How to Run a Material Test in LightBurn (and Read the Results)
6 min read · Updated October 11, 2026
Every laser and every material is a little different. Instead of copying settings from forums and hoping for the best, LightBurn includes a Material Test tool that burns a grid of test squares, each with a different speed and power. In a few minutes you can see exactly how your machine behaves on a new material.
Where to find the Material Test
Open LightBurn, connect your laser, and go to Laser Tools → Material Test. A window opens where you choose which two settings change across the grid (usually speed on one axis and power on the other) and how many steps to test.
Step-by-step setup
- Pick the mode. Choose Fill for engraving tests, or Line for cutting and scoring tests.
- Set the rows and columns. Five to ten steps on each axis is plenty. Start with speed on one axis and power on the other.
- Choose a range. For a 10W diode engraving wood, try speed 1000–6000 mm/min and power 10–80%. For a CO2 laser, use the speed units your machine uses (often mm/s).
- Keep shapes small. Squares of 5–8 mm with 2–3 mm spacing keep the test quick and save material.
- Turn on text labels so each row and column is printed with its value. You'll thank yourself later.
- Focus the laser on the test material, frame the job, and press Start.
Run your test on a scrap from the same sheet you'll use for the real job. Two plywood sheets from different batches can need noticeably different settings.
How to read the results
- For engraving: look for the square with even, solid colour and no heavy charring at the edges. Of several that look good, pick the fastest one. It saves time on every future job.
- For photos: you want a smooth gradient from light to dark across the grid, without jumping from "barely marked" to "burnt".
- For cutting: flip the test piece over. The best setting is the fastest one that cut cleanly all the way through without heavy burn marks on the back.
Save it to the Material Library
Once you've found the winning settings, open the Library window and create an entry for that material and thickness. Next time, assign the library entry to a layer and LightBurn fills in speed, power, interval and passes for you. Over a few weeks you build a library tuned exactly to your machine.
Common mistakes
- Testing out of focus. An unfocused test is useless: every square will look weak.
- Range too wide. If half the grid is blank and the other half is burnt, narrow the range around the good area and test again.
- Forgetting air assist. Run the test with the same air assist you'll use for the real job; it changes the result.
Need starting values for the first test? See our diode laser settings guide for typical speed and power ranges by material.