Cut list optimizer
What a cut list is, how a guillotine optimizer turns it into a cutting plan, how nesting differs from panel cutting, and how to export a diagram your shop can actually follow.
Updated: July 30, 2026
A cut list is the bridge between a design and a pile of parts. It is the flat, unambiguous list of every piece you need: length, width, quantity, material and — if it matters — grain direction and edge banding. A cut list optimizer takes that list and works out how to get all the parts out of as few sheets as possible, in a cut sequence a real saw can perform.
What belongs on a cut list
Most failed cutting days start with an incomplete cut list rather than a bad layout. A cut list that is ready to optimize has, for every part: a descriptive label, finished length and width, quantity, sheet material and thickness, grain constraint if the part is visible, and an edge-banding note if the part will be trimmed. Labels matter more than people expect — a diagram full of "Panel 7" is a diagram nobody trusts at the saw.
| Label | Length | Width | Qty | Grain | Banding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side | 720 mm | 560 mm | 2 | Vertical | Front edge |
| Top / bottom | 564 mm | 560 mm | 2 | Free | Front edge |
| Back rail | 564 mm | 100 mm | 1 | Free | None |
| Front rail | 564 mm | 80 mm | 1 | Free | Front edge |
| Shelf | 560 mm | 540 mm | 1 | Free | Front edge |
Guillotine cuts versus free nesting
There are two fundamentally different optimization problems, and confusing them wastes a lot of time.
Guillotine cutting — what a table saw, track saw or panel saw does — requires every cut to run edge to edge across the piece in front of you. Layouts must therefore decompose recursively into strips. This constrains yield slightly, but it is the only kind of plan a person with a saw can execute.
Free nesting — what a CNC router or laser does — lets parts sit anywhere and lets the tool travel around each outline, including curves and internal cut-outs. Yield is better, especially for non-rectangular parts, but you need a machine to run it and post-processing to hold parts with tabs or a vacuum bed.
| Guillotine | Free nesting | |
|---|---|---|
| Machine | Table saw, track saw, panel saw | CNC router, laser, waterjet |
| Part shapes | Rectangles only | Any outline, including curves |
| Typical yield | 80–92% | 85–96% |
| Plan readability | Human-readable cut sequence | Toolpath file |
| Setup cost | None | Fixturing, tabs, CAM time |
OptimalLayout optimizes for guillotine cutting because that is what almost everybody cutting sheet goods actually has. If you are nesting curved parts on a router, read the sheet yield and nesting guide for how the two approaches compare.
How the optimizer sequences cuts
The engine sorts parts largest-first, places each one into the tightest free rectangle that fits, and splits the remainder. It then walks the resulting placement tree and extracts the real, ordered straight cuts — the ones you will make with the saw — numbering and colour-coding them in the diagram. Step 1 is usually the long rip that separates the sheet into manageable halves; later steps are crosscuts within each strip.
Following the numbered sequence matters for more than tidiness. Ripping the full-length pieces first keeps the sheet supported and the reference edge intact; crosscutting first leaves you wrestling an awkward, floppy offcut on a long rip.
Reading and exporting the plan
- Per-sheet diagrams show each panel drawn to scale with its label and dimensions.
- Numbered cut lines give the order and colour code for each straight cut.
- A cut list table repeats the parts in text form for checking off at the saw.
- Vector PDF export keeps the diagrams sharp at any zoom level and prints cleanly on A4 or Letter.
Print the PDF and take it to the saw. Tick each part as it comes off the sheet — the single most reliable way to catch a mis-cut before it becomes a second material run.
Getting a better result
- Standardise part sizes where the design allows. Five different shelf widths cost more material than one repeated width.
- Allow rotation on parts where grain does not show; it often removes a whole sheet.
- Batch similar jobs. Two cabinets optimized together always beat two cabinets optimized separately.
- Set kerf honestly. An optimistic kerf produces an optimistic layout and undersized parts.
- Keep an offcut inventory and enter usable offcuts as extra small sheets on the next job.
Start from a worked project on the examples page, or open the optimizer and enter your own list.