Optimizing plywood sheets
Plywood is sold in fixed sheets — most commonly 2440 × 1220 mm (8 × 4 ft). Because the sheet size is fixed, the only way to save money is to fit your parts together so each sheet does the most work. This plywood cutting calculator arranges your part list with a guillotine algorithm and shows exactly how many sheets you need and where each piece is cut.
Grain direction matters
Plywood has a visible face grain. If your parts need their grain running the same way (cabinet sides, drawer fronts), turn off “Allow rotating parts” so the optimizer keeps every piece in its original orientation. If grain doesn’t matter for a part, leaving rotation on usually packs the sheet tighter.
Common plywood sheet sizes
| Sheet | Size (mm) | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 2440 × 1220 | 8 × 4 ft |
| Oversize | 3050 × 1525 | 10 × 5 ft |
| Metric | 2500 × 1250 | — |
Set the sheet size above to match your supplier, then optimize. For on-site cutting and saved projects, the free CutList app runs offline on your phone.