Reference specs, per-sheet math, and CNC plasma settings for 14 gauge (0.080″) 5052 aluminum — the lightweight standard for enclosures, brackets, and panels where weight matters. Punch in your sheet price below for an instant per-part quote.
5052 is the aluminum alloy most small shops reach for by default — good corrosion resistance, easy to bend without cracking, and roughly a third the weight of steel at the same thickness, which matters a lot for anything that ships or gets handled by hand.
A laser cannot cut this — plasma or a router can. Bare aluminum reflects most of a CO² or standard fiber laser's beam instead of absorbing it, which at best fails to cut and at worst reflects enough energy back to damage the optics. CNC plasma and CNC routing are the accessible hobby-shop methods for cutting aluminum sheet.
The same math the calculator above runs — worked out longhand, so you can sanity-check it against your own numbers.
Aluminum sheet is priced separately from steel scrap-market swings, so don't assume this quarter's steel pricing trend tells you anything about aluminum — check them independently when you update your sheet cost input.
This is the material line only. A full shop quote adds machine time, labor, and finishing — KraftyQuote's cost engine rolls all of it into one number automatically.
Ballpark CNC plasma settings for a clean through-cut — aluminum's lower melting point lets it cut noticeably faster than steel at the same amperage, even though its high thermal conductivity pulls heat away fast. Always run a test cut and watch the arc.
Not with the CO² or standard fiber lasers most makerspaces and small shops run — aluminum's reflectivity is a real optics-damage risk, not just a "slower cut" inconvenience. Plasma, waterjet, or a CNC router are the practical options.
Aluminum's high thermal conductivity pulls heat away from the cut zone fast, which changes how the molten material blows out compared to steel — running slightly faster than your instinct suggests usually cleans this up more than adding amperage does.
Not in this calculator — the formula works in sheet cost and area, not weight, so aluminum's lower density doesn't directly lower your quote unless your supplier prices it lower per sheet too. Where weight matters is shipping and handling cost downstream, which isn't part of the material line.
KraftyQuote's full cost engine handles materials, machine time, labor, and margin in one quote — free to build, no card required.