Stainless Steel Laser Engraving Settings

Slower Cermark pass for bolder, more durable marks on stainless steel. Extend drying time after applying spray for best bond.

CO2 stainless steel mark with Cermark coating. Apply thin even coat, engrave, wash with water. Without Cermark CO2 cannot mark bare stainless.

Slower Cermark pass for bolder, more durable marks on stainless steel. Extend drying time after applying spray for best bond.

CO2 stainless steel mark with Cermark coating. Apply thin even coat, engrave, wash with water. Without Cermark CO2 cannot mark bare stainless.

Slower Cermark pass for bolder, more durable marks on stainless steel. Extend drying time after applying spray for best bond.

CO2 stainless steel mark with Cermark coating. Apply thin even coat, engrave, wash with water. Without Cermark CO2 cannot mark bare stainless.

Slower Cermark pass for bolder, more durable marks on stainless steel. Extend drying time after applying spray for best bond.

CO2 stainless steel mark with Cermark coating. Apply thin even coat, engrave, wash with water. Without Cermark CO2 cannot mark bare stainless.

Slower Cermark pass for bolder, more durable marks on stainless steel. Extend drying time after applying spray for best bond.

CO2 stainless steel mark with Cermark coating. Apply thin even coat, engrave, wash with water. Without Cermark CO2 cannot mark bare stainless.

Slower pass for deeper Cermark bond on stainless. Multiple thin coats of spray gives better adhesion.

Apply Cermark or black Molybdenum spray before engraving. Wash residue with water after. Without coating, diode lasers cannot mark bare stainless steel.

Slower pass for deeper Cermark bond on stainless. Multiple thin coats of spray gives better adhesion.

Apply Cermark or black Molybdenum spray before engraving. Wash residue with water after. Without coating, diode lasers cannot mark bare stainless steel.

Slower pass for deeper Cermark bond on stainless. Multiple thin coats of spray gives better adhesion.

Apply Cermark or black Molybdenum spray before engraving. Wash residue with water after. Without coating, diode lasers cannot mark bare stainless steel.

Slower pass for deeper Cermark bond on stainless. Multiple thin coats of spray gives better adhesion.

Apply Cermark or black Molybdenum spray before engraving. Wash residue with water after. Without coating, diode lasers cannot mark bare stainless steel.

Slower pass for deeper Cermark bond on stainless. Multiple thin coats of spray gives better adhesion.

Apply Cermark or black Molybdenum spray before engraving. Wash residue with water after. Without coating, diode lasers cannot mark bare stainless steel.

Slower pass for deeper Cermark bond on stainless. Multiple thin coats of spray gives better adhesion.

Apply Cermark or black Molybdenum spray before engraving. Wash residue with water after. Without coating, diode lasers cannot mark bare stainless steel.

Slower pass for deeper Cermark bond on stainless. Multiple thin coats of spray gives better adhesion.

Apply Cermark or black Molybdenum spray before engraving. Wash residue with water after. Without coating, diode lasers cannot mark bare stainless steel.

Apply Cermark spray, let dry, laser, wipe off. Permanent mark.

Apply Cermark spray, let dry, laser, wipe off.

Apply Cermark spray, let dry, laser, wipe off.

Apply Cermark spray, let dry, laser, wipe off.

Apply Cermark spray, let dry, laser, wipe off.

Apply Cermark spray, let dry, laser, wipe off.

Apply Cermark spray, let dry, laser, wipe off.

Apply Cermark spray, let dry, laser, wipe off.

Apply Cermark spray, let dry, laser, wipe off.

Apply Cermark spray, let dry, laser, wipe off. Permanent mark.

Apply Cermark spray, let dry, laser, wipe off. Permanent mark.

Apply Cermark spray, let dry, laser, wipe off. Permanent mark.

Black mark on stainless. High power needed at 2W. Stable result.

UV can mark stainless. Slower than fiber but useful in a pinch.

UV can mark stainless but slower than fiber. Good for mixed-material jobs.

2W needs near-max power for black mark on steel. Works well.

Black oxidation mark. MOPA pulse width 4ns for darkest result.

Deep black mark. Faster than B4 at same contrast.

Deep black oxidation mark. Stable and corrosion-resistant.

20W UV on bare steel is marginal — use fiber for reliable results on bare metals.

UV has low absorption on bare stainless. Results variable — fiber laser preferred for bare metals.

F1 Ultra fiber head. Use XCS fiber preset as starting point.

