The xTool P series is the CO2 line, and CO2 changes the material question in one specific way: thickness. A diode machine tops out around 4mm of plywood. A 55W CO2 machine cuts 12.7mm solid poplar in a single pass.
What CO2 does not change is metal. A 10.6µm beam is absorbed by organics, not by bare steel, so the metal ceiling is the same as on a diode. This page covers what the P series cuts, what it only engraves, and where it stops.
Key Takeaways
- CO2 cuts wood, acrylic, leather, paper, card, fabric and foam — and cuts them thick.
- It engraves stone, glass, ceramic, cork and coated metal, none of which it can cut.
- Bare metal is out. Every metal job here is anodised, powder-coated or a coated card.
- Never put PVC or unidentified vinyl in a CO2 machine. The chlorine it releases corrodes the optics and the rails.
FYI: what are the xTool P-series machines?
Short version, so the rest of this makes sense. All three are enclosed CO2 machines. A CO2 beam runs at 10.6µm, a wavelength organics absorb far better than they absorb blue light, which is what buys the thickness.
The P2S is the upgraded P2. xTool describes it as revised in both hardware and software, and names two changes:
- More accurate curved-cylinder engraving with a rotary accessory.
- Faster X-axis acceleration, for quicker engraving passes.
The beam, the bed and the 600 mm/s top speed are identical on both, which is why the material table below treats them as one machine. On price they do differ: xTool now sells the P2S from the old P2 product page, and the refurbished listing prices a P2 at $1,845 against $2,200 for a P2S.
For the machines themselves, read what the xTool P2 is and what the xTool P3 is. For the beam, what a CO2 laser cutter is explains the physics.
What can you engrave and cut with a P-series machine?
The short answer: it cuts organics thick, engraves hard surfaces, and stops at bare metal like every other laser without a fiber source.
| Material | P2 and P2S | P3 |
|---|---|---|
| Wood, plywood and MDF | Yes · cut & engrave (55W) | Yes · cut & engrave (80W) |
| Acrylic and plastic | Yes · cut & engrave (55W) | Yes · cut & engrave (80W) |
| Leather and leatherette | Yes · cut & engrave (55W) | Yes · cut & engrave (80W) |
| Paper, card and chipboard | Yes · cut & engrave (55W) | Yes · cut & engrave (80W) |
| Fabric, felt and coir | Yes · cut & engrave (55W) | Yes · cut & engrave (80W) |
| Foam and stencil film | Yes · cut & engrave (55W) | Yes · cut & engrave (80W) |
| Coated and anodized metal | Yes · engrave (55W) | Yes · engrave (80W) |
| Stone, granite and brick | Yes · engrave (55W) | Yes · engrave (80W) |
| Glass and mirror, surface only | Yes · engrave (55W) | Yes · engrave (80W) |
| Cork and ceramic | Yes · engrave (55W) | Yes · engrave (80W) |
Every material links to its own section below. The P2 and P2S share one column because they run the same 55W beam on the same bed — the material list is identical. The 80W P3 takes the same materials faster and deeper. Bare metal, polycarbonate and PVC are covered in what not to put in.
Wood, plywood and MDF
Wood is the main reason to buy a CO2 machine, and depth is the reason. These machines cut stock that a diode can only score, and they do it in one pass.
A drinking toast engraved along a wooden bottle-opener handle.
Engraving on CO2 is fast — roughly five times the speed of a typical diode pass on the same wood.
More wood our makers have tested
12mm MDF cuts at 43 mm/s and 83%; 12.7mm solid poplar at 5 mm/s and 100%. The second one is the useful benchmark: half an inch of hardwood, one pass, on a 55W machine.
Scoring is a CO2 habit worth learning: 3mm maple plywood scored at 25 mm/s and 40% leaves a groove for paint fill rather than a burn. The wood material page lists boards with tested settings.
Acrylic and plastic
CO2 is the wavelength acrylic likes. Cast acrylic cuts with a polished flame edge that needs no sanding, which is the single biggest quality difference against a diode.
A Congratulations cake topper cut from gold acrylic.
The edge comes off the machine clear and glossy, with no sanding. That is the CO2 difference.
More plastics our makers have tested
Engraving runs fast and light: 3mm black acrylic at 400 mm/s and 18%. Cutting is slower — 3mm clear acrylic at 13 mm/s and 80%. Clear stock takes more power than coloured because it absorbs less.
Foam and stencil film are the easy end: 2mm EVA foam at 100 mm/s and 15%, stencil mylar at 75 mm/s and 10%. Avoid polycarbonate. The acrylic material page covers grades that behave.
Leather and leatherette
Leatherette — the coated, fabric-backed material patches are made from — engraves to a crisp dark mark with almost no power, and CO2 does it at high speed.
A Texas-shaped design cut from brown leatherette.
Cut and engrave are usually done in the same job on patch work, which suits a single CO2 head.
More leather our makers have tested
Heritage leatherette engraves at 400 mm/s and 18%, and vintage brown-to-black stock at 600 mm/s and 15% on an 80W machine. Genuine hide cuts too, but thickness varies across a single skin, so test before a batch. The leather material page covers which hides behave.
