Enter your project pieces (label, length, quantity), choose board size and stock length, then get an optimized cut list showing how to pack pieces onto boards — with waste percentage, board count, and board feet ready for the lumber yard.
Always use actual dimensions for calculations. A "2×4" is actually 1.5″×3.5″ after milling.
inin wide
↔
Match stock length to your longest piece. Longer boards = fewer butt joints and often better value per linear foot.
⚙
Each cut wastes this much material. A 1/8″ kerf across 10 cuts = 1.25″ of lost lumber per board.
✂
Real boards rarely have clean square ends. Trim both ends before cutting pieces.
Project Pieces
Label / Part NameLength (in)Qty
Cut List & Results
Boards to Buy
—
stock boards needed
Waste Percentage
—
lumber not used
Total Pieces
—
across all parts
Board Feet
—
volume to purchase
Yield Check
Cut Diagram — Board by Board
Detailed Breakdown
Inputs Used
Board size (nominal → actual)
—
Stock board length
—
Kerf per cut
—
End trim per board
—
Usable length per board
—
Cut Optimization
Algorithm used
—
Total pieces requested
—
Total length of pieces (no kerf)
—
Total length incl. kerf
—
Boards needed
—
Total board length purchased
—
Usable length purchased
—
Total waste
—
Waste percentage
—
Board feet (total)
—
How the Lumber Cut List Optimizer Works
A lumber cut list generator tells you how many stock boards to buy and exactly how to cut them to produce all your project pieces with minimum waste. This tool uses a First-Fit Decreasing (FFD) algorithm: pieces are sorted longest-to-shortest and each is placed on the first board that has room, accounting for kerf and end trims. FFD consistently achieves 85–95% material yield on typical shop projects.
1 Nominal vs. Actual
A "1×6" from the lumber yard is actually 3/4″ thick × 5.5″ wide. A "2×4" is 1.5″×3.5″. Always enter actual dimensions when designing your project — using nominal sizes will give you wrong dimensions on your finished piece.
Every saw cut removes material equal to the blade kerf — typically 1/8″ for a standard 10″ table saw blade. End trim reserves 1/4″ per end to square up rough-cut boards. Both are deducted from usable board length before packing.
Usable length =
Stock length
− (end trim × 2)
Per cut: subtract kerf
from remaining board.
8 ft board − 0.5″ trim
= 95.5″ usable
(− 1/8″ per cut made)
3 FFD Optimization
First-Fit Decreasing sorts your pieces from longest to shortest, then tries to fit each piece onto the first existing board that has enough remaining space. If none fit, a new board is opened. This greedy approach is fast and typically within 10% of the theoretical optimum.
1. Sort pieces: longest first
2. For each piece:
→ Scan open boards
→ Place on first board
with enough space
→ If none: open new board
3. Report board count + waste
4 Waste & Board Feet
Waste % is the leftover lumber across all boards after placing your pieces. Board feet (BF) is the volume unit used to price hardwood. Softwoods (pine, SPF) are usually sold by the linear foot or board count.
Waste % =
(Total leftover in ÷
Total usable in) × 100
Board Feet =
(T″ × W″ × L ft) ÷ 12
Target: waste < 15%
Excellent: < 10%
Pro Tips — Getting the Best Yield
1. Match board length to your longest piece — using an 8 ft board for a 90″ shelf leaves only 5.5″ of usable offcut. A 10 ft board leaves 25.5″ — enough for two more short pieces.
2. Group similar lengths — shelves that are all 36″ pack better on 10 ft boards than 8 ft boards. Try different stock lengths in this tool to find the best yield.
3. Add 10% safety buffer — real lumber has defects (knots, checking, warp). Always buy one extra board per 10 you calculate.
4. Pre-cut strategy — rip (cut along grain) before crosscutting. On a table saw, the guillotine sequence matters for sheet goods.
Example Cut Lists — 3 Real-World Scenarios
These worked examples show the optimizer across three common residential shelving and woodworking projects.
🟢 Garage Utility Shelf
3-tier, 1×6 pine, 8 ft boards
Board: 1×6 (actual 3/4″×5.5″)
Stock: 8 ft (96 in)
Pieces: 3× shelf at 72 in
4× upright at 36 in
4× brace at 18 in
Boards: ~6 · Waste: ~11% Board Feet: ~22 BF
Three 72″ shelves won't fit on a single 8 ft board. Switching to 12 ft stock would reduce boards from 6 to 4 — worth asking the lumber yard about pricing.