Deep engrave: 50kHz, 4ns pulse. Multiple passes for depth.

MOPA: set pulse width 2ns for dark mark, 200ns for bright silver. Adjust pulse frequency 20-80kHz.

Stainless steel at 40W diode. Use marking compound.

CO2 40W on stainless. Marking spray recommended.

Stainless steel at 40W diode. Use marking compound.

CO2 40W on stainless. Marking spray recommended.

Stainless steel at 10W. Marking spray required. Max power.

Stainless steel at 20W. Marking spray. High power.

Stainless steel at 10W. Marking spray required. Max power.

Stainless steel at 20W. Marking spray. High power.

CO2 60W on stainless with marking spray.

CO2 40W on stainless. Marking spray recommended.

CO2 55W stainless steel engrave.

CO2 55W stainless steel engrave.

CO2 40W on stainless. Marking spray recommended.

CO2 60W on stainless with marking spray.

Stainless steel at 20W. Marking spray. High power.

Stainless steel at 40W diode. Use marking compound.

2W fiber is very low power — 100% power + multiple passes required for any visible mark on stainless. Result is light gray mark, not deep black. xTool official: IR (2W) is ideal for marking stainless. xTool F1 max speed 4000mm/s, freq range 30–60kHz. Expect lighter result than 20W+ MOPA. Pulse width not user-adjustable on F1. | Freq: 50kHz, line interval: 0.05mm

Deep material removal / mechanical engraving. Low frequency is more aggressive. Multiple passes with slight defocus between passes can clear debris. LightBurn forum 30W settings thread. | Freq: 25kHz, pulse: 200ns, line interval: 0.03mm

BCF/JPT 30W validated settings from barchlaser.com 150mm lens test. Same core parameters as 20W B4 but 30W gives slightly faster throughput. Dark oxide mark. LightBurn: set freq min 20, max 200. | Freq: 30kHz, pulse: 200ns, line interval: 0.01mm

For deeper mechanical removal rather than surface oxide. Slower speed + lower frequency for more aggressive ablation. Based on barchlaser.com 20W settings and community scaling from 30W data. | Freq: 20kHz, pulse: 200ns, line interval: 0.03mm

Produces a dark oxide mark. Lower frequency (20–30 kHz) gives darker result. ComMarker official material settings page + LightBurn forum confirmation. Run a material test grid before production. | Freq: 25kHz, pulse: 200ns, line interval: 0.054mm

The LP4 is a handheld fiber laser — set on its stand for stationary marking. Black oxide mark on brushed stainless at 80%. The app controls speed and power via preset profiles. Ideal for marking items too large to fit in a desktop laser. Permanent, dishwasher-safe result.

Portable fiber laser. Black oxidation mark on brushed stainless. Ideal for small items and jewellery personalisation. Compact galvo head gives very sharp detail.

Tested directly on stainless steel at 200mm/min, 100% power, 1 pass with air assist on. Result: legible text/marks. Varying power and line interval (0.05–0.1mm) produces color oxidation effects (blues, oranges, purples) — a standout feature of the P2's high power. Black acrylic paint pre-coating not required at full power.

Faster pass for simple logos or large fills. May leave slight paint haze — a second pass at same settings cleans it. Use if 2000mm/min setting feels too slow for large jobs.

High-detail QR codes and barcodes on stainless. 2 passes at 500 DPI for scannable depth.

Works on powder-coated tumblers — laser removes coating to reveal metal. Rotary attachment for even engraving. Test on bottom first.

What are the best laser settings for Stainless Steel?

A top-rated community setting for Stainless Steel on the Glowforge Pro is speed 120 mm/s, power 70%. There are 75 community-tested settings for Stainless Steel across 39 machines on this page.

Can a diode laser engrave or cut Stainless Steel?

Yes - there are 25 community settings for Stainless Steel on diode lasers and 30 on CO₂ lasers. CO₂ lasers generally cut faster and cleaner, but modern high-wattage diode lasers handle most metal work well.

Do I need air assist for Stainless Steel?

3% of the community settings for Stainless Steel use air assist. Air assist is optional for most operations but can improve edge quality on cuts.

Do I need a fiber laser for Stainless Steel?

Fiber lasers can mark Stainless Steel directly without any coating. There are 16 fiber laser settings on this page. Diode and CO₂ lasers may require a marking compound (like Cermark) to achieve a visible result on bare metal.