Cutting Guides
How to Optimize a Cut List and Reduce Sheet Waste
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A useful sheet plan starts with reliable part dimensions, not a utilization percentage. An optimizer arranges requested rectangles inside stock sheets; it cannot correct an incorrectly sized shelf or turn a remnant into a guaranteed saving. Build repeatable inputs and check the manufacturing assumptions before exporting.
Prepare the production list
Use finished panel dimensions for each row and keep quantity separate from row count. Four equal shelves can be one row with quantity four. Check that sheet thickness matches the intended material: 3/4-inch stock and 18 mm are different physical sizes.
Keep unlike thicknesses in separate optimizer jobs. Wall Cabinet doors can differ from the carcass thickness; transfer the appropriate group rather than treating both as one sheet material.
- Check names, dimensions and quantities against the drawing.
- Enter actual available sheet dimensions and thickness.
- Set kerf and boundary margin deliberately.
- Lock rotation when the supplied orientation must be retained.
Allow for clearance and orientation
Kerf reserves clearance between parts; margin reserves space at the sheet boundary. A 2440 × 1220 mm sheet with a 10 mm margin has a 2420 × 1200 mm planning region before inter-part kerf.
In CutNavi, a non-none grain setting locks the supplied orientation. It does not align a grain pattern across adjacent furniture panels. Verify width/height orientation and inspect rotated placements.
Read the result before comparing it
Check placed and unplaced counts first. High utilization with missing parts is incomplete. Utilization is placed part area divided by physical area of all used sheets, so kerf and margins remain in the denominator.
Placing 2.4 m² on a 3 m² sheet gives 80% utilization. The remaining area includes clearances and leftover regions, some of which may be reusable. An unused-area value is a reference, not a guaranteed monetary loss.
A one-sheet layout at 72% and a two-sheet layout at 80% answer different purchasing and remnant questions. Compare sheet count alongside utilization, and keep mixed-currency estimates separate.
Keep a reproducible record
Save a run before changing stock settings. Its layout and cost snapshot remain historical evidence. Restore its setup for a fresh optimization with current library prices, or create a separate project from that run.
Rectangular MaxRects heuristics do not promise a global optimum, cutting order or machine-ready toolpath. SVG/DXF and production plans describe geometry and layout. Workholding, machine clearance and cutting sequence require an appropriate manufacturing process.