filtered extraction systems can have significant consumable costs.
- Cooling — chillers consume electricity and may require maintenance.
- Air assist or compressed air — workshop compressors can use considerably more power than a small diaphragm pump.
- Maintenance — cleaning, alignment, belts, bearings and general servicing.
- Materials and waste — usually much more significant than the electricity used for the laser beam itself.
Does an ageing laser tube increase running costs?
Potentially, yes. If optical output falls, the operator may compensate by slowing the job or increasing the commanded power. Either can increase the energy used to complete the same work, although electricity is only part of the cost penalty — reduced throughput can be much more significant in a business environment.
A power meter is useful for checking whether a tube is still producing the expected optical output. LaserUser stocks Mahoney laser power meters, and the Learning Lab also covers beam condition and mode testing.
Frequently asked questions
How much electricity does a laser cutter use?
Small glass CO₂ machines can draw a few hundred watts while working, while larger machines with more powerful extraction and cooling systems can draw considerably more. My 50W CO₂ machine measured 443.7W at its maximum normal operating point.
Does a 100W laser use only 100W of electricity?
No. The 100W figure normally describes optical laser output. The complete machine also consumes power through the laser PSU, motors, electronics, extraction, cooling and air assist.
Is engraving cheaper than cutting?
Engraving often uses lower laser power but much more motion and can run for a long time. The cheapest job is not necessarily the one with the lowest laser percentage; total energy depends on both machine load and job duration.
What costs more: electricity or consumables?
On many hobby and light-industrial CO₂ systems, electricity is a relatively small cost. Materials, extraction filters, tube replacement, optics and operator time can easily be more significant.
Conclusion
The best way to estimate the cost of running a laser cutter is to measure the complete machine at the mains and use your own electricity tariff. Do not calculate running cost from the laser tube wattage alone.
My 50W CO₂ machine draws roughly 126W with its main ancillary systems operating and up to about 444W while the laser is working hard. Depending on the electricity tariff and machine utilisation, that puts the electrical running cost at only a few pence to a little over ten pence per hour in typical use.
For business costing, however, electricity should be treated as just one component. Consumables, maintenance, extraction, cooling, materials and machine time are often far more important.
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Last updated April 25, 2024
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