Never laser anything containing chlorine (PVC, vinyl, faux leather, neoprene) or fluorine (PTFE). The gases they give off damage your lungs and corrode the machine. Polycarbonate, ABS, foam and fibreglass are also off the list, because they catch fire or give off toxic smoke instead of cutting cleanly.
This chart covers the materials hobbyists ask about most. For each one it shows whether a hobby diode laser (roughly 5 to 40 W optical output, blue 445–455 nm light) or a CO2 laser (10.6 µm infrared, typically 40 to 100 W on hobby machines) can engrave or cut it, and why some materials must never go under the beam. Search for a material or filter by verdict. For power and speed starting points, see the Diode Laser Settings calculator.
The golden rule: if you do not know exactly what a material is, do not laser it. Many plastics look identical. Keep offcuts labelled, buy from suppliers who state the material, and ask for the safety data sheet (SDS) when in doubt.
Laser Material Compatibility Chart
| Material | Diode engrave | Diode cut | CO2 engrave | CO2 cut | Verdict | Why / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid wood (pine, birch, maple, walnut, oak) | Yes | Limitedthin stock | Yes | Yes | Safe | The classic laser material. Resinous woods (pine) flare up and leave sticky residue; oak and other open-grain woods engrave unevenly. Fire risk: never leave it. |
| Laser plywood (birch, poplar) | Yes | Yesthin sheet | Yes | Yes | Safe | Buy “laser ply” with interior-grade glue. Exterior and marine ply glues cut poorly and give heavier fumes. Voids and glue pockets stop cuts going through. |
| MDF | Yes | Limitedthin sheet | Yes | Yes | Caution | Cuts well but the urea-formaldehyde binder gives harsh, irritating smoke. Only with good extraction to outside or a proper filter. |
| Paper, card, cardboard | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Caution | Catches fire very easily. Air assist on, small scraps cleared from the bed, and watch every second. Avoid glossy or plastic-coated card. |
| Cork | Yes | Yesthin sheet | Yes | Yes | Safe | Engraves with good contrast. Glowing embers are common: watch it and keep air assist on. |
| Veg-tanned leather | Yes | Yesthin | Yes | Yes | Safe | Natural, vegetable-tanned leather only. Strong smell: extract well. Mask the face to limit smoke staining. |
| Chrome-tanned leather | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Releases chromium compounds in the smoke. If you do not know how the leather was tanned, treat it as chrome-tanned. |
| Cotton, linen, wool felt, denim | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Caution | Natural fabrics cut and engrave well but scorch and catch fire easily. Wool smoke smells strongly: extract well. |
| Polyester or nylon fabric and felt | Limited | Limited | Yes | Yes | Caution | A CO2 laser melts and seals the edge. Fumes are unpleasant and nylon contains nitrogen, so its smoke can include hydrogen cyanide: good extraction is essential. Diode results depend on colour. |
| Cast acrylic (PMMA, Perspex) | Limiteddark/opaque only | Limiteddark/opaque only | Yes | Yes | Safe | CO2 is ideal: cast acrylic engraves frosty white and cuts with polished edges. Blue diode light passes through clear and many pale colours. Fumes (methyl methacrylate) smell strongly and are flammable: extract. |
| Extruded acrylic | Limiteddark/opaque only | Limiteddark/opaque only | Yes | Yes | Safe | Cuts as well as cast but engraving is clear rather than frosty. Make sure it really is acrylic: polycarbonate looks the same. |
| Mylar / PET film (stencils) | Limited | Limited | Yes | Yes | Caution | Thin PET film cuts well on a CO2 for stencils. Check it is PET and not a PVC film: ask the supplier. |
| Acetal (POM, Delrin) | Limitedblack only | Limited | Yes | Yes | Caution | Cuts on a CO2 but gives off formaldehyde. Only with strong extraction to outside. |
| Anodised aluminium | Yesmarks white | No | Yes | No | Safe | The laser removes the dye layer to give a white or grey mark. Hobby lasers cannot cut metal. |
| Painted or powder-coated metal | Yesremoves coating | No | Yes | No | Caution | Burns the coating off to show bare metal. Only on coatings you know; some paints and coatings contain chlorine or heavy metals. |
| Bare steel, stainless, brass | Limitedwith marking spray | No | Limitedwith marking spray | No | Caution | Needs a laser marking compound or spray for a permanent mark. Polished metal reflects the beam, especially with a CO2: risk to the lens and to you. |
| Slate | Yes | No | Yes | No | Safe | Engraves to a light grey with no fumes to speak of. Great for coasters and signs. |
| Glass | Nounless painted | No | Yesfrosts surface | No | Caution | A CO2 frosts the surface; damp paper or washing-up liquid on top reduces chipping. Glass may crack. Clear glass is transparent to a diode. |
| Ceramic tile, stone, granite, marble | Limiteddark stone, coated tiles | No | Yes | No | Safe | Engraves by ablation; dark polished granite gives the best contrast. No cutting. |
| Laser-grade rubber (stamps) | Limited | No | Yes | Limited | Caution | Use only rubber sold as laser-safe (no chlorine). Strong smell and sticky residue: extract well and clean the lens. |
| PVC, vinyl, “leatherette”, vinyl wrap, Foamex/Sintra | Never | Never | Never | Never | Never | Contains chlorine. Releases hydrogen chloride gas, which forms hydrochloric acid in your lungs and on the machine, corroding rails, mirrors and electronics. |
