Yes — with the right machine. Here’s which laser actually cuts metal, which ones only mark it, and where the line is.
Short answer
Yes — but cutting metal takes a fiber laser. A kilowatt-class fiber cutter produces a beam (around 1064 nm) that metal absorbs efficiently, so it cuts steel, stainless, aluminum, brass, and copper cleanly with an assist gas. A high-power CO2 laser can cut only thin sheet metal (Boss’s HP series cuts up to about 18-gauge stainless), and diode, low-wattage, and fiber-marker lasers cannot cut metal at all — markers only etch the surface. So the honest answer is yes, if you mean a fiber cutter like Boss’s FC series; no, if you mean a hobby engraver. For permanent marks rather than cuts, see our metal-engraving guide.
To cut metal, you need a fiber laser.
Metal absorbs the fiber laser’s ~1064 nm wavelength far better than the CO2 wavelength, which is why fiber is the tool for cutting metal. A fiber cutter focuses a high-power beam to a fine point and uses an assist gas — oxygen for carbon steel, nitrogen for clean stainless and aluminum edges — to blow the molten metal out of the cut. Boss’s FC Series fiber cutters do this work, from the FC-EcoCut (2 kW) up to high-power enclosed systems, with pipe and tube options as well.
What CO2, diode, and marker lasers can (and can’t) do.
- High-power CO2 (Boss HP series, 155–250 W): cuts thin sheet metal — up to about 18-gauge stainless / 20-gauge mild steel — not thick plate.
- Fiber markers (Boss FM series, 20–100 W): mark, etch, and engrave metal permanently, but do not cut it.
- Diode & low-watt lasers: can mark coated or anodized metal at best; they cannot cut metal.
The common confusion is wattage: a 20–100 W fiber marker sounds powerful but only marks — cutting metal is a kilowatt-class job.
Cutting vs. marking metal.
If your goal is a permanent mark — serial numbers, logos, barcodes — you want a fiber marker, not a cutter; see how to laser engrave metal. If you need to cut parts from sheet or tube, that is fiber-cutter territory. Many shops run both: an FM marker for ID and an FC cutter for parts.
Related questions
Can a laser cutter cut metal?
Yes, if it is a fiber laser cutter. A kilowatt-class fiber cutter cuts steel, stainless, aluminum, brass, and copper with an assist gas. A high-power CO2 laser cuts only thin sheet, and diode or marker lasers cannot cut metal at all.
Can you laser cut metal?
Yes — with a fiber laser cutter. Fiber is absorbed by metal, so it cuts sheet and tube cleanly; the thickness it handles depends on the machine’s power. A hobby engraver or fiber marker will not cut metal.
Can a laser cut through metal?
A fiber laser cuts all the way through metal, with the thickness set by its power — roughly 10 mm of stainless at 1 kW up to 20–25 mm at 6 kW. A low-power or CO2 laser will not cut through anything but thin sheet.
Can a laser engraver or fiber marker cut metal?
No. Laser engravers and fiber markers (typically 20–100 W) mark, etch, or engrave the surface of metal but do not cut it. Cutting metal needs a kilowatt-class fiber cutter, which is a different machine.
Can a CO2 laser cut metal?
Only thin sheet, and only at high power. Boss’s HP-series CO2 lasers cut up to about 18-gauge stainless / 20-gauge mild steel, but bare or thick metal is a fiber-cutter job. Standard desktop CO2 lasers do not cut metal at all.
Keep going
- Deep dive (coming soon): Metal laser cutting basics
- Related: What type of laser cuts metal? · How many watts to cut metal? · How do you laser engrave metal?
- Products: FC Series fiber cutters