In the process of cladding by using blown powder, the laser light passes through the injected powder and is incident on the surface of the substrate. As a result of the presence of the powder cloud there will be a reduction in the laser beam irradiance experienced by the melt pool below it. This effect will be more pronounced where the cloud is at it's deepest. The original laser power density distribution will therefore be altered by passage through the powder stream. The present paper quantitatively describes this phenomenon and suggest some equations by which the redistribution of the power density of the laser beam through the powder cloud can be evaluated. The significance of the redistribution of the laser beam and its possible effect on the temperature in the substrate is also discussed.