Softonic

Cutlist Optimizer

Step 1 / 4 Cutlist Optimizer

Use any unit you like (inches, centimeters, millimeters), as long as the stock length and kerf use the same one. A line with only a length counts as one piece.

Next: stock and kerf

A cut list tells you which pieces to cut from which board. This cutlist optimizer works on straight lengths: lumber, trim, tubing, pipe, extrusions or any stock sold in one fixed length. List the pieces you need with their quantities, enter the stock length and the width of your saw blade, and it assigns every piece to a board, shows the cuts on each board, the offcut left over and how much material you waste in total. Pieces that are longer than the stock are flagged before you buy anything.

How to use the cutlist optimizer

  1. 1

    List your pieces

    Type one piece per line as length x quantity, for example 40 x 2. A line with only a length counts as one piece.

  2. 2

    Enter the stock length and the kerf

    Give the length of the boards you buy and the blade width. Use the same unit as the pieces; leave the kerf at 0 to ignore it.

  3. 3

    Read the cut plan

    See how many boards you need, the waste percentage and, for each board, the cuts, the kerf lost and the offcut.

  4. 4

    Copy the cut list

    The last step gives you the whole plan as plain text to paste into a note, a message or your shop notebook.

How the boards are chosen

The tool uses first-fit decreasing, the classic rule for one-dimensional cutting problems. It lays out every piece individually, sorts them from longest to shortest, and puts each one on the first board that still has room for it. A new board is opened only when no existing board can take the piece. Starting with the long pieces matters: they are the hardest to place, and the short ones then fill the gaps they leave.

First-fit decreasing is a fast heuristic. It usually lands on the minimum number of boards or very close to it, but it is not guaranteed to be the mathematical optimum for every list. If your plan ends with a board that is barely used, try the same list with a slightly different stock length, or check whether swapping two pieces by hand saves a board.

How the kerf is counted

Every cut that separates two pieces removes one blade width. The tool charges that kerf between neighbouring pieces on a board, so a board holding n pieces pays for n - 1 cuts. When material is left over after the last piece, one more cut separates the piece from the offcut, and that cut is paid out of the offcut. A board that is filled exactly to its end needs no final cut.

Worked example

Stock boards of 96, a kerf of 0.125, and the pieces 40 x 2, 30 x 3 and 20 x 1:

Board Cuts Kerf lost Offcut
1 2 x 40 0.25 15.75
2 3 x 30 0.375 5.625
3 1 x 20 0.125 75.875

That is 3 boards, 288 of stock for 190 of pieces, so 98 is waste (offcuts plus kerf), which is about 34 percent. The third board is almost empty, a sign that the list is a good candidate for a shorter stock length or for using the long offcut on another job.

Tips for a cheaper cut list

  • Measure the real kerf of your blade. Thin-kerf blades remove about 2 to 2.5 mm (about 3/32 in); standard table-saw blades remove about 3 mm (1/8 in).
  • Add a few millimeters or a sixteenth of an inch to pieces that will be planed, sanded or squared after cutting.
  • Keep offcuts that are long enough for a future piece; the offcut column shows what each board leaves behind.
  • Buy the stock length that wastes the least. Run the same list with each length your supplier sells and compare the boards and waste percentage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Any single unit: inches, feet, centimeters, millimeters. The tool only compares numbers, so the pieces, the stock length and the kerf must all use the same unit. Lengths can have up to three decimals, and you can write a decimal comma or a decimal point.

The tool does not produce a plan. It tells you which piece is longer than the stock board, because that piece cannot be cut from a single board. Pick a longer stock length or split the piece into two joined sections.

Not always. First-fit decreasing is a heuristic that is usually at or very near the minimum. For a small shop list the difference is rarely more than one board, and the per-board view lets you spot a swap that saves it.

No. This tool plans straight lengths only, one dimension at a time. Sheets need a two-dimensional layout with widths and heights, which this tool does not do.

No. The list you type is sent to our server to work out the plan, and it is added to the page link as you move between steps so a cut list can be bookmarked or shared. It is not saved to any account or profile.

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