Flame cutting services with instant online quotes

Flame cutting, also called oxy-fuel cutting, is primarily used to profile thick carbon-steel plate. It is a practical choice for heavy-duty parts used in structural steelwork, machinery, transport equipment, agricultural machinery, bases, brackets, flanges and welded fabrications. The process is most valuable where plate thickness is too great for laser cutting to be the most economical option. Flame cutting creates a near-net profile that can be supplied as cut or machined further where tighter tolerances, prepared edges or critical surfaces are required.

PartFab offers online flame cutting for S275 and S355 mild steel from 10–210mm, and Hardox 400 and S690QL from 10–50mm, subject to drawing geometry and available plate. Flame cutting relies on controlled oxidation, so it is intended for carbon and suitable low-alloy steels rather than stainless steel, aluminium, copper or other non-ferrous metals. Upload your drawing and select the grade, thickness and quantity to confirm the available manufacturing route.

Flame cutting uses oxygen together with a fuel gas. The fuel gas preheats the steel to ignition temperature, then a high-purity oxygen jet oxidises the metal and blows the resulting oxide from the cut. Common fuel gases include propane, acetylene and natural gas; the chosen gas depends on the equipment, required piercing performance, material thickness and production setup. The oxygen jet is the essential cutting element, while the fuel gas provides the preheat flame.

Flame cutting uses oxygen and fuel gas to oxidise steel, making it best suited to thick carbon-steel plate. Plasma cutting uses an electrically generated plasma arc, allowing it to cut electrically conductive materials including carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminium. Plasma is generally faster on thinner and medium-thickness material, produces a narrower kerf and is better suited to detailed profiles. Flame cutting is slower because it requires preheating, but it remains a cost-effective option for very thick carbon-steel components where plasma capacity or economics become less favourable.

Laser cutting uses a focused light beam and is generally chosen for thinner sheet, intricate profiles, small holes and tighter tolerances. Flame cutting uses an oxy-fuel reaction and is designed for much thicker carbon-steel plate. Laser cutting typically delivers finer detail, a narrower heat-affected zone and a cleaner edge that needs less secondary finishing. Flame cutting is normally the better commercial choice when steel thickness is high and the part does not require laser-level detail. The right process depends on material, thickness, geometry, tolerance, edge quality and quantity.

The principal advantage of flame cutting is its ability to profile very thick carbon-steel plate reliably and economically. It can produce large components and complex 2D profiles without dedicated press tooling, making it suitable for prototypes, one-off fabrication work and production batches. Flame cutting can also be more practical than laser cutting at heavy plate thicknesses. For parts that will later be welded or machined, it provides an efficient way to remove most of the material before finishing operations.

Upload a clean DXF, DWG or SVG in millimetres with one part design per file and closed cut contours. Remove duplicate paths, unwanted annotations and unrelated reference geometry before uploading. STEP files, PDFs, screenshots and raster images are not accepted by the online quote flow.

Yes. PartFab supports one-off flame-cut parts as well as production quantities. A one-off may have a higher unit cost because programming, nesting, setup and material handling are not shared across a batch. Ordering several parts in the same material and thickness together can improve sheet utilisation and reduce the unit cost. Upload a DXF, DWG or SVG and select the material, thickness and quantity to see your online price.