Cut List Optimizer

1D stock-cutting layout for metal bar, tube, and lumber — PDF cut list + CSV

Enter the stock lengths you can buy (or already have as remnants) and the pieces you need. The optimizer packs pieces onto the fewest bars with least waste, charging kerf between cuts. Export a printable cut list PDF or a CSV layout. Uses Best-Fit Decreasing — a strong heuristic, not a guaranteed-optimal solver.

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How to use: Set kerf and units, add standard stock lengths (unlimited) and any on-hand remnants (used first), then list the pieces you need. Review the layout diagram and summary. Download the PDF cut list for the shop floor or Export CSV for spreadsheets. Pieces longer than any stock are flagged unfittable — never silently dropped.

Measuring & Layout Tools

Tape measures, speed squares, soapstone, and bandsaw blades are the usual shop companions for marking and cutting stock to a cut list.

Catalog gap: No tape measure, speed square, soapstone/marking tools, or bandsaw blade products exist in the TestTalkHQ affiliate CSV at publish time — we do not substitute unrelated electrical tape or precision gauges.

Best-Fit Decreasing — Good, Not Guaranteed Optimal

True 1D cutting-stock optimization is NP-hard. This tool sorts pieces largest-to-smallest and places each into the started bar with the least leftover that still fits (Best-Fit Decreasing), opening remnants before fresh standard stock. That usually lands within a few percent of optimal, but a hand-tuned layout can occasionally beat it. Treat the result as a strong shop reference, then sanity-check before cutting expensive material.

Kerf, Waste, and Yield

Kerf is blade width lost at each cut between pieces. End waste is the leftover stub on a bar after the last piece. The summary shows both kerf loss and total waste so you do not confuse the two. Read more in Kerf Allowance — Why It Matters.

Companion Tools

Accurate material yield feeds job costing — pair this with the Weld Cost Calculator. Estimate stock weight with the Metal Weight Calculator and Pipe & Tube Weight Calculator. For tube joints in the same export-tool family, see the Tube Notch Template Generator.

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