So, you want to have something engraved, perhaps it’s something personal, or perhaps it’s something like a logo for your business.

Many people will ask how much does it typically cost to have something laser engraved?

Well, that depends on a lot of factors, but today I’d like to help answer that question by giving you some general knowledge that can help determine that answer.

Typical Laser Engraving Rates

General pricing will range anywhere from just a few bucks for a simple name on a plaque to upwards of $300 for something large and custom.

So, why the range of pricing?

Well, it’s going to depend on the business that laser engraves, the item that you want to be engraved, and the amount of time it takes to do just that.

Someone with a newer skillset for example might have lower prices, but the quality might be as great and vice versa with someone being very experienced, you’ll have a higher cost but better quality.

Other various factors can include:

• Laser type

  • Some lasers cost a couple of hundred bucks, others cost tens of thousands of dollars and businesses need to recoup those costs.

• The item you want to be engraved

  • Simple items are going to be cheaper. For example, a wall plaque or cutting board is cheaper to engrave than a tumbler because it requires a rotary tool.

  • It also will depend on the product cost, labor cost, shipping materials, and marketing costs too.

• Ability to Engrave

  • Not all lasers can engrave the same thing. If a laser engraving shop doesn’t offer metal, for example, they would need to purchase a fiber laser to do that, which in turn makes things more expensive (passing on the costs)

• The Engravers workload

  • If the engraving shop has a huge workload, they may charge more or may not even be able to get it done in a timely manner

• Amount of Time to engrave

  • Engraving a Christmas ornament for example costs far less than a custom plaque because an ornament is small and only has a little text to customize.

• Location

  • If you live in a large city like New York, for example, it will cost more to engrave an item compared to living in Kansas.

How to get the best rates for laser engraving?

If you have something already purchased, chances are you will be paying more for the engraving, that’s because many laser systems are already set up for the in-house products that small companies purchase.

Having something bulky or different may require more setup on the software end of things as well as the laser hardware itself, thus taking more time to accommodate the items.

Additionally, not all things can be engraved with great detail. As an example, engraving on hardwoods like oak seems to give better results than engraving on pine which is a softer wood.

I suggest asking about stocked items the engraving shop has as they are most likely already set up for that.

Also, ask about bulk discounts on making multiple items.

If you want to have custom tumblers made for your church, club, or business, think bulk. Buying 30 of them from the engraving shop could save you 10-15% or more compared to just one or two of them being made.