Article
How to Make a Cabinet Cut List
Cutlistor Team5 min read
Introduction
A cabinet cut list is the production document that turns a design into buyable sheet goods and cuttable parts. For a professional shop, it is not a hobby sketch. It is the bridge between the quote, the sheet purchase order, and the panel saw or CNC nest.
If your cut list misses a gable, understates drawer sides, or ignores kerf, you over-order melamine or under-order plywood and lose margin. This guide walks through a shop-ready workflow for frameless and face-frame cabinets, with a worked base-cabinet example you can adapt.
For the broader trade hub on nesting, materials, and casework planning, start at cabinet making. When you need definitions of every part family, see what is a cabinet cut list and cabinet parts explained.
What Belongs on a Cabinet Cut List
| Part family | Typical stock | Notes for the list |
|---|---|---|
| Gables / sides | 18 mm melamine or 3/4 in plywood | Height × depth; grain often vertical |
| Bottoms / tops / decks | Same as case | Width × depth; watch dado or butt joinery |
| Fixed shelves / stretchers | Case stock | Lock grain if visible |
| Backs | 6-12 mm ply or hardboard | Often a separate SKU and nest |
| Doors / drawer fronts | Door stock or slab blanks | Overlay vs inset changes size |
| Drawer box parts | 1/2 in or 12-15 mm stock | Slide clearance baked into width |
| Toe kicks / nailers | Case or scrap | Linear or sheet depending on method |
| Fillers / scribes | Case or solid | Field measure often finalizes size |
| Face frame sticks | Hardwood lumber | Linear optimizer, not sheet nest |
Step 1: Lock Opening Sizes and Construction Method
Before you calculate a single panel, freeze the box width, height, depth, construction method (frameless or face frame), and joinery (butt, dado, or CNC pocket). Field openings for a kitchen run come from the wall-to-wall plan; individual cabinets come from that run after fillers and appliance gaps.
Standard kitchen base cabinets often land near 34-1/2 in high (without counter) and 24 in deep. Wall cabinets vary more. Confirm your shop standards rather than copying a catalog blindly.
Step 2: Calculate Case Parts From the Box
Work one cabinet at a time, then scale quantities for identical boxes. Frameless 18 mm (3/4 in) construction with butt joints is a common commercial default.
Worked example: 900 mm wide frameless base
Assume a frameless base cabinet: 900 mm wide × 720 mm high (box) × 560 mm deep, 18 mm white melamine, butt-joined gables outside the bottom and top stretchers or full deck as your method dictates.
One common commercial pattern (gables full height, bottom between gables, back on rabbet or pin):
| Part | Qty | Size (W × H or L × W) | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gable (side) | 2 | 560 × 720 mm | 18 mm melamine |
| Bottom | 1 | 864 × 560 mm | 18 mm melamine |
| Top stretcher (front/back) | 2 | 864 × 100 mm | 18 mm melamine |
| Fixed shelf | 1 | 864 × 540 mm | 18 mm melamine |
| Back | 1 | 882 × 702 mm | 6 mm plywood |
| Toe kick skin (optional) | 1 | 900 × 100 mm | 18 mm melamine |
Bottom width = cabinet width minus two gable thicknesses: 900 - 18 - 18 = 864 mm. Adjust if you use dados, full tops, or adjustable shelf pins. Document the formula your shop uses so every estimator gets the same answer.
Step 3: Add Doors, Drawer Fronts, and Boxes
Doors and drawer fronts are sized from the cabinet opening and the overlay or inset style. Drawer boxes are sized from the opening and the slide clearance. Put those formulas in separate rows so a style change does not force you to rebuild the entire case list.
- Full overlay: door covers most of the case edge; width and height grow by reveal rules
- Half overlay / partial overlay: shared styles between adjacent doors
- Inset: door sits inside the face frame or case opening with a consistent gap
- Drawer box width: opening width minus slide clearances (often about 1/2 in / 13 mm total for many side-mount systems; confirm the slide data sheet)
Step 4: Assign Materials, Grain, and Edge Banding
| Column | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Material code | Drives sheet PO and separate nests |
| Thickness | Prevents mixing 18 mm and 12 mm in one layout |
| Grain lock | Stops rotation that ruins woodgrain doors |
| Edge band | Tells edgebander which faces are finished |
| Cabinet / job ID | Keeps batch cutting from mixing piles |
Step 5: Nest Sheets and Optimize Linear Stock
Enter the finished part list into a rectangular sheet optimizer with kerf set to your blade or CNC cutter. Run face-frame rails and stiles in a linear optimizer. Read sheet count before you write the PO.
Cutlistor's free tier meters something different: editing parts and re-optimizing the layout are unlimited, and only PDF export and starting a new project count against a daily allowance of 3. Cut lists are capped at 20 rows, CSV and XLSX import is limited to 5 rows per file, and nothing is saved between sessions.
Cutlistor Pro is $12/mo and adds saved projects, higher import limits, and DXF export for CNC handoff. The browser tool nests rectangles and builds PDF cut plans. It is not full cabinet design software.
Importing From CAD, SketchUp, Rhino, or PDF
If parts already exist in a model or drawing, import rather than retyping. SketchUp and Rhino workflows are covered in dedicated guides. PDF shop drawings can seed a list with AI plan import, then you verify every size.
Shop Floor Checklist Before You Cut
Run this pass before releasing the nest to the saw or CNC.
- Every cabinet has gables, bottoms, backs, and required shelves
- Door and drawer sizes match the chosen overlay style
- Slide clearances match the hardware data sheet
- Grain locks set on show faces
- Kerf matches the machine that will cut the job
- Sheet count reviewed against remnant inventory
- Labels include cabinet ID and part name
FAQ
Can I make a cabinet cut list in Excel alone?
Excel is fine for BOM totals and pricing. Nesting yield and kerf-aware sheet count need an optimizer. Many shops keep Excel for quotes and import CSV or XLSX into Cutlistor for layouts and PDF plans.
Should I nest one cabinet or a whole kitchen?
Nest by material across the whole run when due dates and finishes allow. Identical boxes batched together raise yield. See batching and kitchen-run planning guides for when to split jobs.
Is Cutlistor a cabinet design program?
No. Cutlistor is a browser-based cut list and nesting tool for sheet and linear stock. You still design in your CAD or cabinet software, then optimize materials for purchasing and production.
Conclusion
Continue with how to calculate cabinet parts, or open the free cabinet and kitchen calculators to nest a sample box.