What Can the Cricut Explore 4 Cut?

You've just unboxed your Explore 4 and you're staring at a pile of materials wondering which ones are actually going to work.

The Cricut Explore 4 cuts over 100 materials, including vinyl, cardstock, iron-on/HTV, paper, vellum, faux leather, and thin basswood. It's a seriously capable machine for everyday crafting. Where it hits a wall is with thick fabrics, balsa wood, and heavy chipboard — those belong to the Maker family.

Here's a full breakdown of every material category worth knowing about, plus real pressure settings so you're not guessing.

The Basics: What the Explore 4 Is Built For

The Explore 4 is Cricut's mid-range cutter, and it's built for speed and versatility. It cuts up to 2x faster than the Explore Air 2, and it handles a wide range of Cricut Explore 4 materials without needing blade swaps for most everyday projects.

It uses a Fine-Point Blade by default, which covers the majority of what home crafters need. You can swap in a Deep-Cut Blade for thicker materials like basswood or foam sheets up to 1.5mm thick.

The machine works with or without a mat, depending on whether you're using Smart Materials. It connects via Bluetooth or USB, and it runs through Cricut Design Space just like every other Cricut machine.

If you want a broader picture of every material Cricut machines can handle, the What Materials Can a Cricut Cut? The Full List is a good place to start before diving into machine-specific details.

Vinyl and Iron-On (Where It Shines)

This is genuinely where the Explore 4 earns its price tag. Vinyl and iron-on are its sweet spot, and it cuts both cleanly and consistently.

Vinyl

The Explore 4 handles permanent vinyl, removable vinyl, holographic vinyl, and glitter vinyl without drama. You'll get crisp edges on intricate cuts, and weeding is easy because the blade pressure is accurate enough not to cut through your carrier sheet.

Standard vinyl thickness runs around 2–3 mil. The Explore 4 cuts it on a StandardGrip mat (or matless with Smart Vinyl) at default pressure settings with no issues.

Iron-On and HTV

Everyday HTV, glitter iron-on, foil iron-on, SportFlex, and patterned iron-on all cut well on this machine. Remember to mirror your image and cut shiny side down. The Explore 4 handles layered HTV projects easily, which makes it a go-to for shirt customization.

Paper and Cardstock

Paper is probably the most underrated category on this machine. The Explore 4 cuts everything from thin tissue paper to 80 lb cardstock cleanly, which opens up a huge range of projects: gift toppers, card making, party decorations, paper flowers, and shadow box art.

What It Handles Well

• Copy paper (20 lb): Cuts at light pressure, great for intricate silhouettes
• Cardstock (65–80 lb): The standard for most card and décor projects
• Kraft paper: Clean cuts, pairs well with a LightGrip mat
• Vellum (overlapping here a bit): More on this below, but paper-weight vellum cuts beautifully

For thicker cardstock (90–100 lb), go up one pressure level in Design Space and do a test cut first. It's usually fine, but heavy cardstock can occasionally shift if your mat is losing grip. Speaking of which, keeping your mats in good shape matters more than most people realize — the Cricut Cutting Mat Guide covers when to replace yours and which color to use for which material.

Faux Leather, Vellum, and Acetate

These three materials trip people up, mostly because they're not sure if the machine can handle them. It can.

Faux Leather

Thin faux leather (under 0.8mm) cuts well on the Explore 4 with a Deep-Cut Blade and a StrongGrip mat. You're looking at earring blanks, keychains, bookmarks, and bag tags. Thick faux leather (1mm+) is pushing it — you may need multiple passes, and results get inconsistent above that thickness.

Vellum

Vellum is delicate and slippery, but the Explore 4 handles it well at a lighter pressure setting. Use a LightGrip mat and don't rush the unloading — vellum tears easily if you yank it. It's gorgeous for wedding invitations, luminaries, and layered card designs.

Acetate and Transparency Sheets

Acetate cuts cleanly on the Explore 4. It's great for box windows, shaker card inserts, and packaging. Use a StandardGrip mat and make sure the sheet doesn't shift mid-cut — a little painter's tape on the edges helps if your mat is older.

