Estimate laser engraving cost from job time at $1.25 per minute or your own shop rate, plus setup and materials, or find the time from a price.
Laser Engraving Price Formula
The calculator uses $1.25 per minute as an example. You can enter your own rate and an optional amount for setup and materials.
- P = laser engraving price in dollars
- T = laser engraving time in minutes
- R = engraving rate in dollars per minute
- E = setup and material costs in dollars, or zero if omitted
To find the price, multiply time by your rate and add setup and materials. To work backward from a price, subtract setup and materials before dividing by the rate. The table and the two single-job examples use the default rate with no added costs.
Laser Engraving Price by Time
Use this table to check common engraving times at a rate of $1.25 per minute.
| Engraving Time | Price at $1.25/min |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | $6.25 |
| 10 minutes | $12.50 |
| 15 minutes | $18.75 |
| 30 minutes | $37.50 |
| 60 minutes | $75.00 |
Example Calculations
Example 1: Find the laser engraving price
You have a laser engraving job that takes 24 minutes.
The laser engraving price is $30.00.
Example 2: Find the laser engraving time
You have a laser engraving price of $50.00.
The laser engraving time is 40 minutes.
Laser Engraving Batch Cost and Profit
Select Batch cost and profit and enter the number of items, average time per item, your shop cost rate and material cost per item. For several items engraved together, divide the measured run time by the number of usable items. Include recurring handling in that average. Enter the dollar cost of one-time setup separately.
Batch cost = quantity × (minutes per item × shop cost rate + material cost per item) + one-time setup cost. Divide that total by the quantity for cost per item. Divide 60 by the minutes per item for items per hour during the run. That rate excludes one-time setup.
With a selling price, the calculator multiplies the price by the quantity to find batch revenue. Estimated batch profit is revenue minus batch cost. If revenue is positive, margin is estimated profit divided by revenue, expressed as a percentage. Enter all costs you want reflected in the estimate.
For example, 20 coasters at 3 minutes each and a $1.25/min shop rate cost $75 in shop time. At $2 per blank plus $15 in setup, batch cost is $130, or $6.50 per coaster. Run throughput is 20 coasters per hour. Selling each for $10 yields $70 in estimated batch profit and a 35% margin on the entered costs.
FAQ
What rate does this laser engraving price calculator use?
It uses $1.25 per minute by default. You can enter your own rate under Rate, setup and materials.
Does this include material cost?
Only if you add it. Enter wood, acrylic, metal blanks, setup, design work, or finishing as the setup and material cost, and it is added to the engraving time charge.
How do I choose which value to calculate?
Choose engraving price to enter time, engraving time to enter price, or batch cost and profit to estimate the cost of making multiple items. The $1.25 USD per minute default is an example. Enter your own rate for your job.
