Sheet Cut Optimiser
Cutting panels from a sheet is a much harder problem than cutting lengths from a board. Pieces can be turned, the leftovers are awkward L-shapes, and two panels that each fit the space left over may not both fit it. This lays the panels out in straight rows across the sheet — which is what a table saw can actually cut — shows the layout, and then tests every pair of panels on every sheet to confirm none of them overlaps.
What this generator does
Sorts the panels largest first, fills straight rows across each sheet, opens a new row when one is full and a new sheet when the last row will not fit, and draws where every panel ends up.
How to use this tool
- List your panels, one per line: width by height, then x 3 for three of them.
- Set the sheet size and the width of your saw cut.
- Say whether panels may be turned — leave it off if the material has a grain.
- Read the layout and how much of each sheet gets used.
Understanding the controls
- Panels you need
- One per line as width by height. Add x 3 for three of that size, and a label after a comma or dash so the layout says which panel is which.
- Sheet width and height
- The sheet you can buy, in whatever units you work in. A standard sheet is 2440 by 1220 millimetres, or 8 by 4 feet.
- Saw kerf
- How much material each cut destroys. It is charged between panels in a row and between rows, which is where the arithmetic usually goes wrong.
- Panels may be turned
- Turning a panel often saves a sheet, but it cannot be done where the material has a grain or a pattern that must run one way.
Common use cases
- Working out how many sheets of plywood or MDF a project needs
- Planning cuts before going to a merchant who cuts to size
- Laying out panels for flat-pack furniture or built-in storage
- Checking whether turning the panels would save a sheet
- Estimating waste before committing to a sheet size
How this generator works
The layout is arranged in rows because a clever arrangement that no saw can cut is not worth having: each row is one straight pass across the sheet, then cuts within the strip. Before the plan is shown, three things are checked — every panel is placed exactly once, every panel lies inside its sheet, and every pair of panels on every sheet is tested for overlap. Each panel's placed size must also be its own size, either way round, so nothing can be quietly trimmed to fit.
Randomness and fairness
Nothing is random. The same panels and sheet size always give the same layout.
For how randomness is produced across the whole site, see how Generate Random works.
Limitations and good to know
- It finds a good layout quickly rather than the best one possible. The fewest sheets the area could ever fit into is shown alongside, so you can see how close it got.
- Rows only. A layout that nests panels into the leftover corners would waste less but could not be cut on a panel saw.
- One sheet size at a time.
- No allowance for the trim off a factory edge, for damaged corners, or for which way a veneer runs beyond the turning option.
Privacy and your data
Your panel list stays in your browser. Nothing you paste is transmitted or stored.
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