Thin Wood and Specialty Materials

The Explore 4 surprises a lot of crafters here. It can cut thin wood, and it does a decent job.

Basswood

Basswood up to 1/16 inch (about 1.5mm) cuts on the Explore 4 with a Deep-Cut Blade and maximum pressure. You'll usually need 2–3 passes. It's not lightning-fast, but for small ornaments, tags, and earring shapes, it works.

Other Specialty Materials

• Foam sheets (1–2mm): Cuts well at medium-high pressure
• Sticker paper: Cuts cleanly, great for planner stickers and labels
• Kraft board (up to 1mm): Works with Deep-Cut Blade, may need multiple passes
• Washi tape sheets: Easy cuts, LightGrip mat recommended
• Window cling: Cuts at standard vinyl settings

Honest take: basswood on the Explore 4 is doable, but if wood cutting is a big part of your projects, the Maker 3 is going to save you a lot of frustration.

What the Explore 4 Can't Cut

Knowing the limits saves you a ruined blade and a wasted sheet of material.

• Balsa wood: Too soft and fibrous — it compresses instead of cuts cleanly
• Thick fabrics (felt, denim, canvas): Needs the Rotary Blade, which is Maker-exclusive
• Chipboard over 1mm: Will jam or produce ragged cuts
• Thick leather (2mm+): Inconsistent results, not recommended
• Magnetic sheets: Too thick and dense for this machine

If your project list includes felt ornaments, canvas bags, or balsa wood models, the Explore 4 isn't the right tool. That's where the Maker 3 earns its higher price. The Cricut Explore 4 vs Maker 3: Which Should You Buy? breakdown walks through exactly when the upgrade makes sense.

Smart Materials: What You Need to Know

Smart Materials are one of the Explore 4's best features, and they're worth understanding properly.

Smart Materials (Smart Vinyl, Smart Iron-On, Smart Paper Sticker Cardstock) feed directly into the machine without a cutting mat. They come in rolls and can cut pieces up to 12 feet long — which is a game changer for banners, large wall decals, and bulk HTV orders.

To use them, you just load the roll straight into the machine and select your material in Design Space. The machine grips and feeds it automatically. No mat needed, no fussing with alignment on a sticky surface.

Smart Vinyl comes in permanent and removable versions. Smart Iron-On cuts exactly like regular HTV, just matless. Smart Paper Sticker Cardstock is the one that blew my mind the first time — it cuts and scores in one pass, and the adhesive back means you just peel and stick your finished shapes.

One thing to check: Smart Materials have a minimum cut length of about 12 inches. Very small designs are better suited to regular materials on a mat. For a full rundown of compatible options, the Cricut Compatible Materials: The Complete 2026 List has everything organized by machine.

Recommended Pressure Settings by Material

These are real starting points based on default Cricut Design Space settings. Always do a test cut first when you're working with something new.

• Permanent vinyl: Default pressure, Fine-Point Blade
• Removable vinyl: Default pressure, Fine-Point Blade
• Glitter iron-on: Default pressure, Fine-Point Blade
• CardStock (65–80 lb): Default pressure, Fine-Point Blade
• Heavy cardstock (90–100 lb): More pressure (+1 in Design Space), Fine-Point Blade
• Vellum: Less pressure, Fine-Point Blade, LightGrip mat
• Acetate: Default pressure, Fine-Point Blade
• Thin faux leather (under 0.8mm): More pressure, Deep-Cut Blade, StrongGrip mat
• Basswood (1/16 inch): Max pressure, Deep-Cut Blade, 2–3 passes, StrongGrip mat
• Foam sheets (1–2mm): More pressure, Fine-Point or Deep-Cut Blade
• Sticker paper: Default pressure, Fine-Point Blade
• Kraft board (up to 1mm): Max pressure, Deep-Cut Blade, multiple passes

Design Space has a built-in material library with hundreds of presets. Start there, then adjust by half-steps if your cuts aren't clean. Over-pressing is the most common mistake — it dulls your blade faster and can cause tearing on delicate materials.