CutList: Lumber Optimizer

CutList is a cut list optimizer for lumber. Type the lengths you need and how many of each, pick the stock length you buy at the yard, and it lays out which piece goes on which board, with the blade kerf counted.

HOW IT PACKS
CutList sorts every piece longest first, then drops each one on the first board with room left. When none has room, it starts a new board. That is first fit decreasing bin packing.

BLADE KERF
Every pass turns a strip of wood into sawdust, and over a long list that adds up to a board. CutList adds the kerf between pieces that share a board, and not in front of the first piece, which is where the blade actually goes. The default is 0.125 inch and you can set it to whatever your blade takes. It changes the answer: four pieces at 24 inches fit on one 96 inch board at a zero kerf, and at 0.125 inch they need two boards, three on the first and one on the second.

WHAT YOU SEE
The top of the screen gives the number of boards to buy, the total stock in inches, and the waste as a percentage. Further down, board by board, are the pieces on each board and the offcut left over, to the hundredth of an inch. The app opens on a worked example: 4 shelves at 48 inches and 6 braces at 36 inches, on 8 foot stock, which comes out at 5 boards, 480 inches of stock and 14.87 percent waste. Move the stock to 10 feet and the same cut list takes 4 boards.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Enter a length in inches and a quantity, and add as many lengths as the job needs
- Pick your stock length: 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 feet
- Set the blade kerf in inches, starting at 0.125
- Read the boards needed, the total stock in inches and the waste percentage
- See the pieces on every board and the offcut left, to the hundredth of an inch
- Watch the cut list replan as soon as you add a length, change the kerf or pick another stock
- Delete a line with one tap and watch the board count move
- Type a decimal with a point or a comma, whichever your keyboard gives you
- Work on a phone or a tablet

WHO IT IS FOR
- Woodworkers breaking down stock for shelving, cabinets and carcasses
- Carpenters cutting studs, blocking, deck boards and trim
- DIY builders working out how much lumber to load in the car
- Anyone who has stood in the aisle guessing at a board count

ON YOUR DEVICE
CutList makes no network requests. There is no sign in, no analytics and no tracking, and nothing you type is sent anywhere, so the cut list still works in a shop or a yard with no signal.

QUESTIONS
Does it handle sheet goods? No. CutList packs lengths along a board, in one dimension, so it suits dimensional lumber, trim and moulding rather than plywood panels.

What if a piece is longer than the board? It cannot be placed and it is left out of the plan. Please pick a stock length that covers your longest piece.

Which units does it use? Inches for the pieces and for the kerf, feet for the stock length.

Is the list saved? No. CutList opens on the worked example each time, and you type the job in front of you.

Is the board count the true minimum? It is the count first fit decreasing arrives at, a packing method rather than an exhaustive search, so on an awkward list another arrangement can occasionally save a board.

CutList gives you a cutting plan, not a promise about a particular piece of lumber. Please check each board for knots, crooks and rough ends, and measure again before the blade goes down.

Recent changes:
New app icon.