Tube Cutting Estimator

Free tool

Tube cutting estimator

Parts per bar, drop, weight and cost for round, square and rectangular tube — including the clamp and trim loss most quotes forget.

Profile

Material

Outside diameter (mm)

Wall thickness (mm)

Laser power

Stock length (mm)

Part length (mm)

Clamp + trim loss (mm)

Kerf (mm)

Quantity

Currency

Machine rate (per hour)

Material price (per kg)

Parts per stock length—

Stock lengths needed—

Drop per stock length—

Material utilisation—

Cut perimeter—

Cut time / part—

Weight / part—

Total run time—

Cost per part—

Order total—

How the yield is worked out

Usable length = Stock length − Clamp and trim loss

Parts per stock = floor( Usable length ÷ (Part length + Kerf) )

Utilisation = (Parts × Part length) ÷ Stock length

Cut time = Profile perimeter ÷ (Cut speed × 0.85)

Weight = Cross-section area × Part length × Density

One pierce and one full perimeter cut are counted per part. The 0.85 factor allows for the slower effective speed on tube compared with flat sheet.

Clamp and trim loss is the number people forget

A tube laser cannot cut to the very end of the stock. The chuck has to hold something, and the first cut usually trims a ragged mill end. That lost length is fixed per stock bar, so it hurts most on short runs and on expensive alloys.

Worked example: 6000 mm stock, 450 mm parts. Ignore the clamp loss and you calculate 13 parts. Allow a realistic 180 mm and you get 12. On an order of 200 parts that is the difference between 16 bars and 17 — and if you quoted 16, that extra bar comes out of your margin.

Profile perimeters

Profile	Cut perimeter	Cross-section area
Round tube	π × OD	π/4 × (OD² − ID²)
Square tube	4 × W	W² − (W−2t)²
Rectangular tube	2 × (W + H)	W×H − (W−2t)(H−2t)

Corner radii on formed square and rectangular tube are ignored, so the perimeter and weight run very slightly high. The error is under one percent on typical sections and works in your favour when quoting.

Densities used

Material	Density	Note
Mild steel	7.85 g/cm³	Standard structural and mechanical tube.
Stainless	8.00 g/cm³	Austenitic grades, 304 and 316.
Aluminium	2.70 g/cm³	About a third the weight for the same section.

What this does not cover. Bevels and coped ends, multi-axis features, loading and unloading, remnant management across an order, and any straightness or ovality problems in the incoming stock. It assumes straight square cuts on good material. Treat it as a quoting baseline, not a production plan.

Need the drawings behind the quote?

We are GMR3D Engineering, a mechanical design studio. Production-ready CAD and manufacturing files for sheet metal, tube, laser cutting, CNC machining, 3D printing and injection molding.

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Tube Cutting Estimator