Free shelving unit cut list calculator

What this calculator does

Most cut list tools make you enter every part by hand. This one starts from the shelving unit you have in mind. You give the outside height, width and depth, set the panel thickness and say how many shelves you want, and the cabinet designer derives the parts: two sides, a top and bottom, the shelves, and a back. It applies a back rebate or an inset where it makes sense, then hands the full part list to the optimizer. The optimizer packs everything onto full sheets with the least waste, shows the layout as a drawing, and lists the cuts in order. Everything runs in your browser, with nothing to install and no account needed.

How to use it

1. Enter the outside size. Give the height, width and depth of the finished unit, plus the panel thickness (for example 3/4 in plywood).
2. Choose the shelves. Set how many shelves you need and whether they are fixed (housed into the sides) or adjustable (on pins or rails). The designer spaces them and works out each shelf width.
3. Add the back and depth. Pick a full back panel or a thinner inset, and set the depth so the shelves and back come out right.
4. Set the kerf and offcuts. Enter the width your saw blade removes per cut, and add any offcuts you already have so they get used first.
5. Read the plan. The calculator packs the parts onto the fewest sheets, shows the cutting layout, lists the cuts in order, and tells you how many sheets to buy.

Shelf spans and sag

A shelving unit lives or dies on whether its shelves stay flat. A wide shelf loaded with books or tins will bow over time, and that is the most common complaint with home-built units. The fix is to keep each span short. As a rule of thumb, keep shelf spans under about 30 in for 3/4 in plywood or solid wood carrying a normal load. If you want a wider unit, add a center divider so the long shelf becomes two shorter spans, or run a support strip along the back edge.

Depth matters too. A deeper shelf resists sag a little better and holds bigger items, but eats more material per sheet. Adjustable shelves give you flexibility later, while fixed shelves housed into the sides add real rigidity to the whole carcass. The designer carries your choices straight into the part sizes, so the cut list always matches the unit you actually plan to build, kerf and offcuts included.

A worked example

Here is a typical open shelving unit so you can see the cut list before cutting. As an example, an 800 mm wide, 1800 mm tall unit in 18 mm board needs two side panels, a top and a bottom, and four adjustable shelves. The cabinet designer (kast-helper) builds this part list automatically from a few measurements: width, depth, height and the number of shelves. You set grain direction so the long faces run the right way, and the kerf so the saw width is accounted for.

With these parts the optimizer packs onto about one sheet of 18 mm, roughly 25% offcut in this example, and gives you a numbered cutting order to follow at the saw. You can switch the goal between least waste, fewest cuts and lowest cost, drag a part by hand, and send any usable leftover to your offcut stock for the next build. Edge banding allowance, labels, CSV export and mm or inch units are all included.

Frequently asked questions