Benchmarks
Three real jobs, and the number nobody can beat
For any cut list there is a number of bars below which no plan can go, because the material simply is not there. It is calculated, not guessed. Here are three jobs, our result, and that floor. Copy them into any optimiser you like and see where it lands.
| Job | Parts | Lengths | Our plan | Provable floor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job 1 | [object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object] | 25 | 75 bars | 73 bars | 2 above the floor |
| Job 2 | [object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object] | 30 | 138 bars | 138 bars | optimal, cannot be beaten |
| Job 3 | [object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object][object Object] | 40 | 315 bars | 312 bars | 3 above the floor |
Stock length 6500, blade width 4, no end trim, offcuts as listed. Run 13 July 2026. Every plan was verified against its inputs before it was counted.
The methods disagree, on purpose
Each one minimises a different thing, so the same job comes back cut a different way. Job 1 is the clearest: Least waste buys one more bar than Balanced (76 against 75) and still throws away 2,056 mm less material, because it is not trying to buy fewer bars. On the 960-piece job, Cutter's Dream buys the same 315 bars and takes the saw-stop movements from 150 down to 97, and the distinct layouts from 55 to 33: a third of the setups, for the same purchase.
Measured 13 July 2026, best of three runs per method (the search explores until its time budget runs out, so runs differ by a few percent). Balanced is the default and it is balanced in the literal sense: bars, waste, offcuts and setups all weigh on it, so a method that cares about only one of them will sometimes beat it on that one. That is the trade, not a fault.
The jobs
Every job below carries its full cut list and the result from all five methods. Copy the lengths straight into any optimiser, ours included. Format is one line per size: length, tab, quantity.
Job 1: [object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object] parts, 25 lengths
75 bars / floor 73| Method | Bars | Waste | Offcuts used | Layouts | Setups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced default | 75 | 11,380 | 3/5 | 34 | |
| Least waste | 76 | 9,324 | 1/5 | 30 | |
| Use offcuts first | 75 | 15,669 | 5/5 | 27 | |
| Cutter's Dream | 75 | 15,669 | 5/5 | 22 |
Show the cut list
Parts
4077 13 3990 7 3857 11 3746 14 3742 5 3557 1 3478 5 3338 4 3330 9 3128 7 2970 6 2958 1 2851 13 2471 6 2221 10 2207 15 1822 6 1768 8 1346 18 1320 5 1309 7 942 7 763 6 512 1 418 3
Offcuts on the rack
4917 1 3639 1 2177 1 2112 1 1988 1
Free material. Using one is not a purchase, so it does not count against the bar total.
Job 2: [object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object] parts, 30 lengths
138 bars / floor 138| Method | Bars | Waste | Offcuts used | Layouts | Setups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced default optimal | 138 | 3,476 | 7/8 | 33 | |
| Least waste | 139 | 2,713 | 5/8 | 35 | |
| Use offcuts first optimal | 138 | 5,190 | 8/8 | 33 | |
| Cutter's Dream | 138 | 3,936 | 7/8 | 32 |
Show the cut list
Parts
3652 30 3648 1 3198 16 3186 22 3152 19 3076 8 2770 29 2741 13 2700 3 2271 6 2269 24 2235 14 1999 2 1779 17 1755 17 1684 30 1659 24 1593 3 1569 23 1553 7 1534 25 1523 12 1380 2 1056 28 979 23 896 26 570 23 566 27 388 4 313 12
Offcuts on the rack
4965 1 4701 1 3470 1 3284 1 3059 1 2758 1 1714 1 1254 1
Free material. Using one is not a purchase, so it does not count against the bar total.
Job 3: [object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object] parts, 40 lengths
315 bars / floor 312| Method | Bars | Waste | Offcuts used | Layouts | Setups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced default | 315 | 25,160 | 8/10 | 55 | |
| Least waste | 313 | 13,957 | 10/10 | 82 | |
| Use offcuts first | 315 | 26,957 | 10/10 | 53 | |
| Cutter's Dream | 315 | 26,176 | 9/10 | 33 |
Show the cut list
Parts
4083 34 4052 35 3734 6 3684 18 3583 32 3571 41 3333 47 3253 28 3249 19 3122 24 3109 9 2966 26 2914 12 2867 7 2760 40 2732 21 2485 11 2321 22 2281 4 2166 31 2027 10 1962 30 1708 31 1668 12 1597 47 1566 10 1554 37 1324 19 1272 45 1148 32 1026 9 961 27 909 11 896 8 631 30 620 27 528 25 498 10 434 41 430 32
Offcuts on the rack
5312 1 4990 1 4720 1 4619 1 3459 1 3413 1 3004 1 2730 1 1016 1 781 1
Free material. Using one is not a purchase, so it does not count against the bar total.
Scoring it fairly
- Set the same blade width in every tool you try. A plan built on a zero-width blade is solving an easier problem, and its bar count is not comparable.
- Count bars bought. Offcuts are material you already own.
- Check the plan is physically real: on every bar, the parts plus the blade width between them must fit inside the bar. A plan that fails that check is not a plan. Ours are checked against your inputs before you ever see them.