Choosing between straight slotting and louvre slotting is one of the first commercial decisions on an aluminium routing job. Both are CNC aluminium slotting styles fabricators use every week - the difference is the slot geometry, how the finished face reads, and which published rate applies on Services & Pricing.
This guide is for Queensland fabricators comparing straight slotting vs louvre slotting before they send drawings. It stays on the component path: rails, frames and sections you assemble - not a finished retail product catalogue.
What straight slotting is
Straight slotting cuts linear openings along an aluminium section so the slot walls run square to the face. Shops use it when battens, slats or infill need a clean, parallel gap, when hardware needs a simple clearance path, or when the design brief is “slot through and keep spacing even” without an angled blade look.
Typical fabricator uses include:
- Batten fencing rails where uprights drop into even, square openings
- Gate and frame rails that need straight clearances for fixings or continuous members
- Privacy and screening components where the pattern is a simple linear pitch
- Any run where the installer wants the gap to read as a flat, consistent slot rather than a louvred blade
On the live Services page, straight style slotting is listed as a per-metre rate (plus GST), with the same job minimum and short-length rules that apply to standard aluminium slotting. Always confirm the current figure on Services & Pricing before you price a job - blog copy is not a price list.
What louvre (louvred) slotting is
Louvre slotting (also written louvred slotting) machines angled or blade-style openings so light, air and sight lines behave more like a louvre panel than a simple gap. The CNC path still has to start and stop where your mitres and joints need them; the commercial difference is the style of opening and the separate louvred rate on Services.
Fabricators reach for louvre slotting when:
- Privacy screens and outdoor structures need directional screening rather than open straight gaps
- Architectural faces want a repeated louvre blade rhythm along a rail or extrusion
- The design intent is airflow and filtered view, not a full open slot
- Multiple lengths must match the same louvre pitch so panels look even on site
Live commercial detail again lives on Services & Pricing: louvred style slotting is listed per metre (plus GST) as its own line, above the shared minimum order and the short-length rate for pieces 1.2 metres or less. Custom geometry beyond standard straight or louvred runs is RFQ.
Straight slotting vs louvre slotting - side by side
Use this comparison when you are briefing the shop or choosing which Services rate to plan against:
- Geometry: straight = square/linear openings; louvre = angled or blade-style openings that read as louvres.
- Visual intent: straight reads as even gaps for battens, slats or clearances; louvre reads as screened, directional openings.
- Assembly feel: straight slots often suit drop-in battens and simple infill; louvre slots suit screening faces where the cut itself is part of the look.
- Pricing shape: both are standard CNC aluminium slotting on published per-metre lines; louvred style sits at a higher published metre rate than straight style on the current Services page. Short lengths (1.2 m or less) and the job minimum apply as published - not as invent-your-own catalogue SKUs.
- Files: both still want a clear .DXF/.DWG (or a prepared CAD brief) so pitch, start/stop and section match what you will weld or fix on site.
If the part is neither a standard straight nor louvred slot run - mixed cut-outs, lock boxes, wheel clearances, non-standard profiles - treat it as custom and send an RFQ rather than forcing it onto a metre rate that does not describe the work.
How the published rates fit (confirm live)
As published on Services & Pricing at the time of writing:
- Slotting - straight style: $17.50 per metre + GST
- Slotting - louvred style: $20.00 per metre + GST
- Minimum order on slotting jobs: $50.00 + GST
- Slotting length 1.2 metres or less: $20.00 per length + GST
- Custom jobs: RFQ
Those figures can change. Price from the live page, not from an old email or this article alone. Complex cut-outs and non-standard profiles stay on quote so you are not locked into a straight-vs-louvre line that does not match the drawing.
Which style do you need?
Pick straight slotting when the job is primarily even linear openings for battens, simple screening pitch, or clearances that should look square and parallel. Pick louvre slotting when the face should behave like louvres - angled openings, directional privacy, or a blade rhythm the client can see from the street.
Still unsure after looking at the drawing? That is normal. Send both the intent (“straight gaps for 40 mm battens” vs “louvred privacy screen rail”) and the CAD through Quote Request, or ask on Contact before you cut material. CAD preparation is available when you do not have .DXF/.DWG - the setup fee is listed on Services.
What to send so the style is unambiguous
- State the slotting style in plain language: straight or louvre / louvred
- Include slat or batten size, gap or pitch in mm, quantity and section type
- Attach .DXF or .DWG, or note that you need CAD prepared
- Say whether aluminium is customer-supplied cut to length or needs supply
- Flag any custom cut-outs that sit outside standard slotting so they quote as RFQ
Ordering flow, labelling and drop-off context for Sunshine Coast work are summarised on Services & Pricing. Visual references for finished aluminium routing sit in the Gallery.
Related reading
If you are new to the service model, start with What Is CNC Aluminium Routing? A Fabricator’s Guide for the broader definition of CNC aluminium routing versus hand methods. This article stays on the commercial choice between the two published slotting styles.
Bottom line
Straight slotting vs louvre slotting is a geometry and finish decision with a clear commercial split on Nelsons Routing’s Services page. Straight suits square, even openings; louvre suits angled, screened faces. Confirm today’s per-metre rates, minimum and short-length rules on Services & Pricing, then send the job through Quote Request with the style named on the brief.