The interaction of high‐intensity laser beams with metals has been analyzed on the basis of detailed quantitative measurements of the energy balance. The interaction of normal (not Q‐switched) pulses with energies ranging from 1 to 30 J from a Nd‐doped glass laser with metals having a variety of thermal and optical properties was studied. The time‐dependent radiation reflectance of the metals, measured during the laser pulse, is found to account for most of the incident power in the initial stages of the interaction. As time progresses, much of the incident power is absorbed. It was found that the greatest part of the absorbed radiation energy is used to remove material in the liquid and vapor phases. Due to a large heat of vaporization for most metals, the amount of energy required to remove a given mass is strongly dependent on the relative amounts removed in the liquid and vapor phases. To determine this ratio, the total mass of material and the mass of molten material were measured.