| Faux / PU leather | Never | Never | Never | Never | Never | Often PVC-based (chlorine) and polyurethane smoke can contain hydrogen cyanide and isocyanates. You cannot tell which by looking. |
| PTFE (Teflon) | Never | Never | Never | Never | Never | Heated PTFE releases highly toxic fluorinated gases, including hydrogen fluoride. The fumes can cause polymer fume fever and serious lung damage. |
| Polycarbonate (Lexan, Makrolon) | Never | Never | Never | Never | Never | Absorbs the beam badly, discolours and catches fire rather than cutting, with harmful smoke. Looks just like acrylic: if a clear sheet is unlabelled, do not laser it. |
| ABS | Never | Never | Never | Never | Never | Melts into a sticky mess, and the smoke contains styrene and can contain hydrogen cyanide. Also rules out many 3D prints and toy plastics. |
| Kydex and other PVC/acrylic blends | Never | Never | Never | Never | Never | Contains PVC, so chlorine gas as above. |
| Neoprene and other chloroprene rubber | Never | Never | Never | Never | Never | Polychloroprene contains chlorine. Common in wetsuits, gaskets and mouse mats. |
| HDPE, polypropylene, polyethylene | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Melts and catches fire easily; edges are poor. A CO2 can mark some grades, but cutting is a fire risk. |
| Polystyrene and foam board (EPS, XPS, foam-core board) | Never | Never | Never | Never | Never | Catches fire very easily, melts and gives off styrene smoke. Foam-core board often has a plastic-coated face too. |
| Fibreglass, G10/FR4, PCB board, carbon fibre | Never | Never | Never | Never | Never | The resin gives off toxic smoke (FR4 contains brominated flame retardant) and the fibres do not cut cleanly. |
| Flexible magnet sheet | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Usually ferrite in a PVC or rubber binder. Unless the maker says it is laser-safe, assume it contains chlorine. |
| Unknown, coated or glossy materials | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | If you do not know what it is, do not laser it. Ask the supplier for the safety data sheet (SDS) and look for chlorine, fluorine or bromine. |
“Limited” means it works only in some colours, thicknesses or with extra steps (noted under the rating). Cutting thickness depends heavily on power, focus, air assist and passes: a 5 W diode may only cut 2–3 mm ply where a 40 W diode or a CO2 cuts much thicker. Treat this chart as a safety guide, not a settings guide.
How to Use This Chart
- Check the verdict first. “Never” and “Avoid” rows apply to every laser, whatever its power. A more powerful laser does not make PVC safe.
- Then check your laser type. Diode lasers are blue light, so clear and pale materials let the beam pass straight through. CO2 lasers are absorbed by almost all organic materials and plastics, including clear acrylic and glass, which is why CO2 machines can cut clear acrylic and diodes cannot.
- “Caution” means extraction is not optional. MDF, nylon, acetal and fabrics are fine to laser but their smoke is harmful. Vent the enclosure to outside or use a filter unit designed for laser fumes.
Safety basics for every job
- Never leave a running laser, even for a minute. Keep a fire blanket and a CO2 or water-mist extinguisher within reach.
- Wear safety glasses rated for your laser’s wavelength with a suitable optical density. Diode glasses (445–455 nm) and CO2 glasses (10.6 µm) are not interchangeable. Everyone in the room needs them unless the enclosure is laser-safe.
- Use air assist: it keeps flames down and the lens clean.
- Clean the honeycomb or slats regularly; built-up resin and scraps catch fire.
Is it acrylic or polycarbonate? Both are clear, rigid sheets. Look for a printed protective film or label (acrylic is often sold as Perspex, Plexiglas or PMMA; polycarbonate as Lexan or Makrolon). Polycarbonate flexes much further before breaking and is often sold as “unbreakable”. If you still are not sure, do not laser it.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. PVC and vinyl contain chlorine and release hydrogen chloride gas when lasered. It forms hydrochloric acid, which harms your lungs and corrodes the laser’s rails, mirrors and electronics. This applies to diode and CO2 lasers alike.
Not usefully. Blue diode light passes through clear acrylic and many pale colours without being absorbed. Black or dark opaque cast acrylic can be engraved and thin sheets cut with a diode; clear acrylic needs a CO2 laser.
Natural vegetable-tanned leather is fine with good extraction. Avoid chrome-tanned leather, which releases chromium compounds, and never laser faux or PU leather, which may contain PVC and can give off hydrogen cyanide.
Polycarbonate absorbs the beam poorly, so it discolours, melts and catches fire instead of cutting, and the smoke is harmful. It looks like acrylic, so label your sheets and do not laser unidentified clear plastic.
Never ABS: it melts and its smoke can contain hydrogen cyanide. PLA does not contain chlorine, but it melts rather than cuts cleanly and is not a good laser material. For printed parts, design the shape in the print instead.
Related Calculators and Charts
Based on widely published laser-safety guidance from laser makers, makerspaces and plastics suppliers. Material formulations vary, so always check the supplier’s safety data sheet (SDS) for chlorine, fluorine, bromine or other hazardous content. This chart is a conservative guide and does not replace your laser’s manual or a proper fume and fire risk assessment.