In short: For metal sheet and plate, a fiber laser is usually faster and cheaper per part; waterjet wins when heat is not allowed or plates are very thick.
Waterjet is a cold process with no heat-affected zone; it also cuts stone, glass, composites and rubber. In an independent test on 6–10 mm stainless steel, the laser ran at feed rates roughly 4 to 37 times higher than the waterjet. Decide by your thickness mix, heat sensitivity and volume — and compare cost per finished part.
How each process cuts
A fiber laser melts the metal with a focused beam, and an assist gas — oxygen, nitrogen or compressed air — blows it out of the kerf. It is a thermal process. An abrasive waterjet pushes water at very high pressure through a small orifice, mixes in abrasive grit — most commonly garnet — and erodes the material mechanically (source 1). It is a cold process.
Waterjet working pressures in research and industry run from about 300 to 650 MPa (source 1). For two decades the usual pump level was about 60,000 psi (≈ 4,100 bar); pumps of about 90,000 psi (≈ 6,200 bar) have appeared in the last decade, according to a pump manufacturer (source 3).
Speed: what an independent test used
A 2020 study at Koszalin University of Technology cut X5CrNi18-10 stainless steel (1.4301 / 304) of 6, 8 and 10 mm on both processes and compared the cut surfaces (source 1). The laser was a 6 kW machine run at 4–6 kW with head feed rates of 10–30 mm/s. The abrasive waterjet ran at 0.8–2.5 mm/s with 5–8.3 g/s of abrasive. These are the study's test settings, not machine limits, but they show the scale of the difference in this thickness range: roughly 4 to 37 times.
The authors summarise it plainly: laser cutting is faster than waterjet cutting, but it produces a heat-affected zone (source 1). With today's 20–40 kW fiber lasers, the speed gap on thin and medium sheet is larger still. We will publish measured speeds per power level in our fiber laser cutting thickness chart.
Heat-affected zone: when it really matters
Waterjet puts no heat into the part, so there is no heat-affected zone, no change in microstructure and no thermal distortion (sources 1, 5). A fiber laser leaves a narrow heat-affected zone along the edge (source 1).
For most fabricated parts — brackets, enclosures, frames, base plates — that narrow zone does not affect function, and many parts are welded afterwards anyway. It matters when:
- the drawing or customer specification forbids thermal cutting or a heat-affected zone;
- the material is heat-treated or hardened and must keep its properties at the edge;
- the edge will be machined or threaded and hardened edges cause tool wear;
- the material is not metal: stone, glass, ceramics, composites, rubber or foam (source 1).
Thickness range
The international standard for grading laser cuts, ISO 9013:2017, covers laser cuts from 0.5 to 32 mm (source 2). That is the scope of the quality standard, not the limit of a machine, and high-power fiber lasers cut thicker plate. Abrasive waterjet reaches much further: the Koszalin paper cites up to 300 mm for aluminium alloys (source 1), and a manufacturing platform gives about 250–300 mm as a typical capability (source 4).
The cost is time. In the same study, cutting quality on the waterjet fell faster with thickness: going from 6 to 10 mm raised the measured surface roughness (Sa) about three to five times on the waterjet, against about double on the laser, because the jet loses energy as it penetrates (source 1).
Accuracy, kerf and taper
A comparison table in the Koszalin paper, taken from earlier literature, gives typical tolerances of 0.1–0.3 mm for abrasive waterjet and 0.1 mm for laser (source 1). Xometry gives a minimum cutting slit of about 0.15 mm for laser and 0.5 mm for waterjet (source 4). A narrower kerf means tighter nesting and sharper internal corners.
Waterjet cuts taper, more so in thick material ; tilting the nozzle can move the taper to the scrap side (source 5). Laser edges in this thickness range are close to square. Note that ISO 9013 is a standard for thermal cuts, so it does not grade waterjet edges: when you compare quotes, put the tolerance and edge requirement on the drawing and ask both suppliers to confirm it.
