Laser forming is the thermal process to deform a metal plate using the thermal stress produced by the rapid heating with the laser. In this study, the influence of irradiating conditions of CO₂ laser on the bending angle of the workpiece is investigated. The temperature at the back surface of the workpiece irradiated with CO₂ laser is measured using a two-color pyrometer with an optical fiber. The temperature distribution in the workpiece is calculated using the FEM thermal analysis. Simple bending experiments with one-way laser scanning are carried out. Stainless steel SUS304 of various thickness is used as work material. The results obtained are as follows. The bending angle is proportional to the temperature of the workpiece irradiated. The temperature of workpiece increases with the increase of laser power, the decrease of feed rate of the laser beam and the decrease of plate thickness. After all, the bending angle becomes larger with the increase of laser power, the decrease of the feed rate and the decrease of the thickness of the plate. The temperature of the workpiece can be used as a signal to control the deformation of the workpiece.