How do I write a cut list?
A cut list is one line per part: its finished length, how many you need and a label, with a separate list for each section and size you cut from. Write the length you want to hold in your hand, not the length you plan to cut. The blade width, end trim and mitres are settings in the optimiser, and building them into the lengths counts them twice.
A worked example
A shelving frame in 40×40 square hollow section: four legs and four shelves, each shelf a rectangle of two long and two short rails.
| Label | Length | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Leg | 1800 mm | 4 |
| Long rail | 1160 mm | 8 |
| Short rail | 420 mm | 8 |
That is the whole cut list: 19840 mm of parts. From 6000 mm bars with a 2 mm bandsaw blade, the floor is 3.31 bars, so at least 4.
The plan: 4 bars, proved optimal, every one cut the same way, 1800 + 1160 + 1160 + 420 + 420, with 1030 mm left on each. One layout, repeated, so whoever is on the saw learns it once. Cutting each size from its own bars takes 5.
Habits that save a bar
Finished lengths only
Enter the length of the part, not the part plus the blade. The optimiser adds a kerf for every cut it plans; add it yourself as well and every part comes out a blade width long.
One list per section
A 40×40×2 and a 40×40×3 are different stock, and so are two extrusion profiles. Make one list per section and grade, or tag each line with a material and let material groups keep them apart.
Mitres: write the long point
For a mitred part, write the length at its longest edge, switch on angle cuts and give the end angles. The optimiser works out what each mitre takes from the bar.
Label every line
Labels follow each part onto the plan and the PDF cutting sheets, so the person at the saw knows that a 1160 is a long rail and where it goes.
List the offcuts too
Usable lengths on the rack are stock you already paid for. List them as offcuts and the plan uses them when they help.
FAQ
What is a cut list?
What is the difference between a cut list and a cutting plan?
Can I paste a cut list from a spreadsheet?
Should the cut list include an allowance for waste?
Run your own cut list
The calculator is free, needs no account and takes up to 500 parts a job. It allows for the blade, uses your offcuts, and tells you when the plan is proved optimal.