CutChart / workshop reference
Laser Safety: Limits of This Reference
A setting on CutChart is reference information, not a safety determination. Follow your device manufacturer's instructions. CutChart does not certify materials, eye protection, enclosures, ventilation or operating procedures, and it publishes no settings for a material whose cited publisher says not to laser it.
Start with the machine instructions
LightBurn's safety guidance directs users to their device manufacturer's instructions and warns against leaving a laser operating unattended. This page is not a complete safety guide.
How a material reaches a settings page
A settings row publishes only when a sourced material-safety record exists for its material. That record quotes the manufacturer or laser-vendor page word for word, names the publisher and shows the date we read it. Each settings page repeats the statements for its material in a safety panel above the source list. Here is what the 13 current records say.
Materials the cited publishers say not to laser
CutChart publishes no settings row for these materials. Each line quotes the publisher that says so.
- ABS
ABS emits cyanide gas (HCN), which is deadly. It does not allow the cells to get oxygen, and it results in the failure of various organs.
(xTool, Safety Guide: What Plastics Can Be Cut or Engraved?, read 2026-09-21)plastics such as PVC, ABS, and polycarbonate should not be cut or engraved with a laser machine, as they emit harmful and toxic fumes.
(xTool, Safety Guide: What Plastics Can Be Cut or Engraved?, read 2026-09-21) - polycarbonate
plastics such as PVC, ABS, and polycarbonate should not be cut or engraved with a laser machine, as they emit harmful and toxic fumes.
(xTool, Safety Guide: What Plastics Can Be Cut or Engraved?, read 2026-09-21)Vaporization or melting of many materials, which include but are not limited to PVC and polycarbonate, may release harmful smoke.
(xTool, S1 Safety First (Important), read 2026-09-21) - PVC and vinyl
Do not engrave or cut any material that contains PVC or vinyl (processing plastics is not recommended). These materials (and other materials containing chlorine/chloride) can generate corrosive vapor that is extremely harmful to the human body and can cause damage to the device.
(xTool, S1 Safety First (Important), read 2026-09-21)PVC is a very common plastic, and it is used in a wide range of essential and daily used products. But you cannot cut it using a laser machine as it produces harmful smoke of hydrochloric acid, vinyl chloride, ethylene dichloride, and dioxin.
(xTool, Safety Guide: What Plastics Can Be Cut or Engraved?, read 2026-09-21)
Materials the cited publishers attach a caution to
A settings row for these materials appears only next to the publisher caution below.
- HDPE
some plastics are not suitable for laser cutting and engraving. Lasers do not cut them with perfection. Some plastics melt, produce dripping, etc.; therefore, they are not ideal materials for lasers. Such as:
(xTool, Safety Guide: What Plastics Can Be Cut or Engraved?, read 2026-09-21)Carbon Fiber Polycarbonate HDPE
(xTool, Safety Guide: What Plastics Can Be Cut or Engraved?, read 2026-09-21) xTool lists HDPE among plastics that are not suitable for laser processing because they melt and drip; the page attaches no fume statement to HDPE. - leather
There are some materials that should not be processed with a laser engraver or a laser cutter because of their chemical make-up. Processing these materials creates dangerous gases or dust.
(Trotec Laser, Which materials are not suitable for laser cutting and engraving?, read 2026-09-21)Leather and artificial leather that contains chromium (VI)
(Trotec Laser, Which materials are not suitable for laser cutting and engraving?, read 2026-09-21) Tanning method not stated by Creality Falcon.
Materials whose publishers document operating conditions
The publisher conditions below appear on every settings page for these materials.
- acrylic
- anodized aluminum
- felt
- painted tile
- paper
- plywood
- stainless steel
- wood
What this site cannot establish
A matching speed or power value does not resolve material composition, coating, fumes, eye protection or equipment condition. We do not infer those answers from a machine's name or marketed wattage. A material that no captured publisher page addresses has no record here, and that absence is not a clearance.
Read how source scope is recorded, what CutChart covers and the terms of use.
Reference information only. Follow the instructions for your exact machine and material. A listed setting does not establish that a job is safe. Read the safety limits.