Top 10 Materials for Laser Cutting in 2025

Everyone who has ever used a laser cutter knows how frustrating it can be when a sheet is difficult or impossible to cut, comes out poorly, or has ugly edges. This can be due to both the laser cutter's settings and the material's properties and quality. 

It is crucial to choose the best material, because not every sheet material can be laser cut and engraved. The glue in plywood and MDF does not always react well to the laser cutter. A knot in the sheet and you have to start all over again. Fortunately, these frustrations are unnecessary.

At Lasersheets, we know which sheet materials are good for laser cutting and which are most commonly used. We ourselves have 14 years of experience as a laser cutting service with our sister company Snijlab and subsequently as a material supplier. We see daily which materials come out beautifully from the laser cutter, and we have also collected and analyzed our own data.

Our range has recently been significantly expanded with even more sheet material for laser cutters. This is our updated and current top 10 of materials that, according to us and our customers, deliver excellent results. Ideal for hobby laser cutters, but also for creatives with a Makerspace or Fablab, teachers at schools, and bulk consumers. Get a quick start and check out our top 10 successful materials for laser cutting.

The Best Materials for Laser Cutting and Engraving 2025

Different types of sheet materials have different characteristics, which makes them suitable for various purposes. Some are soft and flexible, others sturdy and strong; some are modern and sleek, while other materials are natural and stylish.

Our updated top 10 of best materials for laser cutting and engraving is tailored to the 2025 laser cutter and based on our own data, experience, and customer preferences. These are our current 10 top products, including our newest bestsellers, which we are sure will not disappoint you.

Read more about our current top 10 products

1. Birch Plywood

• Our bestseller for years

• Subtle visible wood grain

• Strong and hard

• Versatile

• Few knots (wood quality B/B)

Birch plywood has been our bestseller for years. It is a hard, strong wood type with a beautiful, subtly visible grain. It is also a very recognizable material due to its typical atmospheric and natural appearance. This makes it broadly applicable.

During the composition of birch plywood, multiple layers are glued crosswise. These sheets are therefore strong and slightly stiffer along the main grain direction. 

We only supply birch plywood that is virtually knot-free (wood quality B/B); the laser beam will burn less into knots, resulting in less product waste for you. We have these sheets specially made with glue suitable for laser cutting. With our sheets, you will get fewer charred edges than with regular plywood. The material is fast to laser cut and comes out of the machine with beautiful golden-brown edges.

We are also proud of our FSC® certification for our birch plywood sheets in the most popular thicknesses. Buy our 3 mm birch plywood and 6 mm birch plywood sheets and you contribute to the preservation of forests worldwide.

Beware: birch wood can warp if not stored properly; in this blog we explain how you should store it.

Tip for bulk consumers: invest in a workshop pallet for extra savings.

2. Basswood Plywood

• Straight into the top 10

• Lightweight, yet strong

• Few knots

• Light in color with a subtle visible grain

• Cut thicker sheets with lower wattage

When we started selling basswood plywood in 2024, we knew this material had potential. It is a lighter alternative to birch plywood and is more affordable than our birch plywood sheets. This material has worked its way up to become one of our best-selling materials of 2024. It therefore takes second place in our top 10 best materials for laser cutting.

What is so special about basswood plywood? It is very versatile and is purchased from us for all kinds of projects, from model building to furniture making. Thanks to the cross-glued layers, it is strong and stable and less prone to breakage. It has a beautiful light color and a subtle and even grain structure.

Our basswood plywood contains few knots and is composed with the right adhesive. It can therefore be used perfectly in the laser cutter. Our customers choose it not only as a more affordable alternative to birch plywood but also for its beautiful and light appearance.

Beware: Basswood plywood has a main grain direction. Therefore, our thinner basswood plywood sheets (up to 3mm) are somewhat stiffer.

Tip for value: our basswood plywood value pack is very popular among our customers.

