How it works
A cutting plan you can actually cut
Most of the visual gains in a rectangle-packing tool are meaningless if the layout can't be produced with real straight cuts. Here's how we avoid that.
1. Sort parts largest first
Every part you enter is sorted by size, largest first. Placing big parts before small ones consistently produces tighter layouts — small parts are much better at filling awkward leftover gaps than large ones are.
2. Find the best-fitting gap
For each part, the optimizer scans every open sheet for the free rectangle it fits into most snugly — minimizing leftover space on the shorter side. If a part can rotate (grain not locked), both orientations are checked and the tighter fit wins.
3. Split with a real guillotine cut
Once a part is placed, the remaining space is divided with a single straight cut, edge to edge — the same kind of cut a table saw or panel saw actually makes. This is what makes the output a real cutting plan, not just a visually efficient rectangle nest that can't physically be cut.
4. Open a new sheet only when needed
If no existing open sheet has room, a new sheet is opened — choosing the cheapest configured stock size that the part actually fits on.
5. Report what is left over
After every part is placed, any leftover free space above your chosen minimum size is reported as a reusable offcut, and any part that could not fit on any configured stock size is flagged clearly instead of silently dropped.
Why "guillotine" cuts matter
A guillotine cut runs the full length or width of the piece it's cutting — exactly what a table saw, panel saw, or track saw does. Some packing algorithms optimize purely for visual density and produce layouts with parts nested into notched, non-rectangular leftover spaces that no straight saw blade can actually separate. Every layout from this tool is guaranteed producible with straight, edge-to-edge cuts only.