What size is a Glowforge bed?

The manufacturer lists the work area of the Basic, Plus and Pro as 19.5 by 11 inches. A 12 inch wide sheet will not fit without trimming.

Will a 12 x 20 inch plywood sheet fit a 20 x 12 inch laser?

It may be too tight, because the usable area is often slightly smaller than the label. Trim a little or test with scrap.

Is the bed size the same as the machine size?

No. The work area is the reachable region for the laser head and is smaller than the outer machine.

How do I find my real usable area?

Use the frame function on a large test rectangle and measure what the head reaches without hitting rails or clamps.

Can I cut a 24 x 48 inch sheet on a desktop laser?

Not in one piece. Cut it into smaller pieces first, or use a machine with a large bed or pass-through.

Standard Laser Cutter Bed Sizes in Inches and Sheet Fit

A laser bed size is the largest rectangle of material the laser head can actually reach. Sellers quote it in millimetres or inches, and the number is usually smaller than the machine's footprint and sometimes smaller than a standard sheet of plywood. Knowing the usable area before you buy material saves you from cutting the last row of ornaments in half.

Typical work areas by machine class

These are common classes, not a buying guide. Exact numbers differ by model, so read the manufacturer's specification.

Machine class	Typical work area (mm)	About in inches	Notes
Entry K40-style CO2	around 300 x 200	about 12 x 8	Usable area is often smaller than advertised
Small desktop diode	around 400 x 400	about 15.7 x 15.7	Many open-frame diodes
Glowforge Basic, Plus, Pro	495 x 279	about 19.5 x 11	Manufacturer states 19.5 by 11 in
Desktop CO2	around 500 x 300	about 20 x 12	Popular hobby size
Mid-size CO2	around 700 x 500	about 28 x 20	Often with lift bed and pass-through
Larger CO2	around 900 x 600 and up	about 35 x 24 and up	Workshop machines

Which standard plywood sheets fit

Plywood for lasers is commonly sold as 12 x 12 in, 12 x 20 in, 12 x 24 in, 24 x 24 in and 24 x 48 in pieces, cut from larger full sheets. Fit depends on the usable bed, not the nominal bed.

Sheet	Size in mm	Fits a 19.5 x 11 in bed?	Fits a 20 x 12 in bed?	Fits a 28 x 20 in bed?
12 x 12 in	305 x 305	No (12 > 11)	Yes, if the real area is at least 12 in tall	Yes
12 x 20 in	305 x 508	No	Barely or not, trim a little	Yes
12 x 24 in	305 x 610	No	No	Yes
24 x 48 in	610 x 1219	No	No	No, cut down first

A Glowforge, with a work area of about 19.5 by 11 inches, usually needs 12 inch wide sheets trimmed or smaller pieces; check the machine's pass-through feature on your model if you need longer stock.

Worked example

You own a 20 x 12 in CO2 and want to cut our reindeer ornaments, which are 90 x 124 mm (3.5 x 4.9 in). The usable area is about 508 x 305 mm, so across 305 mm you fit 3 ornaments (270 mm) and along 508 mm you fit 4 (496 mm), giving 12 ornaments in a simple grid before nesting. With a 300 x 400 mm sheet the same ornament gives 9 pieces. Different bed, different count: that is why it pays to check the bed first.

Factors that shrink the usable area

Head clearance. Air-assist nozzles and mounts reduce reach near edges.
Honeycomb or crumb tray. Slightly smaller than the bed in some machines.
Clamps and pins. Take space at the edges.
Safe margin. Leave a few millimetres around parts and around the sheet.

Common mistake: Designing to the advertised bed size and discovering the last two parts are outside the reachable area. Frame the job in your software before pressing start; most programs have a "frame" function to trace the outline without firing the laser.

Next step

Measure the real reach on your machine by framing a large rectangle on scrap, then store it as a template at your true usable size. For layouts that waste less, read what nesting is and the guide to reducing plywood waste.

What Are Standard Laser Cutter Bed Sizes in Inches?