3. Bamboo Plywood

• New since 2024, an instant bestseller

• Unique plywood composition

• Less prone to breakage than standard bamboo

• Beautiful appearance

• 100% FSC-certified

Our experienced laser cutters will be surprised. Bamboo is almost never sold as plywood. We thought differently, because bamboo plywood breaks much less easily than side-pressed bamboo. We added it to our assortment in 2024 and we were right, as it immediately became a bestseller.

Bamboo plywood is strong, and due to the cross-glued layers, it is break-resistant in both directions. The laser beam passes through it evenly, and it is suitable for both diode and CO₂ lasers. It has a beautiful grain, is homogeneous, and contains fewer thick knots. 

At Lasersheets, we also always consider the environment, and bamboo plywood is a sustainable alternative to regular wood types. Our sheets consist only of 100% FSC® certified bamboo and thus come from sustainably managed forests. It is versatile for decoration, precision work, and custom designs.

Beware: bamboo plywood is easy to cut, but use the correct wattage. Contact our specialists if in doubt. We are happy to help you.

Extra advantage: check out our bamboo value pack and buy 12 sheets at a discount.

4. MDF

• A favorite for years

• Affordable

• Homogeneous and thus easy to cut

• Sturdy and reliable

• Glued with laser-friendly adhesive

Our top 10 would not be complete without MDF, as it is a perennial favorite among our customers. MDF consists of pressed and glued wood fibers and not multiple layers, like plywood. The advantage of this is that it is homogeneous, and thus equally thick and hard everywhere. This makes it predictable in the laser cutter and a material that will give you few problems.

The low price of MDF is also a big advantage. Our customers use it frequently for prototypes and objects that still need finishing. Do you want immediate results? Then check out our finished MDF sheets for laser cutters, for example, our new colored 5 mm MDF.

Sustainability is paramount for us as usual, which is why the most popular MDF sheets (3, 4, 6, and 9 mm) in our assortment are FSC® certified. Naturally, they are composed with laser-friendly glue, for a beautiful result.

Beware: for lower-power laser cutters, we recommend using our thinner 1 mm thick MDF and 2 mm thick MDF sheets.

Extra advantage: save and impress with our colored MDF value pack.

5. ABS Engraving Laminate

• New material and immediately popular

• Easy to cut with all laser machines

• Beautiful contrasting colors (metallic also available)

• Professional finish

• For detailed engravings

With our ABS engraving laminates you create something special. This is also a material that we added to our assortment in 2024 and which immediately sold well. This is not surprising, as these engraving laminates are perfect for making signs, front panels, and keychains.

The sheets consist of two layers with contrasting colors, and we have a wide assortment to choose from. By engraving away the top layer, the color underneath emerges, creating a contrasting image. These sheets are available from us in all sorts of color combinations and various sizes.

As you've come to expect from us, these engraving laminates are also excellent for use in the laser cutter. Besides engraving, you can also cut them, even with a light 10W diode machine. They are suitable for CO₂ and diode laser cutters; thus, a widely applicable material.

Tip: check out our blog about ABS engraving laminates for design inspiration.

6. Mirror Acrylic

• Cut a unique mirror in any shape

• Ideal for decoration and interior applications

• Clear as a glass mirror

• Not suitable for diode laser cutters

• Multiple colors and dimensions

Mirror acrylic does exactly what it says. It is an acrylic (thus plastic) sheet with a mirror side. It is indistinguishable from a real glass mirror, but it is easier to process and therefore use in the laser cutter.

Our customers create beautiful objects from this material. It is used for unique wall mirrors, but also for sculptures, advertising signs, and lighting applications. Let your imagination run wild and mirror acrylic will become a real eye-catcher.

We sell mirror acrylic in four different colors and multiple sizes. Of course, it is made of a plastic that can be used in a laser cutter. This is confirmed by the LaserGrade CO₂ quality mark.

Beware: mirror acrylic cannot be used in a diode laser cutter.

Volume discount: our mirror acrylic sheets are also sold with a volume discount, for bulk consumers or if you want to build up a stock.

7. Black MDF

• Colored through-and-through black/dark gray.

