How to Create a Cutting Plan for Sheet Materials
A cutting plan is the bridge between your design and your saw. It tells you how many sheets to buy, where every part sits on each sheet, and in what order to make the cuts. Without one, you're buying extra material "just in case" and hoping the parts fit. With one, you know exactly what you're doing before the first blade spins.
If you run a workshop — cabinets, furniture, store fixtures, metal fabrication, glass — you already know that material is your biggest variable cost. A single kitchen project might use six to ten sheets of melamine MDF at $50 – $80 each. The difference between a good cutting plan and a rough estimate can easily be one or two sheets per job. Over a year, that's thousands of dollars walking out the door as sawdust.
This guide walks through the complete process of creating a cutting plan for sheet materials — from measuring your stock to exporting a shop-ready layout. It applies whether you're cutting plywood, MDF, melamine, glass, aluminium, acrylic, or any other rectangular sheet material.
What Is a Cutting Plan?
A cutting plan (also called a cut plan, cutting layout, nesting diagram, or cut map) is a visual document that shows how individual parts are arranged on stock sheets. It's the output of the optimization step — the diagram your saw operator follows on the shop floor.
A complete cutting plan includes:
The layout diagram — a scaled drawing of each stock sheet, showing every part positioned on it with dimensions, part labels, and color coding. This is the core deliverable.
The cut sequence — the order in which cuts should be made. On a panel saw, this typically follows the algorithm structure: primary cuts first (long edge-to-edge cuts that divide the sheet into strips), then secondary cuts (shorter cuts that separate individual parts within each strip).
Material summary — total number of sheets required, total area used, waste percentage, and cost estimate.
Parts list — a table confirming every part has been placed, with its assigned sheet number. This is your checklist for the shop floor.
Offcut inventory — the usable leftover pieces from each sheet, with their dimensions. These go back into your stock for future projects.
Step 1: Measure Your Stock Sheets
Don't assume. A nominally "2440 × 1220 mm" sheet might actually be 2438 × 1219 mm. Some suppliers cut sheets slightly undersize; others leave them slightly oversize. Imported sheets may use different standards entirely.
Measure the actual sheets in your inventory, or confirm the exact dimensions with your supplier before you start planning. A 2 mm discrepancy doesn't sound like much, but if your layout places a part right at the edge of the sheet, 2 mm is the difference between a part that fits and a part that doesn't.
Also check for damaged edges. A sheet with a chipped or crushed edge needs a trim cut before any parts can be placed. Most optimizers let you set a trim margin (also called edge trim) — typically 5 – 15 mm — that excludes the outer edges from the usable area.
If you're using offcuts from previous projects, measure each one individually. Offcuts are never exactly the size you think they are — they've been cut, handled, and stored. Measure, then enter the actual dimensions.
Step 2: Build Your Cut List
Before you can create a cutting plan, you need a complete cut list — a table of every part with its finished dimensions, quantity, and material type.
The key principles:
Enter finished dimensions. If your shelf needs to be 764 mm long, enter 764. Don't add extra for kerf — the optimizer handles that. Don't add extra "just in case" — that defeats the purpose of optimization.
Separate materials. If your project uses 18 mm white melamine MDF and 3 mm HDF (High Density Fiberboard), those are two separate groups. Parts from different materials can't share a sheet, and the optimizer needs to know which sheets to assign each part to.
Specify grain direction. For materials with visible grain or pattern (wood veneer plywood, some laminates, brushed metal), indicate which parts must have grain running in a specific direction. This constrains the optimizer — a grain-sensitive part can only be placed in one orientation, not rotated — but it ensures the finished product looks right.
Double-check quantities. The most common cut list error is wrong quantities. A cabinet with two doors has four stiles and four rails. A drawer has five pieces (front, back, two sides, bottom). Count each part against your design drawing, not from memory.
Step 3: Set Your Cutting Parameters
These are the technical settings that make the difference between a cutting plan that works on paper and one that works at the saw.
Kerf width
The width of material removed by your saw blade with each cut. Measure it, or check your blade's spec sheet. Typical values: 3.0 – 3.5 mm for a panel saw, 2.0 – 2.4 mm for a thin kerf blade, 3.0 – 6.0 mm for a CNC router bit. Enter the wrong kerf and every part after the first cut will be off by the cumulative error.
Trim margin (edge trim)
The strip removed from each edge of the stock sheet before parts are placed. This compensates for damaged edges, factory cuts that aren't perfectly straight, and material that's been dinged in transport. Typical values: 5 – 15 mm per edge. If your sheets are factory-fresh with clean edges, you might use 5 mm. If they've been stored in a warehouse and handled roughly, use 10 – 15 mm.
