---
title: Engrave Before or After Cerakote? A Laser Workflow Guide for Coating Shops
description: Engrave before or after Cerakote? When to laser bare metal vs. coated parts, how coating affects ATF depth, and our Edge 50W presets for each step.
---

# San Antonio Laser

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# Engrave Before or After Cerakote? A Laser Workflow Guide for Coating Shops

[Shane Mohr](https://go.salasers.com/blog/author/shane-mohr)

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**Short answer:** Engrave required markings and any deep engraving on bare metal before Cerakote, and laser decorative logos and contrast work after the coating has fully cured. ATF measures the .003" minimum depth from the flat surface of the metal, so serial numbers belong in the metal itself, not in the coating. Cerakote H-Series goes on around 1 to 2 mils thick, which can partly fill a shallow engraving, so many shops engrave first, coat, then run a light laser pass to clear coating back out of the characters. In our shop, an Edge 30W reaches .003" depth on a 1/16"-tall serial number in steel in 20 passes, about 2 minutes, so engraving before coating adds very little time to a job.

## Why the Order Matters

A fiber laser and a ceramic coating both change the surface of a part, and each one affects the other. Engrave first and the coating has to bridge into your engraved characters. Coat first and the laser has to cut through the coating before it reaches metal. Neither order is wrong. The right choice depends on what the mark is for: a legal marking, a decorative graphic, or a contrast effect that shows bare metal against color.

For Cerakote shops and gunsmiths, getting this sequence right saves rework. A serial number that disappears under a coat of Graphite Black, or a logo that burns a halo into a fresh finish, costs you a strip-and-recoat and a frustrated customer.

## When to Engrave Before Cerakote

Engrave first whenever depth matters. That covers three common jobs:

- **Required markings.** Under 27 CFR 478.92, serial numbers and other required markings must be at least .003" deep, and serial numbers must be at least 1/16" tall. Depth is measured from the flat surface of the metal, so a coating does not count toward it. Engrave the depth into the bare part.
- **Deep engraving.** Text, logos, and patterns you want to feel with a fingernail should be cut into metal, then coated.
- **Two-tone work where the engraving takes the coating color.** If you want the engraving and the surrounding surface the same color, engrave, then coat the whole part.

Cerakote's own process calls for degreasing, blasting with #100 grit aluminum oxide or garnet, and outgassing metal parts in an oven before spraying. That means the engraving goes in before all of that prep. Blasting will slightly soften the sharp edges of fine engraved detail, so plan on letters and lines that are bold enough to survive it. Soaking parts in degreaser and outgassing also helps pull out any residue left in the engraved areas.

Watch for one problem: fill. Cerakote lists recommended film thickness of about 1 to 2 mils for H-Series and about 0.6 to 1.1 mils for Elite Series. A mil is .001", so a coat can occupy a meaningful share of a .003" deep character. The engraving is still in the metal, but the characters can look shallow or soft. If the marking has to stay easy to read, either engrave deeper than the minimum, mask the marking before you spray, or clear the coating out of the characters with the laser after cure (covered below). For more on how depth builds with passes, see our post on [how deep a fiber laser can engrave](https://go.salasers.com/blog/how-deep-can-a-fiber-laser-engrave-atf-.003-depth-tested-on-30w-50w-100w).

## When to Engrave After Cerakote

Engrave after the coating when you want contrast or when the customer brings in a part that is already coated. A fiber laser removes the coating in the shape of your design and exposes the metal underneath, which gives a crisp, high-contrast mark against the color. This is the workflow behind most custom logos, flags, and graphics on coated slides and receivers.

- **Let it fully cure first.** Cerakote's training manual lists H-Series at 250°F for 2 hours and Elite Series at 300°F for 1 hour on metal. Lasering a part that is not fully cured invites smearing and uneven removal.
- **Use light, fast passes.** You want to take off coating, not dump heat into the part. Too much power on a coated surface can discolor or lift the coating around the edges of the design.
- **Finish with a clean pass.** A lower-power, high-speed cleanup pass knocks residue off the exposed metal and brightens the mark.

Post-coat engraving is a surface job. It removes the finish and may lightly mark the metal, but it is not how you put a required serial number to depth. If a coated part also needs required markings, those still need to reach .003" in the metal.

Coated polymer is its own case. We covered Cerakote removal on Glock frames in our post on [engraving polymer with a fiber laser](https://go.salasers.com/blog/can-a-fiber-laser-engrave-polymer-pmags-glock-frames-and-grips).

## The Hybrid Workflow: Engrave, Coat, Then Clean Out

Many coating shops use a three-step sequence that gets the best of both orders:

1. **Engrave to depth on bare metal.** Run your deep engrave layers until the marking is where you need it. On our machines that means a Cut layer followed by a clean layer, repeated as many times as the job requires.
2. **Prep and coat as normal.** Degrease, blast, outgas, spray, and cure per the coating manufacturer's instructions.
3. **Re-run the engraving file with light passes.** Without moving the design, run a light cleanup pass over the same artwork to clear the coating out of the engraved characters. The result is bare metal in the engraving with color around it.

