Guide
Custom Spacers and Washers: Turned, Stamped or Laser Cut?
Custom spacers and washers are rings whose outside diameter, inside diameter or thickness is not covered by a standard washer, and they can be made three ways: turned from bar or tube, stamped from sheet in a die, or cut from sheet with a laser. Thickness, the concentricity of the bore to the outside diameter, and the annual quantity decide which route is the sensible one, and a standard washer should be ruled out first.
By Saola Manufacturing engineering team · Published · Updated
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Should you rule out a standard washer before ordering a custom one?
Yes, because a standard washer is almost always cheaper and faster than any custom route, and it is the only option with no drawing to maintain. Order custom only when no standard size meets the diameter, thickness or material you need.
ISO 7089 covers plain washers of the normal series, product grade A, in hardness classes 200 HV and 300 HV, for nominal thread sizes from 1.6 to 64 mm, as summarized by the fasten.it standards listing. That range, together with the inch series, covers most fastener washers, so a custom washer is justified for a non-standard diameter, a thickness outside the standard series, a special material, or a functional spacer that is not a fastener washer at all.
A spacer carries a defined gap between two parts, and its tolerance on thickness and face parallelism is a functional requirement, whereas a plain washer spreads a bolt load and its dimensions are loose. Decide which one the part is before you choose a process, because the answer sets how much tolerance the drawing has to carry.
What does each process do well and where does it struggle?
Stamping is cheapest on thin parts in quantity but needs a die, laser cutting needs no tooling but can leave thermal effects and a dross edge, and turning handles thick or concentric parts at a higher cost per piece. The right route follows the part, not the supplier.
AccuTrex’s specialty washer page (read 2026) calls stamping the most common washer method, especially for larger quantities, with laser cutting as the route for non-standard sizes without tooling and waterjet for materials the page says cannot be laser cut, such as brass, copper and laminates. Precision Micro’s article on shim production constraints (read 2026) adds the drawbacks: stamping carries the potential for burrs and hard die tooling setup costs that can be uneconomical, and laser cutting can introduce thermal stress and struggles with highly reflective metals and intricate designs.
Neither source discusses turned spacers, because turning suits a different part: thick, round, with a bore concentric to the outside diameter. A turned spacer is drilled or bored and parted from bar or tube in one or two chuckings, which is why its geometry is controlled by the machine instead of by die clearance or a cut path.
| Deciding factor | Turning from bar or tube | Stamping in a die | Laser cutting from sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thickness | Thick sections and tube wall | Thin to moderate sheet | Thin to moderate sheet, material permitting |
| Tooling | None dedicated beyond standard tools | Hard die, an upfront cost | None, a program only |
| Annual volume | Low to mid range | Large, repeating quantities | Prototype to mid range |
| Concentricity of bore to outside diameter | Set in one machine, can be held tightly | Set by die; clearance and burr direction apply | Set by the cut path |
| Edge condition | Machined edge, deburring needed | Burr on one side, die roll on the other | Dross or heat-affected zone possible |
| Material fit | Bar or tube in many grades, including free-machining | Formable sheet, ductile materials | Metals a laser cuts well; reflective metals are harder |
| Features | Steps, chamfers, flanges, threads | Flat parts, simple forms | Flat parts, intricate outlines |
How do thickness and concentricity push the choice?
Thick parts and parts with a tight bore-to-outside-diameter relationship move toward turning, while thin, flat parts in quantity move toward stamping or laser cutting. The thickness and concentricity requirements on the drawing therefore matter more than the quantity.
As thickness rises relative to diameter, sheet processes get harder: a die must pierce and blank a thicker slug, the sheared edge typically has more taper and a larger burnished zone, and a laser cut edge typically shows more taper too. A turned spacer is simply a longer cut. Face parallelism follows the same pattern, since a turned spacer can be faced on both sides to a defined parallelism, while a stamped flat part keeps whatever flatness the sheet and die produce.
Concentricity points the same way. In a die, the bore is pierced and the outside diameter blanked in the same stroke, so their relationship is set by the die, and the cut-edge profile follows die clearance. The behaviors and the notes that control them are in the stamped part tolerances guide and the stamping burr direction guide. If the drawing needs a defined concentricity, state it per ASME Y14.5-2018 and let the supplier show it can meet it.
What should the drawing state for a custom spacer or washer?
State the inside and outside diameters, the thickness, the face parallelism or flatness, the concentricity if it matters, the edge condition and burr direction, and the material by standard designation. Leave the process open unless a requirement forces it.
Thickness and parallelism are the functional dimensions of a spacer, so give them a tolerance you can inspect and say where it is measured. Give the edge condition, such as a defined edge break on turned parts or burr direction and maximum burr height on stamped parts, because it is the most frequent source of disputes. For burr wording see the break sharp edges drawing note guide.
State the material by designation, plus any surface treatment as a coating specification. If the part is a fastener washer, add the hardness class. If it is a spacer between precision faces, say whether the surfaces are functional so the supplier does not apply a coating or sort loosely against them.
What changes at 10,000 to 20,000 spacers a year?
At this volume a thin, flat, loosely toleranced washer can justify stamping tooling or be laser cut, while a thick or concentric spacer is still usually a turned part. The break-even between stamping and laser cutting is its own calculation.
Stamping amortizes a die across the run, so a steady annual quantity of a flat part is the case where it begins to compete, and laser cutting is the way to start without tooling and then move to a die once the part is proven. The calculation is in the stamping vs laser cutting break-even guide and is not repeated here.
Turning does not change with quantity the way a die does, because there is no tooling to amortize, but a bar-fed lathe makes spacers efficiently in repeated runs. If the quantity is in the range where a die is borderline, ask for the turned and the stamped or laser cut routes together and compare them on the real drawing.
How does Saola handle spacers and washers?
Saola turns spacers at its lead CNC plant, and any stamped or laser cut washers are arranged through partner plants that Saola manages, so one quote can compare routes.
The turning side is covered on the CNC turning capability page. The stamped route is run by partner plants, as described on the stamping capability page, and Saola does not run stamping or laser cutting itself. Send the drawing with the annual quantity, the thickness and the concentricity requirement, and ask for the routes to be compared.
Frequently asked
Is it cheaper to stamp or turn a washer?
Stamping is cheaper per piece on thin, flat washers in large quantities, but needs a die. Turning is cheaper overall when the part is thick, needs a concentric bore or the quantity is too low to amortize tooling.
Can laser cutting replace stamping for washers?
For prototypes and moderate quantities, yes, because no tooling is needed. The edge may carry thermal effects, so check the edge requirement before switching.
Why are stamped washers burr-sensitive?
A stamped edge has a die roll on one side and a burr on the other, so the drawing should say which side the burr must be on and how large it may be.
What tolerance can I put on spacer thickness?
Put the tolerance the function needs and no tighter, then ask each route whether it can hold it. Tighter thickness and parallelism usually favor machined faces.
Do I need a custom washer for a non-standard bolt?
Often not. Check the standard washer series, such as ISO 7089, first, and order custom only if no standard size fits.
Sources
- Specialty washers, AccuTrex, page read 2026 (manufacturer page, undated)
- How chemical etching overcomes conventional metal shim production constraints, Precision Micro, article read 2026 (manufacturer article, undated)
- ISO 7089, plain washers, normal series, product grade A, fasten.it standards listing, read 2026; current edition from the publisher