Guides, tips, and technical references for anyone working with plasma cut metal parts — DXF preparation, material selection, and fabrication know-how from the shop floor.
Full standard plate thickness table from 3/16" through 4", a complete ASTM grade comparison covering A36, A572-50, A516-70, AR400 and AR500, surface finish options, ASTM A6 thickness tolerances, and how to spec plate on a drawing.
Complete square and rectangular HSS size tables from 1×1 to 12×12 and 2×1 to 12×8, ASTM A500-B vs A500-C vs A1085 comparison, wall thickness tolerance detail, corner radius effects on connection plates, and a deflection span reference.
Why the same gauge number gives you different thicknesses in steel, galvanized, stainless, and aluminum — plus the full comparison table, bend allowance basics, surface condition guide, and how to write unambiguous drawing callouts.
The complete pipe and tube sizing reference — why NPS doesn't equal outside diameter, full NPS/schedule wall chart from 1/8" through 24", DOM vs ERW vs seamless manufacturing comparison, common mechanical tube sizes, and how to avoid the 2-inch pipe vs 2-inch tube mix-up.
Complete W-shape size chart from W4×13 through W24×76 with actual depth, flange width, flange thickness, web thickness, and moment of inertia — plus S-shape I-beam comparison, why nominal depth doesn't match actual depth, column vs beam selection, and connection plate basics.
Full C-channel dimension table from C3 through C15 with actual depth, flange width, web thickness, and weight per foot — plus MC-channel parallel-flange sizes, what the 16-degree flange taper means for connection plates, and how to build a back-to-back box section.
Complete bar stock size reference — flat bar thickness/width combinations, round bar diameters, square bar sizes, hex bar across-flats dimensions — plus a full material grade comparison for 1018, 1045, 4140, 1144 Stressproof, and 12L14 covering machinability, weldability, and heat-treat capability.
Complete angle iron size reference — equal-leg angles from L 1×1×1/8 through L 8×8×1 and unequal-leg angles from L 2×1-1/2×1/8 through L 8×6×1 — with weights per foot, weld sizing guidance, hot-rolled vs laser-fused differences, and when to cut L-shapes from plate instead.
Every gauge, plate thickness, pipe schedule, tube wall, HSS size, angle, channel, beam, and bar stock dimension you'll ever need — with side-by-side imperial and metric tables and detailed cross-section diagrams.
Plasma cutting is fast and versatile, but it has real tolerance characteristics you need to know before you finalize your design. Here's what the numbers actually mean.
Not sure which metal to order? Here's a plain-language breakdown of every material Can-Cut stocks, what each is good for, and how to choose.
A bad DXF means a bad part — or no part at all. Here is exactly what our uploader checks, what it refuses and why, and how to make sure your file comes through clean the first time.
Plasma cutting uses a superheated ionized gas jet to slice through electrically conductive metals with speed and precision. Here's what's actually happening inside the torch.
