Glowforge Material Size — Get More Parts Out of Every 19.5" × 11" Bed

Every Glowforge — Basic, Plus, and Pro — shares the same 19.5″ × 11″ (495 × 279 mm) cutting area; the Pro adds a passthrough slot that extends depth to unlimited length for material up to 20″ wide and ¼″ thick. This calculator nests your parts against that real bed size so you know exactly how many come out of one run before you load material. Free, in your browser, no signup.

Nest parts on a 19.5" × 11" Glowforge bed →Free · in your browser · no signup

Glowforge bed and material limits, precisely

Verified against Glowforge's own tech-specs page (glowforge.com/b/tech-specs/performance, checked 2026-09):

Cutting area (all three models): 19.5″ × 11″ (495 × 279 mm) — this is the laser's actual travel range, identical on Basic, Plus, and Pro
Max material width: 20″ (515 mm)
Max material depth: 18″ (455 mm) on Basic and Plus; unlimited on Pro via the passthrough slot
Max material height: 2″ (50 mm) with the tray removed; 0.5″ (13 mm) with the tray in place
Pro passthrough: feeds material up to 20″ wide and ¼″ (6.3 mm) thick through at any length, for runs longer than the 11″ bed depth

The bed number is what your layout needs — material limits tell you what will physically sit on it.

Worked example: 4×6 acrylic sign blanks

Run through the optimizer against a 19.5″ × 11″ bed, a 0.2 mm hairline laser kerf, and rotation allowed:

20 requested 4″ × 6″ acrylic sign blanks
6 fit in a single bed run (two upright, four laid on their side around them) — 67.1% bed utilization
The remaining 14 need a second and third run

That's the number area math misses: 19.5 × 11 = 214.5 sq in of bed against 4 × 6 = 24 sq in per blank suggests "8 or 9 should fit," but rectangles have to sit whole on the bed with kerf between them — the layout is what tells you it's 6, not the division.

How to use it

Open the optimizer — the button below preloads a 19.5″ × 11″ sheet labeled "Glowforge bed"
Add your parts: width × height × quantity for each shape you're cutting
Set kerf — a hairline laser kerf (0.1–0.3 mm) is far thinner than a saw's; leaving the saw default overstates material lost
Allow rotation unless a part's grain or engraving orientation is fixed
Run — you get the per-run part count, bed utilization, and a layout diagram to send to your workflow

Nest parts on a 19.5" × 11" Glowforge bed →

Where this fits among the tools

This page is about the Glowforge's own bed size. For CNC router beds and other cutting-area entities, see the CNC router nest optimizer; background on the packing problem underneath any of these layouts is in what bin packing means for cut lists and nesting optimizer use cases.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

What is the Glowforge cutting area?

All three Glowforge models — Basic, Plus, and Pro — share the same 19.5" × 11" (495 × 279 mm) cutting area. That's the laser head's travel range and the number to nest a layout against, regardless of which model you own.

What size material can a Glowforge cut?

Maximum material is 20" wide (515 mm) and up to 2" thick (50 mm) with the tray removed, or 0.5" (13 mm) with the tray in for engraving. Depth is capped at 18" (455 mm) on Basic and Plus; the Pro's passthrough slot removes that depth limit entirely.

What does the Glowforge Pro passthrough slot do?

It feeds material through the front and back of the machine so you can cut pieces longer than the 11" bed depth. The passthrough accepts material up to 20" wide and ¼" (6.3 mm) thick, at any length — useful for long signs or repeated strips that would otherwise need multiple bed loads.

How many parts fit on a Glowforge bed in one run?

It depends on part size and shape, not just area — rectangles have to sit whole on the 19.5" × 11" bed with kerf between them. As a worked example, 4" × 6" blanks pack 6 to a bed (67.1% utilization) with a hairline laser kerf and rotation allowed; the optimizer runs your own part sizes and gives the real count instead of an area-math guess.

What kerf should I use for laser cutting layouts?

Laser kerf is much thinner than a saw blade — typically 0.1–0.3 mm depending on material and power, versus ⅛" (3.175 mm) for a table saw. Using a saw-sized kerf on a laser layout understates how many parts actually fit; set the kerf field to match your material's real cut width.

Is the Glowforge bed size the same on Basic, Plus, and Pro?

Yes — the 19.5" × 11" cutting area is identical across all three models. The differences are in max material depth (unlimited on Pro via passthrough, 18" on Basic/Plus) and the Pro's passthrough slot itself, not the bed the laser head travels over.

See how many parts fit per run — free →