Cut List Optimizer vs. Spreadsheet: An Honest Comparison
Plenty of good woodworkers run their whole shop out of a spreadsheet, and they're not wrong to. A parts table with formulas for cost is genuinely useful. The trouble starts when the spreadsheet gets asked to do a job it structurally cannot do: decide where each rectangle goes on the sheet. Here's a fair accounting of what each tool is actually for.
What the spreadsheet does well
- The parts table itself. Rows, columns, quantities — this is literally what spreadsheets are (our cut list format maps to one directly).
- Cost tracking. Price per sheet × sheets, running totals across projects, a lumber price history. Nothing beats it.
- Longevity. Your .xlsx will open in twenty years. Project records belong there.
Where it silently fails
It can't nest
A spreadsheet can tell you your parts total 29 sq ft. It cannot tell you whether they fit on one sheet, because that depends on how the rectangles arrange — a 2D bin-packing problem. People bridge the gap with graph-paper sketches, and hand sketches on a cabinet-sized job reliably waste material a solver would save.
Kerf lives in your head
Formulas can subtract 1/8" per cut from a board's length — in one dimension, if you remember. On sheets, kerf applies in two directions across dozens of cuts. Forgetting it once is why the last part doesn't fit (the kerf explainer).
No cut order
Even with a correct layout drawn by hand, a spreadsheet gives you nothing to follow at the saw. Which cut first? On a table saw the order matters — cuts must run edge to edge (guillotine cuts explained) — and improvising the sequence is how good layouts get miscut.
Side by side
| Job | Spreadsheet | Optimizer |
|---|---|---|
| Parts table & records | Excellent | Adequate |
| Cost history across projects | Excellent | No |
| 2D sheet nesting | No | Yes |
| Kerf, automatically, both axes | No | Yes |
| Grain locking per panel | Manual notes | Yes |
| Numbered cut sequence | No | Yes |
| Offcut inventory that feeds layouts | List only | Yes |
| Cost | Free | Free (ours) |
The workflow that uses both
- Keep the master parts list and project costs in your spreadsheet.
- Paste the parts into the optimizer when it's time to buy — it returns the sheet count, layout, yield, and cut order.
- Export the result as CSV and file it back in the spreadsheet with the project record.
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Get Lifetime Access →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make a cut list in Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes — for the parts table and costs, a spreadsheet is the right tool. The layout step is what it can't do.
Is an optimizer better than laying out by hand?
On sheet goods, almost always: tighter nesting, consistent kerf, grain respected, and a cut order to follow. On simple board cutting, hand layout is fine.
When is the spreadsheet the better tool?
Records: costs, price lists, purchase history. Use both — spreadsheet for memory, optimizer for geometry.
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