The hard part of step 3 is registration. The part has to go back on the bed in exactly the same position it was engraved in. A dedicated fixture or jig for each part type, plus a saved LightBurn file with the same origin, makes this repeatable. Our [AR-15 lower engraving guide](https://go.salasers.com/blog/how-to-laser-engrave-an-ar-15-lower-setup-fixtures-and-settings) covers fixturing and focus in more detail.

## Our Edge 50W Presets

These are the LightBurn presets from the settings bundle that apply to this workflow. Each preset is one pass. For depth work, set the number of repeats per job, and the hatch angle rotates 23.7 degrees per pass on repeated passes so the engraving builds evenly.

| Job | Power | Speed | Frequency | Line interval |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Deep engrave "Cut" layer on metal (pre-coat) | 60% | 356 mm/s (14 in/s) | Not listed | 0.051 mm |
| "Cut / Clean" recipe, clean layer | 55% | 2,032 mm/s (80 in/s) | 50 kHz | Not listed |
| "Cut / Cut / Clean" recipe, second cut | 50% | 711 mm/s (28 in/s) | 28 kHz | Not listed |
| Metal "Clean Up" layer | 55% | 3,048 mm/s (120 in/s) | 45 kHz | 0.051 mm |
| NFA minimum letter height | 100% | 127 mm/s (5 in/s) | Not listed | 0.051 mm |
| Cerakote removal on Glock polymer (post-coat) | 50% | 1,143 mm/s (45 in/s) | 28 kHz | Not listed |

The "Cut / Clean" recipe runs the Cut layer (60%, 14 in/s) followed by the clean layer. The "Cut / Cut / Clean" recipe adds a second cut between them. These presets were dialed in on the 220mm lens. A different lens, a different alloy, or a coated surface will need adjustment, so always run a test spot on scrap or a hidden area first. For clearing coating out of engraving on metal, start light and fast and increase gradually until the coating clears without discoloring the finish around it.

## Practical Tips for Coating Shops

- **Keep a job sheet per part.** Record which file, origin, fixture, and preset you used so the post-coat cleanup pass lines up.
- **Focus on the actual surface.** A coated part sits slightly higher than bare metal. The difference is small, but on fine detail it is worth refocusing.
- **Test on a coated coupon.** Spray a few scrap pieces with each color you stock so you can dial in post-coat settings without risking a customer's part. Dark and light colors can respond differently.
- **Ventilate.** Lasering coatings and polymers produces fumes. Use fume extraction at the lens.
- **Check legibility after coating.** Before the part goes back to the customer, look at every required marking under good light. If it is hard to read, clear the coating out of the characters.

This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm marking requirements for your specific license and situation with ATF or a qualified attorney. Our [ATF compliance guide](https://go.salasers.com/blog/fiber-laser-engraving-for-firearms-atf-compliance-guide) covers the marking rules in more depth.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can you laser engrave over Cerakote?

Yes. A fiber laser removes the coating in the shape of your design and exposes the metal underneath, which gives a high-contrast mark. Let the coating fully cure first and use light, fast passes so you don't discolor the surrounding finish.

### Will Cerakote fill in a laser-engraved serial number?

It can partly fill it. H-Series is typically sprayed around 1 to 2 mils thick, and the ATF minimum depth is .003", so the coating can make characters look shallow. Engrave deeper than the minimum, mask the marking, or clear the coating out of the characters with a light laser pass after cure.

### Does Cerakote count toward the ATF .003" depth requirement?

No. ATF measures depth from the flat surface of the metal, so the engraving in the metal itself has to reach .003". This is general information, not legal advice.

### How long does it take to engrave a serial number before coating?

In our shop, an Edge 30W reaches .003" depth on a 1/16"-tall serial number in steel in 20 passes, about 2 minutes. That makes engraving before blasting and coating a small addition to the job.

### Should I engrave before or after blasting?

Engrave before blasting. Cerakote prep calls for degreasing, blasting, and outgassing right before spraying, so engraving first keeps your prep clean. Blasting slightly rounds fine edges, so use bold enough detail.

### What fiber laser settings remove Cerakote from metal?

Start with low power and high speed, then increase gradually on a test coupon until the coating clears without scorching the edges. Every color and film thickness responds a little differently, so test before running a customer's part.

## Talk to a Laser Specialist

SA Laser is a veteran-owned laser company based in San Antonio, Texas, and we've been helping gunsmiths, Cerakote shops, and FFL dealers since 2012. Every Edge Series fiber laser ships with LightBurn and our LightBurn settings bundle, including the presets above, plus multiple lenses, a full supply kit, and a 2-year warranty. If you want to learn the engrave-coat-clean workflow hands-on, our 5-day, in-person [Spark training](https://salasers.com/spark/) walks you through setup, settings, and real parts.

Ready to add laser engraving to your coating shop? [Request a quote or schedule a call](https://salasers.com/forms/), or call us at (888) 964-3568.

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