🟡 Bookcase — 5 Shelves
1×12 pine, 10 ft boards
Board: 1×12 (actual 3/4″×11.25″)
Stock: 10 ft (120 in)
Pieces: 5× shelf at 36 in
2× side at 60 in
1× top at 36 in
1× bottom at 36 in
Boards: ~4 · Waste: ~8% Board Feet: ~30 BF
10 ft stock is ideal: the seven 36″ pieces pack ~2.5 per 10 ft board. Waste drops to ~8% — excellent for a bookcase. 1×12 at 11.25″ depth is the standard for paperback bookshelves.
🔴 Workbench Frame — 2×4
2×4 SPF framing, 8 ft boards
Board: 2×4 (actual 1.5″×3.5″)
Stock: 8 ft (96 in)
Pieces: 4× leg at 34 in
3× apron at 60 in
2× stretcher at 60 in
4× cross brace at 22 in
Boards: ~7 · Waste: ~13% Board Feet: ~37 BF
Each 60″ apron fits one per 8 ft board with ~35″ remaining — enough for one 34″ leg. Switching to 10 ft stock would drop board count from 7 to 5. 2×4 SPF is the most affordable framing lumber for workbenches.
Common Board Sizes — Nominal vs. Actual Quick Reference
Enter actual dimensions in all calculations. Nominal names are what you ask for at the store — actual is what lands in your truck.
Nominal Size
Actual Width
Actual Thickness
Common Uses
BF per 8 ft Board
1×4
3.5 in
0.75 in
Trim, face frames, small shelves
2.0 BF
1×6 Most Common
5.5 in
0.75 in
Shelving, fence boards, paneling
3.0 BF
1×8
7.25 in
0.75 in
Wide shelves, cabinet sides
4.0 BF
1×12 Deep Shelves
11.25 in
0.75 in
Bookshelves, cabinet carcass
6.0 BF
2×4 Framing
3.5 in
1.5 in
Framing, workbench legs, rough shelving
4.0 BF
2×6
5.5 in
1.5 in
Heavy shelving, deck joists
6.0 BF
2×8
7.25 in
1.5 in
Heavy structural shelving, headers
8.0 BF
1×6
Actual width5.5 in
Actual thickness3/4 in
BF per 8 ft board3.0 BF
1×12
Actual width11.25 in
Actual thickness3/4 in
BF per 8 ft board6.0 BF
2×4
Actual width3.5 in
Actual thickness1.5 in
BF per 8 ft board4.0 BF
Frequently Asked Questions
A cut list is a document that lists every piece of wood you need for a project — its label, dimensions, and quantity — and shows you exactly how to cut those pieces from stock boards. Without a cut list, most DIYers overbuy lumber by 20–40% and make inefficient cuts that leave too much waste. A good cut list tells you how many boards to buy, what length to get for best yield, and in what order to make your cuts.
Kerf is the width of material removed by the saw blade during each cut. A standard 10-inch table saw blade removes about 1/8 inch per cut. This seems small but adds up: if you make 10 cuts per board, you lose 1.25 inches of board length to kerf alone. Thin-kerf blades (typically 3/32″) reduce this waste. This calculator deducts the kerf from the board between every two pieces placed, giving you accurate remaining length.
FFD is a classic bin-packing algorithm applied to one-dimensional cutting. It works in two steps: (1) sort all pieces from longest to shortest, and (2) place each piece on the first board that has enough remaining space. If no existing board fits, open a new one. The reason for sorting longest-first is that long pieces are the hardest to fit — placing them first minimizes the number of boards opened. Short pieces then fill the leftover gaps. FFD typically achieves 85–95% of theoretical optimal yield for real woodworking projects.
Usually yes — but it depends on your pieces. The key rule is: your stock board should be at least as long as your longest piece, plus end-trim allowance. Beyond that, choose the stock length that lets pieces pack most efficiently. Run the numbers in this tool with different stock lengths to find the sweet spot. Also consider: longer boards may cost more at the lumber yard, but they often have a lower price-per-linear-foot than shorter boards.
A board foot is the standard unit of volume for lumber in the United States, equal to a piece 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long. The formula is: BF = (thickness in inches × width in inches × length in feet) ÷ 12. Hardwood dealers (oak, walnut, maple) price lumber in board feet. Softwood dealers (pine, SPF, fir) typically price by the board or linear foot. This tool shows BF based on actual dimensions × total board length purchased.
