What Materials Can a Waterjet Cut? The Complete Guide

Metals

Metals are the most common waterjet application, and where waterjet's cold-cutting advantage matters most. No heat-affected zone means no hardening of the cut edge, no warping in thin sheet, no metallurgical changes near the cut — all of which matter when working with aerospace alloys, hardened tool steel, or materials that will be welded after cutting.

Steel (Mild, Structural, Stainless)

Mild steel and structural steel cut quickly and cleanly up to 150 mm+ thickness. Stainless steel cuts similarly but slightly slower due to higher hardness. Both produce smooth edges without the heat-discoloration or slag from plasma or laser. Standard production thickness is 50–80 mm; thicker sections are possible at reduced speed. Stainless is common in food processing, pharmaceutical, and architectural applications where surface finish and hygiene matter.

Aluminum

Aluminum cuts faster than steel because it's softer. Waterjet is preferred over laser for thick aluminum (laser struggles above about 25 mm) and over plasma for thin decorative aluminum where edge quality matters. Common in aerospace, automotive, and architectural applications. Typical thickness: up to 200 mm.

Titanium

Titanium work-hardens under mechanical cutting and reacts badly to heat — laser and plasma cuts create heat-affected zones that require secondary processing and can affect fatigue life in structural applications. Waterjet cuts titanium without heat, without work-hardening, and without changing material properties at the edge. Widely used in aerospace and medical device manufacturing. Typical thickness: up to 100 mm.

Inconel and Nickel Alloys

High-temperature alloys like Inconel 625 and Hastelloy work-harden rapidly and wear cutting tools fast. Waterjet handles them with no tool wear, no work-hardening, and consistent edge quality at any thickness the pump can reach. Standard in oil and gas, power generation, and aerospace. Typical thickness: up to 80 mm.

Copper and Brass

Copper reflects laser energy and is difficult to laser-cut reliably. Waterjet has no such limitation — copper and brass cut cleanly at moderate speeds. Typical thickness: up to 100 mm. Common in electrical components, heat exchangers, and decorative fabrication.

Hardened Tool Steel and Wear Plate

Materials like AR400, AR500, and hardened die steel cut well with waterjet because the cutting action is erosion — not mechanical or thermal cutting. Typical thickness: up to 80 mm.

Stone and Ceramics

Granite and Marble

Natural stone is one of the classic waterjet applications. Waterjet produces intricate inlays, countertop cutouts, architectural cladding panels, and floor medallions with smooth edges and no cracking. The cold cut matters here — stone cut with heat-based methods can crack or spall unpredictably at the edge. Typical thickness: up to 150 mm for structural cuts; decorative inlay work is typically 15–30 mm.

Ceramic and Porcelain Tile

Hard ceramic and porcelain are brittle and crack under the stress of conventional cutting. Waterjet cuts both cleanly, enabling complex shapes that diamond saw cutting cannot produce. Common in architectural tile work, decorative panels, and bespoke flooring.

Engineered Stone and Quartz Composite

Quartz-composite countertop material (Caesarstone, Silestone, etc.) cuts well with waterjet — useful for sink cutouts, cooktop openings, and custom shapes where router-based cutting can chip the edges of high-silica materials.

Glass

Waterjet cuts glass cleanly without the micro-cracking and chipping that results from conventional glass cutting methods. Laminated glass, bulletproof glass, and architectural glazing all cut well. Typical thickness: up to 50 mm for flat glass; thicker optical glass cuts at reduced speed.

⚠️ Tempered glass will shatter on contact with the waterjet stream. Tempered glass must be cut before tempering, or using specialized very-low-pressure pure waterjet (no abrasive) techniques.

Composites and Advanced Materials

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)

CFRP is one of the materials where waterjet is often the only practical cutting option. Router cutting generates fine carbon dust (a health hazard) and can delaminate the material. Laser cutting chars the matrix resin. Waterjet cuts CFRP cleanly with no delamination, no dust, and no heat effects. Critical in aerospace, motorsport, and high-performance sporting goods. Typical thickness: up to 50 mm.

Fiberglass and GRP

Similar considerations to CFRP — abrasive dust from conventional cutting, edge delamination, and resin scorching from heat-based methods. Waterjet handles both cleanly. Common in marine, wind energy, and industrial applications.

Kevlar and Aramid Fiber

Kevlar is very difficult to cut mechanically — it's designed to resist cutting. Waterjet cuts it cleanly and efficiently. Used in ballistic protection, aerospace, and protective equipment manufacturing.

Rubber and Foam

Rubber — including natural rubber, neoprene, silicone rubber, and EPDM — cuts well with pure waterjet (no abrasive required for most applications). The result is a clean, compressed edge without the melting, burning, or deformation from hot-knife or laser cutting. Common in gasket cutting, sealing components, and industrial rubber products.

Foam materials (polyurethane, EVA, polyethylene) cut similarly — clean edges, no melting, no distortion. Typical thickness for rubber: up to 100 mm; foam: up to 200 mm.

Plastics

Most plastics cut well with pure waterjet. Acrylic, polycarbonate, HDPE, UHMWPE, nylon, PTFE — all produce clean edges without the heat-affected haze or stress cracking that laser cutting can introduce in transparent and semi-transparent materials. Typical thickness: up to 100 mm depending on material.

Food Products

Pure waterjet (no abrasive) is used extensively in food processing — portioning meat, fish, poultry, bakery products, and frozen food. Waterjet cutting is hygienic (no blade contact, no cross-contamination), produces consistent portion sizes, and handles irregular shapes that conveyor-blade systems struggle with. Wonlean's food-grade waterjet systems are designed specifically for food processing environments.

Material Compatibility at a Glance

What Waterjet Cannot Cut Well

A few materials are genuinely problematic:

• Tempered glass — shatters immediately on contact. Must be cut before tempering.
• Diamonds and very hard ceramics — can be cut but extremely slowly; usually not economical.
• Very thick sections beyond pump capability — cutting becomes impractically slow. This is a throughput issue, not a capability limit.
• Materials that must stay dry — anything that reacts with water (certain powders, some reactive metals in specific conditions) requires special handling or is not suitable for waterjet.

Not Sure About Your Material?

If you're working with a material not on this list, or you have a specific thickness and tolerance requirement you're not sure about, the fastest answer is a sample cut. Send us the material — even a small offcut — and we'll cut it on the relevant machine and send you the result. No charge, no obligation.

We've cut several thousand different material and thickness combinations over 15+ years of production. If there's a workable parameter set, we'll find it.

Contact Wonlean

• Website: www.wonlean.cn
• Phone / WhatsApp: +86-135-9192-8579
• Email: wonlean@wonlinwaterjet.com

Liaoning Wonlean Technology Co., Ltd. — Founded 2006, waterjet division since 2009. 30,000 m² facility, 80+ employees, ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 / ISO 45001 / CE certified, 15 patents. Exported to 80+ countries.