← All calculatorsMinimum &
maximum
part sizes.
The sheet sets the limit.
From the smallest blank to the largest cut. Find the range for your material, then see where your part fits.
Check your part sizePowered by Xeon NC
Pick a material. See both ends.
The smallest and largest blank we will cut in the material you choose, drawn to scale against each other. Every size here prices instantly — there is no custom-quote tier and no minimum order.
Your dimensions.
The whole catalog.
Enter the width and height of your unfolded part. Check the catalog in one step, then use the table to find a material and thickness that fit.
A folded part can look small and still unfold beyond the sheet. Measure the flat pattern in CAD before checking.
Inches, unfolded. Orientation does not matter — nesting is free to rotate the part.
Your sheet size.
Your maximum part.
For every sheet-metal material, leave 0.50″ on all four sides. Subtract both opposing margins: 1.00″ from the sheet length and 1.00″ from the sheet width. Dimensions below are for the flat blank.
Left, right, top and bottom.
Part width = sheet width − 1.00″
0.50″ + 0.50″ = 1.00″ per dimension. The laser bed limit also applies.
A 48″ × 120″ sheet gives a 47″ × 119″ part.
Compare materials below. On a smaller screen, scroll within the table to see every column.
Three limits, and the smallest one wins.
A blank has to clear all three. Which one stops you depends on the material, so the honest answer is never a single number.
The sheet, minus the margin.
A 0.5″ band on each edge is where the sheet is clamped, and where the cut stays clear of the raw mill edge — which is rarely straight or square enough to cut to. That is 1″ off each overall dimension, not half an inch. A 120″ × 48″ sheet yields a 119″ × 47″ blank; a 120″ × 60″ sheet yields 119″ × 59″.
The laser working area: 120″ × 60″.
Nothing leaves the table larger than the table. Most of our sheet is 48″ or 60″ wide, so the sheet usually binds first — but the bed is the ceiling that no material can raise.
The floor: 0.250″ × 0.250″.
Below a quarter inch square, a blank drops through the slats of the cutting bed, tips into the scrap, or cannot be picked up without damaging it. There is also a size below which nothing can be held for a secondary operation.
Smaller parts are still possible — they get cut on a tabbed skeleton, held to the surrounding sheet by micro-joints and snapped apart after delivery. That is how a run of tiny brackets or shims actually gets made. See gang sheets and volume pricing.
All of it applies to the flat blank, not the folded part.
This catches more people than any other rule here. A formed part unfolds much larger than its folded footprint — a 24″ deep box with 6″ flanges unfolds far wider than 24″. Unfold it in CAD and measure that. Our bend allowance calculator gives you the flat length, and the DFM lookup explains quote codes 3113 and 3114 if one comes back.
Where the margin goes.
The usable area against the sheet it came from, drawn to scale for the material selected below. The band is only half an inch, but it comes off all four sides.
The limits that bite later.
A part can clear the laser and still be the wrong size for what happens next. These are checked against the dimensions in the “Will it fit?” tool.
Powder coating carries its own size and weight envelope, and it is a hanging line — oversized or heavy parts hit the oven opening or the hook rating rather than a dimension. See powder coating and DFM codes 3331 / 3333. Every operation also has a weight ceiling; the material weight calculator will tell you what a blank weighs before you commit to a gauge.
Size limits, answered.
The questions that come up most about how small and how large a part can be.
What is the smallest part you can laser cut?
0.250″ × 0.250″. Below that a blank drops through the slats of the bed, tips into the scrap, or cannot be picked without damage. Smaller parts are still possible on a tabbed skeleton — held to the surrounding sheet by micro-joints and snapped apart after delivery. That is the normal route for tiny shims and brackets; see gang sheets.What is the largest part you can laser cut?
120″ × 60″, and the sheet you are cut from minus 0.5″ on every edge. On 120″ × 48″ stock that is 119″ × 47″; on 120″ × 60″ stock it is 119″ × 59″. The table above gives it per gauge and names which limit bound the answer.Why is the maximum part smaller than the sheet?
0.5″ band on each edge is the clamping zone, and it also keeps the cut away from the raw mill edge, which is rarely straight or square enough to cut to. Note it comes off both sides — 1″ off each overall dimension, which is the part people forget.Is the limit based on the folded part or the flat blank?
Are there size limits after the part is cut?
2″ × 2″ — smaller parts shift or flip under brush pressure. A single press-brake bend cannot exceed 120″. Powder coating has its own size and weight envelope because it is a hanging line. All of these are checked against your blank in the section above.Can I get a part larger than the sheet?
Do all materials come in the same sheet size?
Where do these numbers come from?
0.250″ minimum and the 0.5″ per-edge margin are the same values the per-gauge DFM preflight on every material page reports, the 120″ × 60″ working area is from fiber laser and capabilities, the deburring floor is from the deburring guide, and sheet sizes come from the material catalog. Nothing here is interpolated.Know the limits.
Make the part.
Upload your DXF or STEP file to check your material, dimensions, and manufacturing options.