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Linear cutting calculator

Set the stock length, the blade kerf and your part list. The calculator packs parts into bars, shows the cutting scheme for each one and works out how much material ends up as waste.

Stock material

Blade thickness: every cut consumes this much length
Damaged ends removed before cutting

Parts

Length, mm Quantity, pcs Remove row

Result

Stock lengths needed

Waste percentage
Parts in total
Material purchased
Used in parts
Lost to kerf
Lost to end trims
Offcuts

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This calculation is for informational purposes only and does not replace advice from a qualified professional. Formulas and rates may not fit your exact situation — double-check the figures before making decisions.

How it is calculated

Parts are sorted longest first and packed with the First Fit Decreasing heuristic. For linear cutting it lands close to optimal and stays instant even with hundreds of positions, unlike exhaustive search which is impossible at that size.

Usable bar length = length − start trim − end trim. Every cut eats the kerf, so from the second part onward the kerf is added to its length. On a real shop floor that forgotten millimetre is what turns «exactly six 1000 mm parts from a 6000 mm bar» into five parts and an offcut.

Waste percentage = (offcuts + kerf + end trims) ÷ purchased length × 100%. Offcuts are listed per bar: long remainders can often be reused, and that is only visible in the scheme, not in the total.

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