How to make a cut list for a cabinet
The cut list is the bridge between your design and the panel saw: every part of the cabinet, with the exact size to cut. Most production errors are born here — a forgotten edge band deduction, a mixed-up width and length, a shelf measured from the outside instead of the inside. This guide covers what a reliable cut list contains and where the classic mistakes hide.
What belongs on a cut list
A usable cut list has one row per part, and every row answers five questions:
- Which part is it? Cabinet, role (side, top, bottom, shelf, door, drawer front, back panel) and a number that matches your drawing.
- Which material and thickness? 18 mm carcase, 6 mm back, 12 mm drawer sides — mixing these up is expensive.
- What size? Width × length, and crucially: which size (see below).
- Which edges get banding? Per edge, not just "yes".
- Grain direction, for decors with a visible grain — a door with horizontal grain in a vertical run ruins the whole front.
Finish size vs saw size — the classic trap
The finish size is the part's dimension in the assembled cabinet. The saw size is what the saw actually cuts. They differ whenever edge banding is applied: a 2 mm band on both long edges means you cut the panel 4 mm narrower than the finish size.
With a pre-mill edge bander the machine also mills material away before banding, so the deduction depends on your workflow. The rule: decide once how your shop works, then apply it to every single part. Lists that mix both conventions are how doors end up 2 mm too wide.
Don't forget the kerf
The saw blade itself removes material — typically around 4 mm. The kerf doesn't change the part sizes, but it does change how many parts fit on a sheet. If you plan your sheet layout without kerf, the last part of every row won't fit. Any nesting calculation worth using accounts for it.
Edge banding: note it per edge
"Banding: yes" is not enough information at the bander. Use a per-edge notation — for example L1/L2 for the long edges and B1/B2 for the short ones — so every part states exactly which edges get a band and which stay raw. A shelf typically gets one visible front edge; a door gets all four. This notation also lets you total the metres of banding you need per decor.
Generate it instead of typing it
Everything above is mechanical: it follows deterministically from the design. That makes it perfect work for software and terrible work for a tired human at 22:30. In KWAL Cabinet Studio the cut list is generated live from the parametric model: change one dimension and every affected part updates — finish size, saw size, edge codes, grain direction and the sheet count included. Export it as CSV for your saw or supplier, together with a PDF dossier and CNC-ready DXF files.