Calculator
Cut list optimizer for sheets and boards
List your parts and the stock you have or plan to buy. The layout shows where each part goes, with a saw kerf between cuts.
Your cut list
JavaScript is off, so this page cannot lay out your parts. The tips below still help you plan by hand.
Inches. Fractions are fine: 23 1/2, 23-1/2, or 23.5.
Stock
Leave “How many” blank to buy as many as needed.
The width of your blade’s cut. 1/8″ is common. The layout leaves this much between parts.
On: each sheet or board is first ripped into full-length strips (each as wide as the widest part in it), then each strip is crosscut into parts, so every cut runs edge to edge. Easier on a table saw, but this mode may use more material.
Parts
“Keep grain” runs the part’s length along the stock’s length. Unchecked parts may be turned to save stock.
Stock to use —
Waste —
Enter at least one part and one stock size greater than zero.
Diagrams show each piece with its length left to right. Waste counts offcuts and kerf.
Red dashed lines are rip cuts that run the full length of the sheet or board. Thin dashed lines are crosscuts across a strip. A part narrower than its strip needs one more rip after crosscutting.
How it works
The optimizer places the biggest parts first and tucks smaller ones into the leftover spaces, leaving one kerf between parts. Parts can run right to a factory edge. It finds good layouts quickly, but it is not guaranteed to find the fewest possible sheets or boards, and it does not plan the order of your cuts.
Worked example
Eight parts that are each 23⅞″ × 23⅞″ fit on one 48″ × 96″ sheet with a ⅛″ kerf: four across the length and two across the width. Make them a full 24″ square and the kerfs push them onto three sheets.
Tips for a cleaner cut list
- Measure your blade’s kerf on a scrap. A thin-kerf blade is often about 3/32″; a full-kerf blade is about 1/8″.
- Factory edges on plywood can be rough or out of square. Add a little to your stock size if you plan to trim them.
- Keep grain on parts that show, like doors and face frames. Hidden parts such as drawer bottoms can usually turn.
- Layouts here are a good starting point, not a guarantee of the fewest sheets. Check them before you cut.
Before you cut
Factory edges are not always straight or square, and plywood is often a little under its nominal size, so measure your sheets and consider trimming one edge first. Buy a spare sheet for big projects, and mark each part as you cut it.
This tool is for planning. It uses a quick layout method that finds a good layout, not always the best possible one, so it may not use the fewest sheets or boards. Results are estimates that assume the kerf you enter. Check the layout, grain, and any defects in your stock, and measure twice before you cut.
This calculator runs in your browser only. Your numbers aren't sent to us or anyone else, and the calculator doesn't save them. The page itself uses analytics; see our privacy policy.
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