Blanking is a process in which a piece of sheet metal is removed from a larger blank by applying sufficient shear force.

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The blanking process requires a blanking press, sheet metal blank, blanking punch and blanking die. The sheet metal blank is placed over the die in the punching machine. The mold does not have a cavity but a cutout in the shape of the desired part and must be custom made unless formed into a standard shape. Above the sheet is the blanking punch, which is a tool that takes the shape of the desired part. Dies and punches are usually made of tool steel or carbide. The hydraulic press drives the punch downward into the sheet at high speed. There is a small gap between the punch and die, typically 10-20% of the material thickness. When the punch impacts the sheet, the metal in this gap quickly bends and then breaks. The blank cut from the blank is now free to fall into the gap in the mold. The process is very fast, with some blanking presses capable of performing over 1000 strokes per minute.

Blanking can be used to cut almost any two-dimensional shaped part, but it is most commonly used to cut workpieces with simple geometries that will be further shaped in a subsequent process. Typically, multiple sheets of paper are printed in one operation. Stamped parts often require secondary finishing to smooth out burrs on the bottom edges.