Cutlistor

Cabinet Cut List Optimizer

Plan Every Cabinet Part. Order the Right Sheets.

Create accurate cabinet cut lists and optimize the materials needed for your next cabinet project. Cutlistor helps cabinet makers plan plywood, melamine, MDF, and other sheet goods while also optimizing lumber for face frames, cleats, nailers, trim, and other linear parts.

Nest cabinet panels on the sheet sizes you actually buy, account for saw kerf and grain direction, calculate material requirements, and export clear cutting diagrams for your workshop.

Free sheet and linear cut list optimizers — no signup required.

Cabinet panel cut list beside optimized melamine sheet layouts
Nest an entire cabinet run on the melamine or plywood sheets you stock.

Why Cabinet Makers Use Cutlistor

A cabinet project can involve dozens or hundreds of individual parts. Sides, shelves, doors, backs, toe kicks, drawer components, and fillers are usually cut from sheet materials, while face frames, cleats, nailers, and trim come from linear stock.

Cutlistor handles both workflows in one place.

  • Cabinet cut list optimization for sheet materials
  • Plywood, melamine, MDF, and particle board
  • Linear optimization for lumber, trim, and face-frame stock
  • Kerf-aware cutting layouts
  • Grain direction for doors and visible panels
  • CSV and Excel BOM import
  • PDF cutting diagrams
  • DXF export for CNC workflows
  • Batch quantities for complete cabinet runs
  • Works directly in your browser

Free Cabinet Cut List Optimizers

Free Sheet Cut List Optimizer

Nest cabinet sides, shelves, backs, doors, and other panels on plywood, melamine, MDF, or other sheet materials. See your required sheet count and material yield before you place an order.

Open Free Sheet Optimizer

Free Linear Cut List Optimizer

Plan face-frame stock, cleats, nailers, toe kicks, hardwood edging, trim, and other parts from the stick lengths you purchase.

Open Free Linear Optimizer

How to Create a Cabinet Cut List

Creating a cabinet cut list is the first step toward knowing exactly what material a project requires. Cutlistor takes that list one step further by optimizing how those parts are cut.

  1. 1

    Enter Your Stock and Cabinet Parts

    Start by entering the sheet sizes and stock lengths you actually purchase.

    For example:

    • 2440 × 1220 mm melamine
    • 4 × 8 plywood
    • 5 × 5 Baltic birch plywood
    • 8 ft lumber
    • Custom sheet sizes
    • Custom stock lengths

    Then add each part with its finished dimensions, quantity, and material. Typical cabinet parts include:

    • Cabinet sides and gables
    • Top and bottom panels
    • Shelves
    • Stretchers
    • Back panels
    • Nailers
    • Toe kicks
    • Fillers
    • Doors
    • Drawer fronts
    • Drawer sides and backs
    • Face-frame stiles and rails
  2. 2

    Optimize the Cutting Layout

    Run the sheet optimizer to arrange your cabinet panels on the sheets you purchase.

    Cutlistor accounts for factors such as:

    • Sheet dimensions
    • Part dimensions
    • Quantity
    • Material
    • Kerf
    • Grain direction
    • Available stock

    For linear materials, use the linear optimizer to plan lumber, face frames, cleats, nailers, and trim.

    If you're building multiple cabinets or an entire kitchen, increase the quantity to optimize the complete production run rather than planning one cabinet at a time.

  3. 3

    Export Your Cabinet Cutting Plans

    Once your layouts are ready, export PDF cutting diagrams for the workshop or DXF files for compatible CNC workflows.

    Your team can work from the optimized layouts instead of manually interpreting a spreadsheet or drawing every cutting pattern.

Reduce Cabinet Material Waste

Material waste can have a significant impact on the profitability of a cabinet project.

Ordering one extra sheet of melamine or plywood may not seem significant on a single job. Across dozens of kitchens or a large commercial casework project, however, unnecessary sheets quickly become a substantial cost.

Waste is especially important when working with:

  • Woodgrain and premium melamine
  • Birch and maple plywood
  • Veneered panels
  • Pre-finished sheet goods
  • Premium hardwood
  • Mixed-thickness cabinet materials
  • Imported or non-standard sheet sizes

A cabinet cut list tells you what parts you need.

A cabinet cut list optimizer determines how those parts can be arranged on your available material to reduce waste.

That's why optimizing the cutting layout is more useful than estimating material requirements from total square footage alone.

Sheet Cutting Optimization for Cabinets

Cutlistor can optimize cabinet panels on materials including:

  • Melamine
  • Plywood
  • MDF
  • Particle board
  • Birch plywood
  • Veneered plywood
  • Pre-finished panels
  • Laminate-faced boards

Enter the sheet dimensions supplied by your material vendor and optimize your cabinet parts around those actual dimensions.

Grain Direction and Cabinet Doors

Grain direction matters for doors, drawer fronts, end panels, and other visible components. Lock the grain direction where required while allowing parts that don't have directional requirements to rotate when appropriate. This can improve material yield without compromising the appearance of the finished cabinet.

