Laser-Cut Titanium Parts: Grade 2 and Grade 5

Grade 2 or Grade 5: which one the print names

Grade 5 is the strength grade. Wikipedia’s Ti-6Al-4V page (source 1) gives the alloy 5.5-6.75% aluminum and 3.5-4.5% vanadium, a yield strength of 880-920 MPa (128-133 ksi), an ultimate tensile strength of 900-950 MPa (130-138 ksi) and a density near 4.43 g/cm³, and its titanium alloys page (source 2) calls Grade 5 "significantly stronger than commercially pure titanium (Grades 1-4)." Titanium as a metal is, in Wikipedia’s words, "60% denser than aluminium, but more than twice as strong as the most commonly used 6061-T6 aluminium alloy" (source 3), which is why a flat bracket or plate that has to carry load and stay light is a candidate for Grade 5.

Grade 2 is unalloyed titanium (source 2). Both grades are listed in ASTM B265, the specification for annealed titanium and titanium alloy strip, sheet and plate (source 4). The grade follows the requirement on the print: Grade 5 where the part needs the strength, Grade 2 where it does not. Bends on laser-cut titanium are quoted too: put each bend on the print. The inside radius is quoted as drawn, with a note if it won’t form. The machined-bar side of both grades is covered on the titanium material page.

Sheet thickness for laser-cut titanium

Name the material and thickness on the print. The print names the grade, the sheet specification and the thickness: "Grade 5 per ASTM B265, 0.125 in" is a complete callout. Thickness goes on the print the same way as for 304 and 316 stainless or 5052 and 6061 aluminum.

A thickness a laser does not cut cleanly is still quoted; the quote says so if the part moves to waterjet or a machined route, since the edge and the tolerance change with the process, and laser vs waterjet vs CNC compares the routes. Profile tolerances for any laser material are on laser-cut tolerances.

The edge after cutting, and what the print can ask for

Titanium reacts with oxygen and nitrogen when it is hot. Wikipedia’s titanium page says it "readily reacts with oxygen at 1,200 °C (2,190 °F) in air" and burns in pure nitrogen at 800 °C (source 3), and a study of fiber-laser cutting of Ti-6Al-4V sheet in the Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals (source 6) reports a heat-affected zone and a brittle recast layer at the cut, and notes the metal’s severe reaction with oxygen and nitrogen at elevated temperatures. A laser-cut titanium edge is therefore not the same as the sheet face. If the edge matters to the part, say so on the print: name the edge condition, or call for a machined edge.

Draw the DXF at the finished size. A hole that has to fit a pin or a bearing is drawn as a machined feature and quoted that way. Secondary machining on laser-cut blanks covers reamed holes, counterbores and machined edges as one order with the cut.

Why titanium comes up for a sheet part

Titanium comes up for sheet parts for two reasons, weight and corrosion. On weight, Wikipedia calls it "a strong metal with low density" and gives the comparison to 6061-T6 above (source 3), which is the case for a bracket on a moving assembly. On corrosion, the Ti-6Al-4V page says Grade 5 "is extensively used in marine applications due to its exceptional corrosion resistance in seawater environments" (source 1), which is why marine components in titanium come up on a print. Name the grade; the quote is based on the grade on the print.

Finishes, typical parts, print items and inspection

With no finish on the print, a titanium part ships as cut. Color on titanium comes without dye. Wikipedia’s anodizing page (source 5) explains that on titanium "the color formed is dependent on the thickness of the oxide (which is determined by the anodizing voltage)," caused by light interference, and that AMS 2488 Type III anodizing "generates an array of different colors without dyes." Titanium anodizing has its own standards, AMS 2487 and AMS 2488 (source 5), so an aluminum anodize callout does not apply to it. Color anodizing on laser-cut titanium is quoted: name the AMS 2488 type and the color on the print. A finish called out on the print is quoted with the part. The laser-cut parts hub links the finishing page for the other materials.

Typical laser-cut titanium parts are flat: brackets, plates and shims, lab and instrument hardware, automotive and motorsport brackets, marine backing plates and tabs, and EDC hardware such as clips and scales. A complete print carries the grade, the sheet specification (ASTM B265), the thickness, the edge condition, the finish and a tolerance block. Quantity: no minimum, one piece to production runs of 10,000. Ask for more than one quantity, such as 1, 25 and 100, and the quote shows each. Every part inspected against your print before it ships. If a part doesn’t match the print, it’s remade or credited. No C of C or material certifications ship with parts by default. If your PO needs them, say so before the quote. Inspection reports on critical dimensions aren’t included by default. If you need one, ask when you place the order. The quote covers the whole order as one contact.

Sources

All accessed 4 October 2026. Where a figure here differs from your print, the print governs.

1. Wikipedia, “Ti-6Al-4V”: en.wikipedia.org (composition, density, yield and ultimate strength, the marine applications sentence).

2. Wikipedia, “Titanium alloys”: en.wikipedia.org (Grade 2 and 2H as unalloyed titanium with a 58 ksi minimum for 2H; Grade 5 against commercially pure grades).

3. Wikipedia, “Titanium”: en.wikipedia.org (strength against 6061-T6 aluminum, low density, reaction with oxygen and nitrogen).

4. ASTM International, B265-25, “Standard Specification for Titanium and Titanium Alloy Strip, Sheet, and Plate”: store.astm.org (scope: annealed strip, sheet and plate; grades listed; the standard itself is not reproduced here).

5. Wikipedia, “Anodizing”, titanium section: en.wikipedia.org (color from oxide thickness set by voltage; AMS 2488 Type III colors without dyes).

6. Poshyananda, Darayen, Tumkhanon, Puncreobutr, Khamkongkaeo and Lohwongwatana, “Consideration of key process parameters for achieving robust and uniform cutting of Ti-6Al-4V sheet metal using fiber laser with nitrogen assisted gas”, Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals, vol. 28, no. 2, 2018: digital.car.chula.ac.th (heat-affected zone and recast layer on a laser-cut Ti-6Al-4V edge; reaction with oxygen and nitrogen).