Algorithm choice
This determines how parts are arranged on the sheet. The two main options:
Guillotine — every cut goes from one edge of the remaining piece to the opposite edge, producing two rectangles. This is how panel saws work. If your shop cuts on a panel saw, beam saw, or vertical wall saw, use Guillotine. Learn more about Guillotine vs Standard algorithms.
Standard (Shelf) — parts are arranged more freely, allowing tighter packing but potentially requiring partial cuts that don't go edge to edge. Best for CNC routers, where the cutting head moves freely in X and Y.
Part rotation
Can parts be rotated 90°? For materials without visible grain (plain MDF, plain melamine), rotation should be enabled — it gives the optimizer more flexibility and typically improves yield by 2 – 5%. For grain-sensitive materials, rotation should be disabled for parts where grain direction matters.
Step 4: Run the Optimization
This is where the algorithm does its work. You feed in three inputs — stock sheets, parts list, and cutting parameters — and the optimizer produces the cutting plan.
What happens during optimization:
The algorithm tests thousands of possible arrangements, evaluating each one for total waste, number of sheets used, and compliance with your constraints (kerf, trim, grain, algorithm type). It searches for the arrangement that minimizes waste across all sheets, not just on one sheet at a time.
For most projects (up to several hundred parts), this takes under a second. For very large projects (1000+ parts), it may take a few seconds.
The output is a set of sheet layouts — one diagram per stock sheet — showing where every part is placed. Each part is labeled with its name, dimensions, and a color code for easy identification.
What to check after optimization
Sheet count. Is it what you expected? If the optimizer uses fewer sheets than you anticipated, great — you're saving material. If it uses more, check whether your stock sheets are the right size, or whether you have parts that are too large for the sheet dimensions.
Waste percentage. Professional cutting plans typically achieve 80 – 95% material utilization, depending on part sizes and quantities. Below 75% suggests something is off — perhaps a few large parts are wasting most of a sheet, and you should consider a different stock sheet size.
Part placement. Scan the layouts for anything that looks wrong. Is a part placed across the grain when it shouldn't be? Is a tiny part placed on its own sheet when it could fit as an offcut on another? Most optimizers handle these correctly, but a visual check takes ten seconds and can catch rare edge cases.
Offcuts. Look at the leftover pieces on each sheet. Are any of them large enough to save for future projects? If so, record their dimensions and add them to your offcut inventory.
Step 5: Plan the Cut Sequence
A cutting plan tells you where parts go. The cut sequence tells you in what order to make the cuts. This matters more than most people realize — especially on a panel saw, where the order of cuts determines whether you can hold the material safely and whether the remaining pieces stay manageable.
For Guillotine layouts
The natural sequence follows the algorithm structure:
Primary cuts first. These are the long, edge-to-edge cuts that divide the full sheet into major strips or sections. On a vertical panel saw, these are typically the first rip cuts. Make all primary cuts before moving to secondary cuts.
Secondary cuts next. Within each strip, make the cross cuts that separate individual parts. Work from one end of the strip to the other.
Trim cuts last. If your layout includes trim strips along the edges, cut those off first or last — whichever is more convenient for material handling.
The general principle: always cut the largest pieces first, then work down to smaller pieces. This keeps the material stable on the saw and reduces the risk of small pieces getting caught or shifting.
For Standard layouts
The sequence is less rigid because cuts don't necessarily go edge to edge. If you're using a CNC, the machine follows the toolpath automatically — you don't need to plan a sequence.
If you're executing a Standard layout on a combination of machines (panel saw for primary breakdown, table saw for secondary cuts), plan the panel saw cuts first, then group the secondary cuts by sub-panel.
Step 6: Label and Track Parts
Once parts are cut, you need to know which piece is which. On a 50-part kitchen project, one unlabeled 564 × 300 mm panel looks exactly like every other 564 × 300 mm panel — but one is a base cabinet bottom and another is a wall cabinet shelf, and they might have different edge banding requirements.
Label immediately after cutting. Use a pencil, crayon, or adhesive label on the back face of each part. Write the part name and the sheet number from the cutting plan.
Use the cutting plan as a checklist. As each part is cut and labeled, mark it on the diagram. This ensures nothing is missed and nothing is double-cut.
