Plywood Cut Optimizer
SI
Imp
Imperial
Inputs
View results
Sheet width
(W_s)
Full sheet width before edge trim. Common plywood is 48 in wide.
ft
Sheet length
(L_s)
Full sheet length before edge trim. Common plywood is 96 in long.
ft
Price per sheet
($/sheet)
Cost for one full sheet.
$/sheet
Saw kerf
(k)
Gap reserved between adjacent parts or shelves.
in
Edge trim
(e)
Margin reserved around the sheet perimeter for factory edges or cleanup cuts.
in
Extra overage
(w)
Additional whole sheets to buy for defects, grain matching, mistakes or site cuts.
%
Allow rotation
(rot)
Allow each part to rotate 90 degrees if it helps the layout. Disable for grain direction.
Yes
No
Part A width
(A_W)
Finished width for part group A.
ft
Part A length
(A_L)
Finished length for part group A.
ft
Part A quantity
(A_N)
Number of finished parts in group A.
pcs
Part B width
(B_W)
Finished width for part group B. Set quantity to 0 if unused.
ft
Part B length
(B_L)
Finished length for part group B. Set quantity to 0 if unused.
ft
Part B quantity
(B_N)
Number of finished parts in group B.
pcs
Part C width
(C_W)
Finished width for part group C. Set quantity to 0 if unused.
ft
Part C length
(C_L)
Finished length for part group C. Set quantity to 0 if unused.
ft
Part C quantity
(C_N)
Number of finished parts in group C.
pcs
Part D width
(D_W)
Finished width for part group D. Set quantity to 0 if unused.
ft
Part D length
(D_L)
Finished length for part group D. Set quantity to 0 if unused.
ft
Part D quantity
(D_N)
Number of finished parts in group D.
pcs
Results
Default result
Edit inputs
Sheets to buy
(N_buy)
2
sheets
Pass
2 sheets packed before overage
Also computed
Sheets packed
(N_pack)
2
sheets
Finished parts
(N_parts)
14
pcs
Area yield
(Y_A)
Caution
58.33
%
packed sheet area
Net part area
(A_parts)
37.33
ft²
Purchased sheet area
(A_buy)
64
ft²
Offcut / waste area
(A_offcut)
26.67
ft²
Estimated sheet cost
(Cost)
84
$
Show 1 more results
Plywood cut layout preview
Sheet layout preview
Sheet 1
A
A
A
A
B
B
B
C
Sheet 2
B
B
B
C
C
C
Shows first 2 packed sheets; R marks a rotated part.
Method notes
2 notes
The optimizer sorts rectangular parts by area, then uses a first-fit shelf packing pass with kerf between parts and shelves.
This is a shop-planning heuristic, not a global nesting solver. Grain direction, labels, joinery allowances, defects, CNC lead-ins and supplier-specific panel tolerances still need review.
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