Reference specs, per-sheet math, and laser settings for 1/4″ (6mm) cast acrylic — the go-to thickness for self-standing bases, risers, and signage that needs to hold its shape without a frame. Punch in your sheet price below for an instant per-part quote.
1/4″ is where acrylic stops needing a bracket or frame to stand up straight — display risers, free-standing signage, and light bases all lean on this thickness for its rigidity. It's also thick enough to tap and thread for small machine screws, which 1/8″ generally isn't.
Cast is the only sensible choice here. Extruded acrylic's internal stress becomes a real problem at 6mm under laser heat — it's far more prone to cracking or hazing along the cut line than at 3mm. Cast sheet costs more per square foot but the failure rate difference more than makes up for it on anything thicker than 1/8″.
The same math the calculator above runs — worked out longhand, so you can sanity-check it against your own numbers.
At this thickness the sheet cost dominates the per-part number more than scrap percentage does — a small change in supplier price per sheet moves the quote more than a few points of nesting efficiency will.
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, and 1/4″ acrylic runs meaningfully slower per inch of cut than 1/8″.
Ballpark settings for a through-cut with a flame-polished edge — thicker acrylic is far more forgiving of a single well-tuned pass than of stacking multiple weak ones. Always run a test strip first.
Two layers of 1/8″ glued together will always show a seam line under angled light, even with a good solvent weld — for anything meant to look like solid, seamless acrylic, a single 1/4″ sheet is the honest answer.
Almost always extruded acrylic mistaken for cast, or a single pass run too hot — at this thickness, heat has more material to build up in before it escapes, and stress-relieved cast sheet handles that far better than extruded. Confirm sheet type with your supplier before troubleshooting settings.
Close to linearly by weight — expect roughly double the per-sheet cost for double the thickness, though exact pricing varies by supplier and order volume. The scrap percentage itself doesn't change with thickness; it's driven by your layout, not how thick the sheet is.
KraftyQuote's full cost engine handles materials, machine time, labor, and margin in one quote — free to build, no card required.