Choosing Acrylic Sheet Size & Thickness for Laser Projects
Buying the right sheet size saves money twice: you waste less material, and you avoid paying to ship acrylic you can't fit on your machine. Here's how to choose.
Why 3mm is the maker standard
3mm hits the sweet spot for laser work. It's rigid enough for signage, coasters and wall art, thin enough for earrings, cake toppers and keyrings, and nearly every hobby and small-business laser cuts it comfortably in one or two passes. Unless a project specifically demands thicker stock, 3mm is the safe default — and it's the thickness of every Acrylix colour.
Our three sheet sizes
- 200 × 300 mm — fits desktop diode machines and small CO2 lasers. Perfect for jewellery, keyrings, cake toppers and small-batch work, and the cheapest way to try a new colour.
- 400 × 600 mm — the versatile mid-size for common CO2 beds. Good for signage, wall art and batch production without handling a huge sheet.
- 600 × 900 mm — for full-bed machines and production runs. The best price per square centimetre if your laser can take it.
Measure your usable bed area — not the machine's outside dimensions — before ordering. If a sheet is slightly larger than your bed, remember many machines have pass-through slots or removable floors, but cutting a cast sheet down cleanly without a laser is fiddly, so buying to fit is usually the better plan.
Sheet prices
All prices are in NZD and include GST.
| Range | 200 × 300 mm | 400 × 600 mm | 600 × 900 mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic patterned colours | $22 | $39 | $50 |
| Glow in the Dark | $35 | $49 | $65 |
| Botanicals & Pastels | $33 | $74 | $155 |
| Fluro & Tints | $22 | $39 | $75 |
| Mirror — colours | $35 | $105 | $249 |
| Mirror — Gold & Silver | $35 | $50 | $75 |
| Everyday Solids | $22 | $39 | $50 |
The sample pack — any 10 colour chips — is $25, shipped NZ-wide for a flat $5.
Recommended laser settings for 3mm cast acrylic
These are conservative starting points for CO2 machines cutting our 3mm cast sheets. Tube age, lens condition, focus and air assist all shift the sweet spot, so always run a small test grid on an offcut before committing a full sheet.
| Machine | Cutting (1 pass) | Engraving |
|---|---|---|
| 40W CO2 | 8–12 mm/s @ 90–100% power | 250–300 mm/s @ 20–25% power |
| 80W CO2 | 20–25 mm/s @ 75–85% power | 350–400 mm/s @ 15–20% power |
| 100W CO2 | 28–35 mm/s @ 70–80% power | 400 mm/s @ 12–18% power |
If parts don't drop free, slow the speed by 10–15% rather than maxing power — too much power melts edges and rounds fine detail. For the glossiest flame-polished edge, use light air assist and leave the protective masking on while cutting. Running a diode laser? Stick to dark, opaque colours and see our laser cutting guide for details.
Getting the most from a sheet
- Nest your parts before you buy — lay out your designs at real scale to see which sheet size gives the least offcut.
- Cast acrylic has no grain, so you can rotate parts freely when nesting.
- Keep your offcuts. Small scraps of patterned acrylic make earrings, charms and test pieces.
Still deciding on colours?
The sample pack lets you check any 10 colours in person before committing to full sheets. And if you're new to cutting acrylic, start with our laser cutting guide.