Materials

Big Blue Saw has a large variety of materials to choose from, over 70 at last count. Many first time customers have a hard time deciding which material to choose. Aluminum 5052 or Stainless Steel 316? Black acrylic or acetal?

The truth is most projects can be done with 6061 aluminum, 304 stainless, cold roll steel, or clear acrylic. Our customers have found that each of these four fills a unique niche.

Here's a chart that ranks the four materials against each other in terms of cost, appearance, and specific strength (also known as strength-to-weight ratio). 4 is best, 1 is worst.

	Cost	Appearance	Specific Strength
Clear Acrylic	4	3	1
Aluminum 6061	2	2	4
Stainless Steel 304	1	4	2
Carbon Steel	3	1	3

 It's worth noting that though we've ranked them against each other in terms of appearance, none of these materials look particularly bad. Stainless steel is more durable than aluminum, and thus holds its finish better. If you need a transparent material, then, of course, a metal won't work at all and you need a plastic like clear acrylic.

Cold roll steel doesn't come out on top of any of the above categories, but it's still useful. Why? It is harder (good for sliding or wearing parts), denser, and can be welded more easily than the other materials. It's also magnetic.

Acrylic is the least expensive of the materials on the list, in part because it can be laser cut. The metric thicknesses, like 3 mm (0.118 inches) and 6 mm (0.236 inches) are less expensive than their inch equivalents.

If you're considering	But Need	Try
Aluminum 6061	Better formability (ability to bend the material into shape)	Aluminum 5052
Aluminum 6061	Better electrical conductivity	Copper 110
Clear Acrylic	Higher strength	Clear Polycarbonate, Acetal, or UHMW-PE
Stainless Steel 304	Maximum corrosion resistance (like in salt water environments)	Stainless Steel 316
Stainless Steel 304	Lower cost	Aluminum or one of the metallic appearance acrylics (Brushed Bright Nickel, for example)

Of course, there are a few materials we offer that that don't appear on any of these charts: various kinds of wood, leather, and fabric. If you're considering these, you probably already have a good idea of what you need.

As always, if you don't see your material on our list, just ask, and we'll try to accommodate your needs.

Upload your design and get an instant quote on any of our materials.

 