• Strong and hard

• Affordable

• No finishing needed

• Homogeneous and break-resistant

Black MDF is a favorite of ours and our customers. This material has all the advantages of MDF plus the fact that it doesn't need to be finished. So it's not strange that it is a standard feature in our top 10 materials for the laser cutter.

Black MDF is standard MDF with a black color. This color is not only applied to the outer layers of the sheet, but the entire sheet is black. This through-and-through color makes scratches and other damage less visible. Like regular MDF, it is homogeneous, affordable, and ideal for the laser cutter.

Our customers use black MDF for a variety of applications, from hobby to professional. It is not waterproof, but with a lacquer layer, it can be used outdoors. It is relatively hard, stiff, and strong, even if it gets wet. 

Beware: due to the coloring, black MDF is heavier than standard MDF. Brown fibers may also be visible in the sheet.

8. Laserboard

• Thin and lightweight, yet strong

• Flexible and bendable

• Unfinished

• For cutting and engraving

• Ideal for precision work (model making)

We love laserboard, because it is a material that is extremely suitable for precision work. It is not the most versatile material, but model and miniature builders create beautiful components from it, with the smallest details in windows, fences, and facades, among other things. 

Laserboard is a cardboard, but it is impregnated with resin. This makes it strong and flexible. It has a narrow laser cut and is very tough, which enables detailed work. The laserboard is unfinished, but can be painted and glued without problems. After cutting, no burn marks or distortion are visible.

Another advantage of laserboard is that it can be processed by both CO₂ laser cutters and diode laser cutters. Don't forget to check our stock of accessories for laser projects, for useful model making accessories.

Tip: You can do more with laserboard than just use it for model making. For example, create stencils or an overlay for your final product.

9. PE Rigid Foam

• High quality

• Sleek appearance (dark color, even fine cell structure)

• Also for the lightest laser cutters

• Resistant to chemicals

• Water-resistant

Foam for the laser cutter? With PE rigid foam from Lasersheets, you don't have to worry about melted edges and burning smells. Our material is, of course, suitable for laser cutters. You can engrave PE rigid foam in diode lasers and CO₂ laser cutters.

PE rigid foam is slightly harder than an average mattress. It is widely used as the interior of suitcases and toolboxes, but also for logos and layered sculptures. Our customers use it in their workshop because it is waterproof and resistant to chemicals.

Our PE rigid foam sheets are available in different thicknesses and dimensions. By cutting certain shapes into them, you create a safe storage space for your tools, musical instrument, or other fragile objects. You can also engrave text or a logo next to it. It is also an excellent choice for an acoustic panel.

10. PET Felt

• Sustainable choice

• Moisture-resistant and UV-stabilized

• Low maintenance

• Acoustic properties

• Available in 26 beautiful colors

PET felt is the latest example of a relatively new material that immediately performs well in our store. We think it might be the most enjoyable material in our assortment, because it is available in 26 beautiful colors. These sheets are used for acoustic panels, decorations, and interior design, among other things, but are very versatile.

Our new PET felt sheets are made from the same material as PET bottles. It is colorfast and wear-resistant, UV-stabilized, and water-resistant. So it remains beautiful for years without too much maintenance.

Additionally, PET felt is made from 70% recycled material, making it a sustainable option. It is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a plastic sheet and wanting to reduce their environmental impact. It can be used in diode and CO₂ laser cutters and is exceptionally strong.

Beware: If you use PET felt in your diode laser, the number of passes varies per color. Contact Lasersheets for more information and advice.

The ideal materials for your laser cutter

We are proud of our top 10 best materials for the laser cutter. What is the ideal material for your next project? We always recommend choosing quality. Then you can be sure that you can cut it safely, that you won't encounter knots, and that the seams and edges will come out of your laser cutter clean and undamaged. You will surely find an option that fits your needs in the top 10 best materials for laser cutting.

If you order from us, you will always receive materials that are perfect for your laser cutter. After all, that's our specialty! We accept all orders, both in small quantities and in bulk, we deliver by post, and all our materials are of high quality. 

Does this top 10 not contain the materials you are looking for? Everyone with a laser cutter can come to us, so take a look in our extensive webshop or contact us for further advice.