Match labels to your cut list. If your cut list says "Part 3: Wall cabinet shelf, 564 × 280, qty 4," and your cutting plan shows Part 3 on sheets 2 and 3, your labels should read "Part 3 – Sheet 2" and "Part 3 – Sheet 3."
Many cut list optimizers generate printable part labels — small stickers or tags that you can print and apply directly to each part as it comes off the saw. This eliminates handwriting errors and speeds up the labeling process significantly.
Step 7: Export and Share
A cutting plan is only useful if the person at the saw can read it. The final step is exporting the plan in a format that works for your workflow.
PDF — the universal format. Print it, pin it to the wall next to the saw, or view it on a tablet. Every cutting plan should be available as a PDF. The PDF should include the layout diagrams, parts list, material summary, and any labels.
DXF — for CNC routers and laser cutters. A DXF file contains the exact cut paths as vector geometry. Import it into your CAM software and the machine executes the cuts directly. No manual interpretation needed.
Excel/CSV — for integration with your existing workflow. Export the parts list, sheet assignments, and material summary back to a spreadsheet for purchase orders, cost tracking, or inventory management.
A good cutting plan is a communication tool. It tells the saw operator exactly what to do, tells the purchasing department exactly what to buy, and tells the project manager exactly what the material cost will be. The clearer and more complete the plan, the fewer questions and mistakes on the shop floor.
Common Pitfalls
Not accounting for kerf. Every cut removes material. A 3 mm kerf across 50 cuts is 150 mm of material that doesn't exist in your parts. If the cutting plan doesn't account for kerf, your parts will be too short. Always enter your actual kerf value.
Ignoring trim margins. Sheet edges aren't always perfect. A 10 mm trim margin per edge reduces your usable sheet area by about 1 – 2%, but it prevents you from placing a part on a damaged or out-of-square edge.
Mixing up grain direction. A door panel with horizontal grain instead of vertical grain is a rejected part and a wasted piece of material. Set grain direction constraints in the optimizer, not in your head.
Not saving offcuts. After cutting, you'll have leftover pieces on each sheet. Some are too small to be useful (less than 200 × 200 mm), but others might be perfect for the next project's drawer bottoms or filler strips. Measure them, label them, and add them to your stock library.
Skipping the visual check. Before you start cutting, look at the layout diagram for 30 seconds. Does it make sense? Are the largest parts where you'd expect them? Is everything labeled? This quick review catches more errors than any automated check.
Not re-optimizing after changes. Added a part? Changed a dimension? Don't modify the cutting plan manually — re-run the optimization. Manual edits to a cutting plan almost always introduce errors or reduce yield. The optimizer recalculates everything in seconds.
Cutting Plans at Scale: Production Environments
For workshops running multiple jobs per day — cabinet shops, commercial furniture manufacturers, glass fabrication plants — the cutting plan process needs to be streamlined.
Batch optimization. Instead of optimizing one project at a time, combine parts from multiple orders into a single optimization run. This often improves material utilization because parts from different projects can share sheets, filling gaps that a single-project optimization would leave as waste.
Stock management integration. Your cutting plan should pull from your actual inventory — full sheets and offcuts. If you have a 1200 × 800 mm offcut of 18 mm MDF sitting on the rack, the optimizer should know about it and use it before opening a new full sheet.
Label printing. At production scale, handwriting labels is too slow and error-prone. Print labels directly from the cutting plan — one label per part, with the part name, dimensions, destination (which cabinet or which order), and edge banding requirements.
Digital cut plans. Instead of printing paper, display the cutting plan on a tablet or monitor at the saw station. The operator swipes through sheets as they cut. No paper to lose, no ink to smudge, and the plan can be updated remotely if a last-minute change comes in.
Key Takeaways
A cutting plan is a visual layout showing where every part sits on every stock sheet. It's generated from your cut list and cutting parameters — kerf, trim, algorithm, grain direction.
Always measure your actual stock sheets and offcuts. Don't assume nominal dimensions. A 2 mm discrepancy at the edge of a sheet can ruin a part.
Enter finished part dimensions only. The optimizer handles kerf and trim. Adding manual allowances on top of automated compensation creates errors.
Match the algorithm to your equipment. Guillotine for panel saws, Standard for CNC.
Check the plan visually before cutting. Ten seconds of review prevents ten minutes of rework.
Save your offcuts. Today's waste is next month's free material.
Ready to Create Your First Cutting Plan?
Enter your parts, set your stock sheets and cutting parameters, and let CutGrid generate an optimized layout in seconds. Export to PDF for the shop floor or DXF for your CNC.