Paper, card and chipboard
Paper and board cut fast on CO2, and the limit is scorching rather than power. Board a few millimetres thick goes through in a single pass.
A chipboard gift tag reading Allyn.
Board this thick is a single-pass job on CO2, where a diode would need several and still scorch.
More paper our makers have tested
2-ply corrugated cardboard cuts at 30 mm/s and 40%, and a thicker brown sheet needed four passes at 30 mm/s and 25%. See the paper material page for stock that behaves.
Fabric, felt and coir
This is where CO2 pulls clearly ahead of a diode. Thick natural fibre absorbs a 10.6µm beam far better than it absorbs blue light, and it engraves at speed rather than scorching.
Lettering engraved into a coir doormat.
Coconut fibre this coarse is essentially out of reach for a diode at any wattage.
More fabric our makers have tested
The same material engraves at 500 mm/s and 25% on a 55W machine, and coated canvas at 300 mm/s and 15%. The fabric page goes through it fibre by fibre.
Coated and anodized metal
CO2 has exactly the same metal ceiling as a diode, which surprises people who assume more power means more capability. You mark coatings; you do not touch the metal underneath.
A baby-feet design engraved into a black anodised aluminium tag.
The beam removes the anodised layer. The aluminium underneath is completely untouched.
More coated metal our makers have tested
Coated metal cards are the other common job: a blue coated card at 400 mm/s and 45%, a black one at 300 mm/s and 10%. For bare stainless or brass you need a 1064nm source — see the metal material page.
Glass, stone and cork
Three hard or dense materials that engrave and never cut. Stone and cork take high speed comfortably; glass frosts and nothing more.
Championship text scored into a red octagonal crystal award.
Awards are one of the few crystal jobs a CO2 machine does genuinely well.
More glass, stone and cork our makers have tested
Granite engraves at 200 mm/s and 65%, a tempered glass at 600 mm/s and 24%, and a cork coaster at 1000 mm/s and 45% — the fastest setting in the whole P-series set.
Glass is surface frosting only. Inside-the-block engraving needs a UV laser, which the glass and crystal page explains.
What not to put in a P-series machine
PVC and unidentified vinyl
The chlorine released attacks the mirrors, the lens and the metal rails, and it is dangerous to breathe. This is the one material that damages the machine as well as you, and a CO2 machine has more optics to lose.
Bare metal
Not dangerous, just ineffective. A 10.6µm beam reflects off bare steel and brass; only the coating on top is markable, whatever the wattage.
Polycarbonate and ABS
They yellow, melt and smell instead of cutting. Cast acrylic is the material you actually want for clear parts, and it is the one CO2 does better than anything else.
Which P-series machine should you buy?
If you are cutting sheet goods thicker than a few millimetres, this is the right family and the 55W P2S is the default answer.
The refurbished P2 is the same 55W head for about $1,150 less, and it handles exactly the same material list.
The P3 earns its price on bed size and speed — xTool lists 36" x 18" and up to 1200 mm/s, against 600 mm/s on the P2S. It does not unlock new materials, so buy it for volume and panel size. The CO2 comparison puts it against other brands.
Final thoughts
CO2 buys depth and edge quality, not a different material list. Thick wood, polished acrylic edges and heavy fabric are the three things it does that a diode simply cannot.
Metal stays a coating job, glass stays a surface job, and PVC stays out of the machine entirely.
What can an xTool P2S cut that a diode laser cannot?
Thick stock. A P2S cuts 12.7mm solid poplar at 5 mm/s and 100% power in one pass, and a P2 cuts 12mm MDF at 43 mm/s and 83%. A 20W diode tops out around 4mm plywood and needs multiple passes to get there.
Can an xTool P-series machine engrave metal?
Only coated metal — anodised aluminium, powder-coated stainless, coated metal cards. A 10.6µm CO2 beam is not absorbed by bare metal. Marking bare stainless or brass needs a 1064nm fiber or MOPA source.
Why does acrylic look better cut on CO2 than on a diode?
CO2 melts the edge as it cuts, leaving a polished flame finish that needs no sanding. A diode chars rather than melts, so the edge comes out matte and often browned. For clear acrylic the difference is obvious.
Is the xTool P2 still available?
Not new. The old P2 product page now sells the P2S, and the P2 name survives on the refurbished listing from $1,845. It uses the same 55W CO2 head, so the material list is identical to the P2S.
Do CO2 lasers engrave glass better than diodes?
Not meaningfully. Both produce a surface frost, and both are limited to the outside face. Engraving inside a glass or crystal block needs a UV laser, whatever the wattage of your CO2 machine.
Is the P3 worth the jump from the P2S?
For bed size and speed, yes: xTool lists 36" x 18" and up to 1200 mm/s against 600 mm/s. For material range, no. The 80W head cuts the same materials faster, not different ones.
Got the material? Get the settings.
Every material on this page has tested power, speed and pass numbers behind it. Browse the full material library, or filter it down to your own machine.
