Laser Engraver Settings: Power & Speed by Material (2026 Cheat Sheet)

Quick Answer: For a diode laser, start around 90-100% power at 25-35mm/s for a single-pass cut through common plywood, 30-40% power at 400-600mm/s for light engraving, and 60-80% power at 100-200mm/s over 1-2 passes for deep engraving. A 50-80W CO2 laser cuts 1/8-inch (3mm) plywood around 15-20mm/s at 80% power and engraves 3mm acrylic at roughly 400-750mm/s and 15-30% power, per OMTech’s own material-settings documentation. These numbers are starting points, not guarantees — always run a small test grid on scrap first and nudge power by about 5% or speed by about 20% between squares until the cut or engrave looks right.

Every laser engraver settings chart floating around forums and Facebook groups is really just someone else’s starting point, dialed in for their machine, their lens, their exact batch of material. That’s frustrating if you’re hoping for one universal number to punch in, but it’s also good news: once you understand the ranges that work for your laser type and material, dialing in your own settings takes one small test grid instead of trial-and-error on a project piece.

Diode laser settings by task

These ranges come from community-tested diode cheat sheets covering popular machines, and they’re a reasonable starting point whether you’re running an entry-level 5W diode or a higher-power 20W+ module — the higher-wattage machine just tends to sit at the low-power end of each range rather than needing full power. If a single pass at the top of the cutting range doesn’t finish the cut, add a second identical pass rather than cranking power to 100% and slowing the speed way down, which chars the kerf edges more than it needs to. If you’re cutting parts that need to interlock — box joints, gears, inlays — see our laser cutter kerf guide for how to measure and offset for that edge loss.

CO2 laser settings by material

Source: OMTech’s own material-settings and speed-chart documentation, which also flags a rule worth keeping in mind on any CO2 machine: cap your maximum cutting power around 75-80% of the tube’s rating and slow the speed down to compensate, rather than running the tube flat-out. Pushing a CO2 tube to 100% power on every cut shortens its working life for a cut that a slightly slower pass at 80% handles just as cleanly. If you’re still deciding between the two laser types in the first place, our diode vs CO2 laser comparison breaks down the tradeoff beyond just settings.

The one acrylic gotcha diode owners hit immediately

Clear or translucent cast acrylic simply won’t cut or engrave on a diode laser — the visible red or blue beam a diode emits passes straight through transparent material instead of being absorbed as heat, unlike a CO2 laser’s infrared beam, which acrylic absorbs readily. If you’re on a diode machine, stick to cast acrylic in a dark or opaque color, or paint/mask the back surface of a clear piece so the beam has something to strike. This trips up new diode owners constantly because the settings look right on screen — full power, slow speed — and nothing happens. See our best laser engraver for acrylic roundup for machines and material combinations that sidestep this entirely.

Why the test grid matters more than any chart

No published chart accounts for your machine’s exact lens condition, your material’s specific batch, or the humidity in your garage that week — which is why every settings guide, from hobbyist cheat sheets to Glowforge’s own documentation, tells you to run a small test grid on scrap before committing to a final piece. Cut a handful of small squares at different power/speed combinations bracketing your starting point, adjusting power by roughly 5% or speed by roughly 20% between squares, and pick the cleanest result. That five-minute test saves a $15-40 sheet of hardwood or acrylic from becoming scrap because a chart written for someone else’s machine didn’t quite match yours.

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Glowforge and other “auto-setting” machines

If you’re running a Glowforge, its Proofgrade material system reads a QR code on supported sheets and picks power and speed for you automatically, which sidesteps the whole test-grid process for that specific material — but the moment you cut a non-Proofgrade sheet, you’re back to manual settings and the same trial-and-error the rest of this guide covers. Glowforge’s own documentation notes that at 100% power and a low enough speed, a Pro or Basic unit can cut up to 1/4-inch plywood in a single pass, and that the Pro’s extra ~20% power over the Basic lets Full-power jobs run roughly 20% faster at the same cut quality. Our Glowforge vs xTool comparison covers this closed-material-ecosystem tradeoff against the more manual, open-settings approach most other brands take.

The bottom line

Treat every settings chart — including this one — as a starting point, not a formula: diode lasers cut common wood around 90-100% power at 25-35mm/s and engrave lightly at 30-40% power and 400-600mm/s, while a 50-80W CO2 laser cuts 3mm plywood around 15-20mm/s at 80% power and engraves acrylic at 15-30% power and 400-750mm/s. Run a small test grid on scrap before every new material or thickness, nudging power by about 5% or speed by about 20% between squares, and keep your lens clean so the numbers you dial in actually reach the material. If your results are inconsistent even after testing, check our laser engraver maintenance guide — a hazy lens is the most common hidden cause of settings that “used to work” suddenly not cutting through anymore.