Bars to buy9 bars
Material yield97.6%
Purchase cost$1,017.60
Saw cuts · kerf loss36 cuts · 4 1/2 in
Offcuts ≥ threshold1 reusable
Lower bound: 9 barsOptimalExact search206' 11 3/4" of parts from 212' 0" of stock36 of 36 pieces placed
Single length24 ft only: 9 bars · 95.8% · $1,036.80vs this mix: 9 bars · 97.6% · $1,017.60
Bar 1 tape stops (pull the tape from the bar's left end): 3' 11 7/8" · 7' 11 3/8" · 11' 10 7/8" · 15' 10 3/8" · 18' 6" · 21' 1 5/8" · 23' 9 1/4"
PieceKerfReusable offcutScrap, trim, miter wedgeStop mark
A500 2x2x11ga square tube9 bought · 0 from inventory · 97.6%
Buy list
- 8 × 24 ft · $921.60
- 1 × 20 ft · $96.00
Drops (offcuts)
- Bar 1 · 0' 2 5/8" · scrap
- Bar 2 · 0' 3 1/4" · scrap
- Bar 3 · 0' 4 5/8" · scrap
- Bar 4 · 0' 4 5/8" · scrap
- Bar 5 · 0' 4 5/8" · scrap
- Bar 6 · 0' 4 5/8" · scrap
- Bar 7 · 0' 4 5/8" · scrap
- Bar 8 · 1' 8 1/4" · reusable
- Bar 9 · 0' 2" · scrap
Not placed
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Summary TXT — totals and the first 5 cut-plan rows (no stop marks, angles or labels).
Examples
Feet-and-inch jobs to start from
A square-tube railing, a 2x4 wall framing list and a flat-bar picket job.
ASTM A500 2" square tube railing
36 parts in fractions on 20 ft + 24 ft. Buy 8 × 24 ft + 1 × 20 ft.
- Bars
- 9
- Yield
- 97.6%
- Cost
- $1,017.60
- Cuts
- 36
Dimensional lumber wall framing
8/10/12/16 ft studs, priced. Buy 3 × 12 ft + 1 × 10 ft + 20 × 8 ft.
- Bars
- 24
- Yield
- 96.9%
- Cost
- $114.22
- Cuts
- 41
Flat bar pickets and rails
60 cuts on 20 ft flat bar. Buy 10 × 20 ft.
- Bars
- 10
- Yield
- 92.0%
- Cost
- $384.00
- Cuts
- 60
How to use it
Cut list in fractions, five steps
- Load the railing job or start new The preset is 2" A500 square tube on 20 and 24 ft bars, in feet and inches. New job keeps the unit you picked.
- Type lengths the way you read a tape 47 3/8, 3' 11 3/8" or 20 ft all work. Pick in (fractions) or ft-in from the unit menu.
- Set kerf as a fraction 1/8" for an abrasive or cold saw, 1/16" for a band saw. Trims of 1/2" square the mill ends.
- Read the stop marks for bar 1 The callout above the canvas lists every stop from the left end, rounded to 1/16". Set the stop, cut, move to the next.
- Label as you cut Mark each piece with its ID and bar number, or print the Pro barcode labels, before the pieces leave the saw.
Input
How to type fractions and feet-inches
| You type | Read as | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| 47 3/8 | Whole inches and a fraction (space) | 47.375 |
| 47-3/8 | Whole inches and a fraction (dash) | 47.375 |
| 47.375 | Decimal inches | 47.375 |
| 3' 11 3/8" | Feet, inches and a fraction | 47.375 |
| 3 ft 11 3/8 in | Spelled-out units | 47.375 |
| 20 ft · 20' · 240" | Whole feet or inches, for stock lengths | 240 |
| 1660 mm · 166 cm | A metric cell inside an inch job | 65.354 |
On the saw
Cumulative stop marks vs adding pieces one by one
| # | Piece | Length | Stop mark from the left end | Worst case, measuring piece by piece |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PO-1 | 47 3/8" | 3' 11 7/8" | ± 1/16" |
| 2 | PO-2 | 47 3/8" | 7' 11 3/8" | ± 1/16" |
| 3 | PO-3 | 47 3/8" | 11' 10 7/8" | ± 1/8" |
| 4 | PO-4 | 47 3/8" | 15' 10 3/8" | ± 1/8" |
| 5 | BR-1 | 31 1/2" | 18' 6" | ± 3/16" |
| 6 | BR-2 | 31 1/2" | 21' 1 5/8" | ± 3/16" |
| 7 | BR-3 | 31 1/2" | 23' 9 1/4" | ± 1/4" |
Read every stop from one zero and each piece carries a single reading error, about ± 1/32". Hook the tape on the last cut instead and the errors add up: by piece 7 the worst case is ± 1/4", enough to throw a railing out of plumb.