Sheet Count and Material Yield

See how many sheets each material group requires and compare different cutting layouts. For example, you can prioritize layouts based on:

  • Material waste
  • Cutting method
  • Panel saw workflow
  • CNC production
  • Grain direction

Linear Cut Optimization for Cabinet Parts

Not every cabinet component comes from a sheet. Use the linear optimizer for:

  • Face-frame stiles and rails
  • Cleats
  • Nailers
  • Toe-kick strips
  • Hardwood edging
  • Scribe fillers
  • Crown moulding
  • Light rails
  • Solid-wood stretchers
  • Drawer components

Enter the stock lengths you purchase and set the appropriate kerf for your saw or cutting equipment. Cutlistor generates optimized cutting sequences so you can see how many lengths are required and how much material remains.

Import a Cabinet Cut List From Excel or CSV

Already have a cabinet BOM or cutting list in a spreadsheet?

Import your existing CSV or Excel file into Cutlistor instead of manually entering every part.

This is useful for cabinet shops that already generate material lists through:

  • Cabinet design software
  • Estimating software
  • CAD systems
  • ERP systems
  • Internal spreadsheets

Import the parts, review the material information, and run the optimizer.

Learn how to import a cut list from Excel or CSV

Create a Cabinet Cut List From a 3D Model

If you design cabinets in 3D, you don't necessarily need to recreate your parts manually.

Cutlistor supports 3D model imports including:

  • GLB
  • glTF
  • Collada (.DAE)

This can be useful for workflows involving SketchUp, Fusion, Blender, and other modeling software.

Learn how to create a cabinet cut list from SketchUpLearn how to create a cabinet cut list from Rhino

Generate a Cabinet Cut List From a PDF or Image

Not every project starts with a spreadsheet or structured 3D model.

You can also use AI-assisted scanning to extract part information from:

  • Cabinet elevations
  • Kitchen drawings
  • Shop drawings
  • Dimensioned plans
  • Hand-marked sketches
  • Screenshots
  • Photos of part lists

Review the extracted dimensions before generating your final cutting plan.

Upload a drawing and create a cabinet cut list

Cabinet Cut List Examples

Kitchen Cabinet Runs

Optimize the panels required for an entire kitchen, including base cabinets, wall cabinets, tall units, doors, fillers, and end panels.

Base and Wall Cabinets

Plan sides, shelves, decks, backs, stretchers, and other casework components with accurate material requirements.

Frameless Melamine Cabinets

Batch identical cabinet boxes and optimize them by material, thickness, and finish.

Face-Frame Cabinets

Combine sheet optimization for cabinet boxes with linear optimization for hardwood face-frame components.

Commercial Casework

Optimize repeated cabinet modules across hotel, office, retail, and other commercial projects.

Cabinet Cut List Features

Panel Nesting
Arrange cabinet sides, shelves, backs, doors, and other panels on the sheet sizes you actually purchase.
Linear Optimization
Plan cleats, nailers, face frames, trim, and other stock sold by length.
Kerf-Aware Cutting
Account for material removed by the saw blade or cutting tool when calculating the layout.
Grain Direction
Maintain the correct grain direction for doors, drawer fronts, veneered panels, and other directional materials.
Material Grouping
Keep different materials and thicknesses separate so your sheet requirements and purchasing quantities remain accurate.
Batch Quantities
Optimize an entire cabinet run instead of calculating one cabinet at a time.
PDF Cutting Plans
Create clear diagrams that your panel saw and workshop crews can follow.
DXF Export
Export compatible cutting geometry for CNC workflows.

Cabinet Cut List Calculators

Browse all cabinet cut list calculators

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a cabinet cut list?
A cabinet cut list is a structured list of every part required to build a cabinet or casework project. It typically includes part names, dimensions, quantities, and materials for components such as sides, shelves, backs, doors, drawer parts, and other pieces.
What is a cabinet cut list optimizer?
A cabinet cut list optimizer arranges cabinet parts on available sheet materials or stock lengths to reduce waste and determine how much material is required before cutting begins.
Can Cutlistor optimize melamine and plywood?
Yes. Group your parts by material and thickness, then optimize each sheet material separately. This is useful for projects that combine materials such as white melamine cabinet interiors with plywood doors or veneered panels.
How many sheets does my kitchen need?
Enter all of the cabinet parts, quantities, materials, and sheet dimensions into the sheet optimizer. Cutlistor generates optimized layouts and calculates the number of sheets required based on the actual cutting arrangement rather than simple square-footage estimates.
Does Cutlistor optimize face-frame lumber?
Yes. Sheet-based cabinet components can be optimized in the sheet optimizer while face-frame stock, cleats, nailers, and trim can be planned with the linear optimizer.
Can I import a cabinet BOM from Excel?
Yes. Import your existing CSV or Excel cut list, map the required columns, and optimize the parts without re-entering them manually.
Can I create a cabinet cut list from SketchUp?
Yes. You can export a compatible SketchUp model and import it into Cutlistor to generate and optimize the resulting parts.
Is there a free cabinet cut list optimizer?
Yes. Cutlistor provides free sheet and linear cut list optimizers that run directly in your browser. You can start creating layouts without an account.

Start Your Next Cabinet Project

Build your cut list. Optimize your sheets. Cut with less waste.

Whether you're building a single kitchen or producing cabinets for a commercial project, Cutlistor helps you move from cabinet design to cutting plan without manually calculating every sheet and stick.

Create your cabinet cut list, optimize the materials you actually buy, and generate a cutting plan your workshop can use.

Start Optimizing Your Cabinet ProjectOptimize Linear Stock