Cut List Optimiser

Work out cuts by eye and you will usually be one length short, because every cut turns a few millimetres into sawdust and the last piece no longer fits. This takes your list, works out how many lengths to buy, and shows exactly which pieces come off each one — with the kerf counted for every cut after the first on a length, which is where the arithmetic normally goes wrong.

Pieces you need

One per line. Write 600 x 4 for four of them, and add a label after a comma or dash.

Stock length

The length you can buy, in your own units.

Saw kerf

How much each cut turns into dust. Zero for a shear or a guillotine.

Your cutting plan will appear here.

What this generator does

Takes the longest piece first and puts it on the fullest length it still fits, opening a new length only when nothing will take it, and reports the offcut on each along with the total waste.

How to use this tool

List the pieces you need, one per line. Write 600 x 4 for four of them.
Set the length you can buy and the width of your saw cut.
Read how many lengths you need and what comes off each.
Check the offcuts — a long one usually means a different stock length would suit better.

Understanding the controls

Pieces you need: One per line. Write 600 x 4 for four of that length, and add a label after a comma or dash so the plan tells you which piece is which.
Stock length: The length you can buy, in whatever units you are working in — the arithmetic does not care whether they are millimetres or inches.
Saw kerf: How much material each cut destroys. Every cut after the first on a length costs one, which is exactly what people forget. Set it to zero for a shear or a guillotine.

Common use cases

Buying timber for shelves, a frame or decking
Cutting pipe, track, trim or skirting to a list
Working out how much ribbon, tape or webbing a job needs
Checking a supplier's quantity before ordering
Comparing two stock lengths to see which wastes less

How this generator works

Three counts are checked before the plan is shown. Every piece you asked for appears on exactly one length and nowhere else; no length is cut past what it has, with the kerf measured again from the pieces on it; and each length's pieces, kerf and offcut add back up to the stock length. The number of lengths is also compared against the fewest the total could possibly fit into, so the plan can never claim to have beaten the arithmetic.

Randomness and fairness

Nothing is random. The same list and settings always give the same plan.

For how randomness is produced across the whole site, see how Generate Random works.

Limitations and good to know

It finds a good plan quickly rather than the best one possible — cutting stock is a genuinely hard problem, and the fewest-lengths figure is shown so you can see how close this got.
One stock length at a time. Mixing two lengths from a supplier needs working out separately.
Cutting in one direction only: this is for lengths, not for sheets, where the second dimension changes the problem entirely.
No allowance for defects, grain direction or which end of a board is square.

Privacy and your data

Your cut list stays in your browser. Nothing you paste is transmitted or stored.