Worked example
Square tube: 20 ft vs 24 ft bars
| A500 2×2×11 ga, 36 pieces | Bars | Yield | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed: 8 × 24 ft + 1 × 20 ft | 9 | 97.6% | $1,017.60 |
| 24 ft only | 9 | 95.8% | $1,036.80 |
| 20 ft only | 11 | 94.1% | $1,056.00 |
Both lengths cost $4.80 per foot, so the cheapest plan is the one that buys the least tube. Eight 24 ft bars take most of the pieces and the rest fit in one 20 ft bar, 4 ft less steel than nine 24 ft bars: $19.20 saved. Twenty-foot bars alone need 11 bars and cost $38.40 more.
Lumber
Dimensional lumber lengths and the framing example
| 2x4 SPF, stud grade | Length | Price | Per foot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | 8 ft | $4.28 | $0.54 |
| Board | 10 ft | $6.18 | $0.62 |
| Board | 12 ft | $7.48 | $0.62 |
| Board | 16 ft | $10.98 | $0.69 |
Longer boards cost more per foot, so the cheapest plan here buys 3 × 12 ft, 1 × 10 ft, 20 × 8 ft: 24 bars for $114.22 at 96.9%. Using only 16 ft boards would mean 13 boards and $142.74. Choose Fewest bars as the goal if handling matters more than price.
Workflow
From cut list to labelled pieces in a welding shop
- Nest and buy. Print or share the buy list; it groups bars by material and length.
- Cut bar by bar. Square the end with the trim cut, then work through the stop marks left to right.
- Label each piece. Part ID and bar number on every piece, and reusable drops marked with their length.
- Rack the drops. Next job, enter them as offcut inventory and switch on Use offcuts first.
Where it fits
Who works in feet and inches
Welding and railing shops
Square tube, pipe and flat bar in fractions, posts and rails from one rack.
Rebar and steel bar nestingWall framing and decks
Studs, plates, headers and blocking on 8–16 ft lumber priced per board.
Trim and finish carpentry
Baseboard and casing with 45° ends in inches.
Miter cut length optimizerSpreadsheet cut lists in inches
Paste fractions straight from Excel; the importer reads 47 3/8 and 3' 11 3/8".
Excel import guideFAQ
Feet, inch and fraction questions
Which inch formats can I type?
Whole and fractional inches (47 3/8 or 47-3/8), decimals (47.375), feet and inches (3' 11 3/8" or 3 ft 11 3/8 in) and whole feet (20 ft). A cell with mm or cm uses that unit even in an inch job.
How precise are the stop marks?
Lengths are kept exact internally and the stop marks are rounded to the nearest 1/16" for display, the finest mark on most shop tapes. The kerf loss and yield use the unrounded values.
Why stop marks instead of piece lengths?
Measuring each piece from the last cut adds every small error to the next piece. Stop marks are all read from the same zero, the bar's left end, so each one carries only its own reading error. Kerf and trim are already inside the numbers.
Which side of the mark do I cut on?
Each stop is the far end of a piece, measured from the bar's original left end with the trim and every earlier kerf included. Put the blade on the waste side, to the right of the mark, and the piece comes out at its full length.
Should I buy 20 ft or 24 ft tube?
Enter both with prices and let the planner choose. The railing job buys eight 24 ft bars and one 20 ft bar for $1,017.60. Only 24 ft bars would cost $1,036.80, and only 20 ft bars would need 11 bars and $1,056.00.
Does it handle lumber?
Yes, any straight stock. Enter each board length you can buy (8, 10, 12, 14, 16 ft) with its price, and the planner buys the cheapest mix. Use 1/8" kerf for a circular or miter saw blade.
Same engine, six tools
Pick the cut planner for your material
Reference guides