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Stock Length Cutting Planner
Arrange required cuts across available stock lengths, include saw kerf, compare offcuts, and export a practical steel cutting list in your browser.
Plan one material and section at a time
Use this planner for lengths of the same compatible material and section. Enter usable stock lengths after any end trim. Choose unlimited stock options or finite quantities from your stock and offcut inventory.
The planner reserves one saw kerf for every piece, including the final piece. It uses a best-fit-decreasing heuristic and is not guaranteed to find the lowest waste or cost. Check the sequence against shop requirements before cutting.
All calculations, saved inputs, and imports stay in this browser. Up to 100 cut rows, 2,000 pieces, 10 unlimited stock lengths, or 100 matching inventory rows are supported. Lengths are calculated to 0.000001 mm; displayed values use up to six decimal places in millimeters or nine in inches.
Material groups from your takeoff
Load one compatible section at a time. Loading replaces current inputs after confirmation; it does not change the takeoff. Check suggested stock length and saw kerf before calculating.
Cutting plan
Apply this plan to inventory
Availability is checked again before saving. The latest inventory changes can be undone on the inventory page. Confirm actual usable offcut lengths after cutting.
Requested piecesReserved saw kerfRemaining offcut
Continue your material workflow
Build a material takeoff, look up steel shapes, or review the project checklist.
Turn required lengths into a reviewable cutting list
Make a separate plan for each compatible section and material group. Decide whether you are exploring purchased stock lengths or arranging cuts from quantities you already have; those are different stock-source settings.
Prepare the plan
- Enter usable stock lengths after any end trim. In unlimited mode, several comma-separated lengths can be considered. In inventory mode, enter the section and compatibility group, then load matching stock.
- Enter the saw kerf and each required piece length and quantity. The planner reserves a kerf for every piece, including the last piece cut from a bar.
- Calculate and inspect each bar's sequence and remaining offcut. Read the totals as a length balance, not just a utilization percentage.
Worked example: two cuts from one bar
With 6,000 mm of usable stock, a 3 mm kerf, and two pieces each 2,400 mm long, the result is 4,800 mm of pieces + 6 mm of kerf + 1,194 mm of offcut = 6,000 mm. Material utilization is 80%, based on requested piece length divided by stock length. The offcut figure already excludes the reserved kerfs.
Review shortages and record actual use
Finite inventory does not borrow extra bars from the unlimited-length field. A shortage message means this arrangement could not be filled from the loaded quantities. Refresh stock, review the requested quantities, or try a different grouping; the heuristic can miss a feasible arrangement and does not promise the least waste.
Calculating leaves inventory unchanged. Only the separate confirmed application deducts bars and, if selected, records offcuts at or above your threshold. Check usable remaining lengths after cutting. The inventory page can undo its latest changes, and the applied plan remains exportable as a historical record.
Export JSON for editable plan inputs, CSV for the cutting list, or print the bar sequences. A project snapshot preserves the loaded inventory assumptions; refresh current inventory before reusing that plan for another production run. Start from a takeoff transfer when the required pieces are already recorded.
A few practical answers
Frequently asked questions
Is the suggested cutting plan guaranteed to be optimal?
No. It is a planning aid. Review stock lengths, kerf, trim allowances, and the actual pieces before assigning shop work.
Can I combine different grades or finishes?
Keep incompatible grades, finishes, project lots, and exact sections in separate groups. Matching length or nominal depth does not make stock interchangeable.
Does the result reserve physical stock?
No. Calculating a plan does not deduct inventory or reserve physical stock. Applying a completed plan to the saved inventory is a separate confirmed action. Reconcile those records with the physical stock before use.