Pierce: A pierce is the start of a cut, where a laser, plasma torch or waterjet first breaks through the sheet before following the cut path; each contour needs one.
A cutter cannot start in the middle of solid sheet straight away. It dwells or ramps up until it breaks through, then moves onto the profile. Every closed contour, the outside of a part and each hole and slot, needs at least one pierce. Thicker material takes longer to pierce, and on plasma and waterjet machines every pierce wears consumables.
What it means for the price
Pierce count is the second driver of cutting time after cut length. A part with many small holes takes a long time to cut even if its total cut length is modest, because every hole pays for a pierce. Pricing models for laser and plasma cutting usually charge pierce time per pierce, set by material and thickness.
Example: a perforated panel with 400 holes at 0.5 seconds per pierce spends over 3 minutes piercing before any cut length is counted. The figures are an example.
Common confusions
Pierce count is not the number of parts: one part with ten holes has eleven pierces. Some machines can cut a chain of parts from a single pierce, which lowers the count below the number of contours. Read what drives laser cutting cost.
Go deeper: How to price laser cutting: cut length, pierces, material and sheet use