Side-by-side comparison
| Fiber laser | Abrasive waterjet | Source / note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process | Thermal: beam + assist gas | Cold: water + abrasive (usually garnet) | Source 1 |
| Heat-affected zone | Narrow | None | Sources 1, 5 |
| Feed rate in 6–10 mm stainless test | 10–30 mm/s (4–6 kW) | 0.8–2.5 mm/s | Source 1 — test settings, not limits |
| Thickness | ISO 9013 scope 0.5–32 mm; thicker at high power | Up to about 300 mm | Sources 1, 2, 4 |
| Typical tolerance | ≈ 0.1 mm | ≈ 0.1–0.3 mm | Source 1 (literature table) |
| Minimum slit | ≈ 0.15 mm | ≈ 0.5 mm | Source 4 |
| Edge taper | Small | Increases with thickness | Source 5 |
| Non-metals (stone, glass, composites) | Not suited | Yes | Source 1 |
| Main consumables | Electricity, assist gas, nozzles, protective windows | Abrasive, orifices, mixing tubes, pump seals | Abrasive is a main cost (source 5) |
| Noise | ≈ 75 dB | Up to ≈ 90 dB | Source 4 |
Cost: compare cost per finished part
Published machine price ranges overlap — about $8,000–250,000 for laser and $60,000–450,000 for waterjet according to one platform (source 4) — so price alone rarely decides. Running costs are built differently. On a waterjet, abrasive is one of the main operating costs (source 5): in the Koszalin test the machine used 5–8.3 g/s, which is 18–30 kg per cutting hour (source 1). On a fiber laser, the main costs are electricity and assist gas; high-power lasers can cut thin and medium steel with compressed air instead of nitrogen (see nitrogen vs oxygen laser cutting).
Because the laser cuts each part many times faster in sheet thicknesses, its cost per part is usually lower even where its cost per hour is higher. The waterjet earns its place where it avoids a later operation — removing a heat-affected zone, straightening a distorted part — or cuts something the laser cannot. Put your own prices into the cost per part calculator.
How to decide
- List last year's parts by material, thickness and hours.
- Mark the parts where heat is not allowed, and the non-metal jobs.
- If most hours are metal sheet and plate up to about 30 mm, with no heat restriction: fiber laser.
- If heat-sensitive parts, very thick plate or non-metals are a large share: waterjet — or keep both, which many job shops do.
- Test-cut your three most typical parts and compare cost per finished part. Send them through our test cut request.
Frequently asked questions
Is laser cutting faster than waterjet?
Yes, for sheet and medium plate. In an independent test on 6–10 mm stainless steel, the laser ran at 10–30 mm/s and the abrasive waterjet at 0.8–2.5 mm/s. Waterjet slows further as thickness grows.
Does waterjet cutting leave a heat-affected zone?
No. Abrasive waterjet is a cold process, so there is no heat-affected zone, microstructure change or thermal distortion. A fiber laser leaves a narrow heat-affected zone along the edge.
Which is more accurate, laser or waterjet?
Literature figures give about 0.1 mm for laser and 0.1–0.3 mm for abrasive waterjet. Waterjet edges also taper more in thick material. Put your tolerance on the drawing and ask both suppliers to confirm it.
How thick can a waterjet cut compared with a laser?
Abrasive waterjet cuts up to about 300 mm. ISO 9013 grades laser cuts from 0.5 to 32 mm; high-power fiber lasers cut thicker plate, but waterjet goes much further.
What does a waterjet cost to run?
Abrasive is one of the main operating costs. In one test the machine used 5–8.3 g/s of abrasive, which is 18–30 kg per cutting hour, plus orifices, mixing tubes and pump maintenance.
Sources
- Romanowski M., Nadolny K., “Surface texture analysis of the X5CrNi18-10 steel after cutting with abrasive water jet and photon beam (laser)”, Journal of Mechanical and Energy Engineering 4(44) No. 4, 2020, pp. 365–374 (Koszalin University of Technology) — dlibra.tu.koszalin.pl (accessed 2026-10-26)
- ISO 9013:2017, Thermal cutting — Classification of thermal cuts — Geometrical product specification and quality tolerances (catalogue entry: scope and thickness ranges) — www.iso.org (accessed 2026-10-26)
- KMT Waterjet, “Pressure matters: the truth about higher pressure waterjet cutting” (pump manufacturer, 2024) — 60,000 and 90,000 psi — kmtwaterjet.com (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Xometry, “Laser cutting vs. waterjet cutting” (manufacturing platform, updated 23 June 2026) — minimum slit, noise, thickness — www.xometry.com (accessed 2026-10-26)
- The Open University, Manupedia, “Abrasive jet cutting” — no heat-affected zone, taper, abrasive as a main operating cost — www.open.edu (accessed 2026-10-26)