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Category	Material	Description	Cutting process	Available Thicknesses, Inch
Aluminum	Aluminum 5052 H32	An alloy that is strong, yet can be formed and bent.	Waterjet	0.02, 0.025, 0.032, 0.04, 0.05, 0.063, 0.08, 0.09, 0.1, 0.125, 0.1875, 0.249, 0.375, 0.5
	Aluminum 6061 T6	A good general purpose, high strength aerospace aluminum alloy.	Waterjet	0.016, 0.02, 0.025, 0.032, 0.04, 0.05, 0.063, 0.08, 0.09, 0.1, 0.125, 0.16, 0.19, 0.25, 0.3125, 0.375, 0.5, 0.625, 0.75, 0.875, 1
	Aluminum 7075 T6	A high strength aluminum alloy.	Waterjet	0.025, 0.032, 0.04, 0.05, 0.063, 0.071, 0.08, 0.09, 0.1, 0.125, 0.16, 0.19, 0.25, 0.375, 0.5, 0.625, 0.75, 1
Composites	Carbon Fiber	Rigid carbon fiber composite material with smooth finish, plain weave	Waterjet	0.0625, 0.125
High Performance Materials - Robot Build Season	AR400 Steel	Tough, abrasion resistant steel.	Waterjet	0.125, 0.1875, 0.188, 0.25, 0.375, 0.5
	AR500 Steel	Tough, abrasion resistant steel.	Waterjet	0.1875, 0.25, 0.375, 0.5, 0.625, 0.75
	UHMW-PE Plastic, White, Waterjet Only	A soft plastic with outstanding toughness and chemical resistance.	Waterjet	0.25, 0.5, 0.75
Acrylic Plastic	Acrylic Plastic, Clear	An inexpensive plastic used for decorative purposes and where high strength is not required.	Laser	0.06, 0.08, 0.118, 0.125, 0.177, 0.236, 0.25, 0.354, 0.472, 0.708
	Acrylic Plastic, White	Opaque white acrylic, suitable for various decorative, artistic, and architectural purposes.	Laser	0.06, 0.118
	Acrylic, Opaque Black	Opaque black acrylic, suitable for various decorative, artistic, and architectural purposes.	Laser	0.118, 0.236
	Acrylic, Frosted P95	Frosted translucent acrylic.	Laser	0.118
	Acrylic, Black/White	Opaque engravable plastic, black color with a white background. More info...	Laser	0.061
	Acrylic, Brushed Bright Nickel/Black	Opaque engravable plastic, nickel metallic with a black background. More info...	Laser	0.118
	Acrylic, Brushed Antique Gold/Black	Opaque engravable plastic, gold metallic with a black background. More info...	Laser	0.061
	Acrylic, Brushed Copper Penny/Black	Opaque engravable plastic, copper metallic with a black background. More info...	Laser	0.061
	Acrylic, Brushed Stainless Steel/Black	Opaque engravable plastic, stainless steel metallic with a black background. More info...	Laser	0.061
Mechanical/Structural Plastic	ABS Plastic, White	A heat resistant plastic with good tensile strength.	Waterjet	0.06
	ABS Plastic, Black	A glossy plastic with good tensile strength and stiffness.	Laser	0.25
	Acetal Plastic, Black	A plastic with good tensile and wear characteristics.	Laser	0.03, 0.06, 0.093, 0.125, 0.187, 0.25, 0.375
	Acetal Plastic, White	A plastic with good tensile and wear characteristics.	Laser	0.03, 0.062, 0.1875
	PETG Plastic, Clear	A plastic with good tensile strength and impact resistance.	Laser	0.02, 0.063, 0.0938, 0.125, 0.25
	Polycarbonate Plastic, Clear	A clear, tough plastic used where tensile strength and impact resistance is important.	Waterjet	0.03, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.093, 0.118, 0.125, 0.177, 0.22, 0.236, 0.25, 0.375, 0.5, 0.75
	Polypropylene Plastic, White	A fatigue and heat-resistant plastic.	Laser	0.125
	UHMW-PE Plastic, White	A soft plastic with outstanding toughness and chemical resistance.	Laser	0.125
Gasket Material	Cork Blend	Brown cork blended with Buna-N for gaskets or decoration.	Laser	0.063
	High Temperature Gasket	Oil- and water-resistant gasket for high temperature applications.	Laser	0.031
	Treated Paper Gasket	Paper-based gasket with some resistance to oils.	Laser	0.016, 0.031
	Buna-N Rubber	High temperature, oil resistant rubber.	Laser	0.0313
Wood	Wood Laminate, Black	A durable semi-gloss laminate with a high-density fiberboard core. More info...	Laser	0.27
	Uncoated Wood Laminate, Birch	High quality birch laminate, sanded smooth, around a high-density fiberboard core. More info...	Laser	0.23
	Cherry	A moderately dense harwood with attractive grain and color. More info...	Laser	0.15
	Poplar	A fast-growing, flexible, light-colored wood. More info...	Laser	0.15
	Red Oak	A moderately dense hardwood with attractive grain and color. More info...	Laser	0.15
	Hardboard	A dark, dense, engineered wood product. More info...	Laser	0.135
Carbon Steel	Cold Finished Steel 1018	Slightly less strong than cold rolled steel, but with a similar finish.	Waterjet	0.125, 0.1875, 0.25, 0.3125, 0.375, 0.5, 0.625, 0.75, 0.875, 1
	Cold Rolled Steel A366/1008	A strong general purpose steel with a clean surface finish.	Waterjet	0.0239, 0.0299, 0.0359, 0.048, 0.0598, 0.075, 0.0897, 0.105, 0.125
	Hot Rolled Steel A36	Typically more economical than cold rolled or cold finished steel, but may have a mill scale covering, and not as strong.	Waterjet	0.1875, 0.25, 0.375, 0.5, 0.625, 0.75, 1
	Hot Rolled Steel 1045	Typically more economical than cold rolled or cold finished steel, but may have a mill scale covering, and not as strong.	Waterjet	0.25, 0.375, 0.5, 0.625, 0.75, 1
	Hot Rolled Steel A569/ASTM A1011	Typically more economical than cold rolled or cold finished steel, but may have a mill scale covering, and not as strong.	Waterjet	0.06, 0.075, 0.105, 0.125, 0.135
Stainless And Alloy Steel	Stainless Steel 304	A good general purpose stainless steel.	Waterjet	0.018, 0.024, 0.03, 0.036, 0.048, 0.06, 0.075, 0.105, 0.12, 0.1875, 0.25, 0.3125, 0.375, 0.5, 0.625, 0.75, 1
	Stainless Steel 316	A stainless steel for marine and other highly corrosive environments.	Waterjet	0.018, 0.024, 0.03, 0.036, 0.048, 0.06, 0.075, 0.105, 0.12, 0.135, 0.1875, 0.25, 0.3125, 0.375, 0.5, 0.625, 0.75, 1
	Chrome-Moly Steel 4130	A high strength steel alloy.	Waterjet	0.125
Copper	Copper Alloy 110	A copper alloy suitable for a variety of electronic and decorative purposes.	Waterjet	0.062, 0.125
Foam	EVA Foam, Blue	A lightweight, closed cell foam for a variety of decorative and practical applications. More info...	Laser	0.22