This paper concerns the modelling of laser beam heat source based on experimental research of Yb:YAG laser. Measurements of the real laser beam power emitted by Trumpf laser head D70 are performed using UFF100 analyser. Developed heat source interpolation model is based on the geostatistical Kriging method. Comparison of experimentally determined Yb:YAG laser power intensity distribution with analytical models and interpolated distribution is carried out in order to determine the accuracy of mapping of the real laser beam heat source distribution. Finally, numerical simulation of laser heating process is performed in finite element method to evaluate the usefulness of presented solutions. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.