Linear Cutting

Bundle cutting

Bundle cutting optimizer

Stock arrives in bundles, so cut a whole bundle on one pattern and you pay one saw setup for every bar in it. Bundle mode groups identical cuts into full bundles and runs the leftovers as singles. It is a method in the calculator below (on the Hobby plan and up) and in the optimisation API. It takes straight cuts only and needs a bundle size of 2 or more.

Settings

Save material

Save labour

Save money

Stock you can buy ?

Leave qty empty for unlimited supply.

Offcuts you already have ?

Free lengths on your rack. Used when they help; never counted as purchases.

Required parts ?

Tab past the last field to add a row. Enter jumps down a column. Alt+N adds a row, Alt+P opens paste, Ctrl+Enter calculates. Full guide.

Stock that ships in bundles

Reinforcing bar (rebar) 6.0, 12.0 m
Steel RHS, SHS, tube 6.0, 8.0 m
Structural sections 9.0, 12.0 m
Aluminium extrusion 6.5 m (6500 mm)
Merchant bar: flat, round, angle 6.0 m
Timber and lumber packs 3.0 to 6.0 m

Blade width cutting a whole bundle

Horizontal bandsaw 0.8 to 1.5 mm
Cold saw 2 to 2.5 mm
Abrasive cut-off disc 1 to 3 mm
Circular saw (timber) 3 to 4 mm
Rebar shear or cropper 0 (nothing lost)

The blade width is the same whether the bundle holds one bar or thirty; you just lose it on every bar at once. Bandsaws and shears are the usual bundle machines because they take a full bundle in one pass. More on kerf.

One setup, a whole bundle of bars

A saw setup is the slow part: load the stock, set the stop, cut, unload. Do it one bar at a time and the setups, not the cutting, are where the shift goes. Bundle optimisation groups identical cut patterns so a full bundle is loaded once and every bar in it comes off the same stops. On a repetitive job that is the difference between one clamp-and-cut and thirty.

Bundle mode is in the calculator and the API

The method: "bundle" option is live in the calculator below (on the Hobby plan and up) and in the optimisation API: it fills as many full bundles as the demand allows, lets each stock length carry its own bundle size of 2 or more, then solves the leftovers as singles. It takes straight cuts only, no angle cuts or material groups. If you cut in bundles every day, the API is the fast path for your own software. See the bundle recipe.

Full bundles first, then the remainder

Demand rarely divides cleanly into whole bundles, and that is fine. Bundle mode packs the full bundles it can, counts them, then hands the leftover pieces to the single-bar solver so nothing is wasted chasing a round number. The response reports how many bars came off a full bundle and how many ran as singles, so you can see the labour saving before you touch the saw.

FAQ

What is a bundle in cutting stock?
A bundle is the pack of identical bars your supplier delivers banded together: rebar, tube, extrusion and timber all arrive this way. If a bundle of thirty bars can be cut on one repeated pattern, you set the saw once and cut all thirty, instead of setting up thirty times.
How much does bundle cutting actually save?
It saves setups and labour, not stock. You buy the same number of lengths as a fewest-lengths plan, but the cutting time drops because identical patterns run as one bundle. The busier and more repetitive the job, the bigger the saving; on a one-off list where every piece differs there is nothing to bundle.
Is bundle mode in the web calculator?
Yes. Bundle is a method in the calculator on the Hobby plan and up: free and keyless users see it locked. It is also in the API as method: "bundle". Either way it takes straight cuts only and needs a bundle size of 2 or more. Power users who cut in bundles every day should reach for the API.
What happens to bars that do not fill a whole bundle?
They are solved as singles. Bundle mode fills every full bundle it can, then runs the remainder through the normal fewest-setups solver, so the leftovers are packed just as tightly as any other job. You get the bundle saving where it exists and a clean plan for the rest.

Every plan is checked before you see it

Cut by cut: every piece present, everything inside the bar, blade width included. When the green badge shows, no plan on earth uses fewer bars for your cuts, and we publish the jobs that prove it.

Rebar cuttingTube cuttingBundle API recipeFull guide