Cutting list optimiser: how many boards you need and how to cut them

As many as the total area of the parts and the yield of the layout require — adding up the square metres is not enough, because parts never fill a board without leftovers. A standard 2800 × 2070 mm chipboard sheet has 5.8 m². A 600 mm kitchen base unit has roughly 2.2 m² of parts, so one board covers two to three of them if the parts nest well. Enter your parts and the program tells you the exact number for your list.

The finished size is the part as it will be in the cabinet — with the edging applied. The cutting size is what the saw cuts, i.e. BEFORE edging. The relationship is “cutting size = finished size − edging + 2 × trim allowance”. A cabinetmaker measures the cabinet and thinks in finished sizes, but the saw needs cutting sizes — which is why the program deducts the edging itself once you enter its thickness.

The tape thickness on every side that gets edged. With 1 mm ABS edging the part is 2 mm narrower than its finished size, with 2 mm tape 4 mm. It is the most common mistake when working out cutting sizes by hand, and it only shows at the edgebander, when the parts are already cut. You enter the thickness for EACH PART separately — sides with 2 mm, shelves with 1 mm, the back with none — and the program deducts it around the part. If you only edge some sides, set them per edge in advanced cutting.

It depends on the job, not on the program. A single cabinet in its own decor won’t fill a board — the percentage is naturally low there. A whole kitchen in one decor nests much better. That is why it pays to cut several orders at once and keep track of offcuts: what is left from one cabinet goes into the next. The program shows the yield of your list so you can see where you stand.

The most common chipboard format is 2800 × 2070 mm — Egger and Kronospan both make it, in thicknesses from 8 to 38 mm; many merchants also stock 2440 × 1220 mm sheets. Carcasses and shelves are mostly 18 mm. Thicker boards and worktops often come in other formats, which is why you can change the format in the settings.

Guillotine means every cut runs right through the piece from edge to edge — exactly how a panel saw cuts. A layout that ignores this looks better on screen but can’t be cut at the saw. The program nests guillotine-style in up to four stages: even a saw with automatic feed handles two stages, while three and four need more handling at the sliding table saw and give a better yield.

Because every cut eats material. The default 4 mm over thirty cuts adds up to twelve centimetres of board — enough for the last part not to fit any more. If your saw has a thinner or thicker blade, enter it; the layout is recalculated.

A parts list with cutting sizes, decor, thickness and which edges are banded. In advanced cutting you export that list to CSV or Excel and send it on, without retyping anything.

No, and nothing. The page works without signing up; your parts list stays in your browser and is not sent to the server. You only need an account when you want to save cutting plans to it and open them on another device.