Kitchen cabinet cut list
A cabinet cut list is a set of derived sizes, not a sketch. Get the derivation right once and every cabinet of that width is the same list; get it wrong and every cabinet is wrong.
Deriving the sizes
The carcass is 600 mm wide, 720 mm high and 560 mm deep, in 18 mm board. The sides run the full height and depth: 560 × 720 mm. The bottom and top sit between the sides, so their width is 600 − 2 × 18 = 564 mm. The shelf has the same width and is 20 mm shallower so it clears the back and the door: 564 × 540 mm.
The back here is a full 600 × 720 mm overlay in the same board, which makes the cabinet stiff and square. Many shops use a thinner back instead; it then belongs on a sheet of that material. The door stops 2 mm short of the carcass on every edge, 596 × 716 mm, which leaves a gap between neighbouring doors.
| Part | Width (mm) | Height (mm) | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side | 560 | 720 | 2 |
| Bottom | 564 | 560 | 1 |
| Top | 564 | 560 | 1 |
| Shelf | 564 | 540 | 1 |
| Back | 600 | 720 | 1 |
| Door | 596 | 716 | 1 |
The layout
With a 3 mm kerf, 10 mm trim and rotation allowed, the seven parts fit on 1 sheet. 87.4% of the board becomes parts and 12.6% is left. The largest offcut is 251 × 560 mm.
The parts are 0.87 sheets of area, so there is little to spare. A small change to the depth or the door height can move a part onto another sheet; run the layout again whenever a size changes.
Layout produced by CutGrid’s optimizer for this example. Coloured blocks are parts, dashed areas are offcuts, and the outer band is trim.
- Side
- Bottom
- Top
- Shelf
- Back
- Door
Three cabinets are not three sheets
Three identical cabinets are 21 parts and 2.62 sheets of area. The layout needs 4 sheets at 34.5% waste. Parts that fill one sheet neatly for one cabinet do not tile the same way three times over.
The lower bound for this list is 3 sheets. The how-many-sheets guide uses the same three cabinets and shows what the trim costs.
Layout produced by CutGrid’s optimizer for this example. Coloured blocks are parts, dashed areas are offcuts, and the outer band is trim.
- Side
- Bottom
- Top
- Shelf
- Back
- Door
Grain and edges
If the face grain on the sides and doors has to run vertically, lock their grain and enter the height in the width field. The grain direction guide shows why the order of the two numbers matters.
Edge banding changes cut sizes. A door banded on four edges with 1 mm tape is cut 2 mm smaller each way; the edge banding guide covers when to deduct it.
Common mistakes
Subtracting one board thickness instead of two
The bottom sits between two sides. Its width is the carcass width minus two thicknesses: 600 − 36 = 564 mm, not 582.
Making the shelf full depth
A full-depth shelf hits the back or stops the door from closing. Take 15 to 20 mm off the depth.
Putting a thin back on the same sheet
A 6 mm back cannot come from an 18 mm sheet. Give it its own material so it is laid out on the right board.
Forgetting door gaps
A door the full size of the carcass binds against its neighbour. Leave about 2 mm per edge, or what your hinges specify.
Questions
- How many sheets does a kitchen need?
- Put all the cabinets in one list; parts from different cabinets fill each other’s gaps. Three base cabinets of this design needed 4 sheets, where a rule of one cabinet per sheet would have said three.
- Should the back be the same thickness?
- It does not have to be. An 18 mm back makes a rigid, square box with something solid to fix to the wall. A 6 to 8 mm back is lighter and cheaper but needs a groove or rebate and changes the depth calculation.
- Can CutGrid build the list from cabinet dimensions?
- CutGrid lays out the parts you enter. The try page has a cabinet template that fills in a starting list you can edit.