Wood · Cutting · Kitchen cabinets
Kitchen cabinet cutting diagram: a base and a wall unit
What it does and how it is worked out
Type the parts of your kitchen cabinets and the page lays them out on the fewest sheets, with the edge tape and, if you give prices, the cost. Free, in the browser and on a phone. The list below is an example, a kitchen base unit and the wall unit above it, base 30 × 30.5 × 24 in, wall unit 30 × 30 × 12 in, in 3/4 in plywood: 16 parts on 2 sheets of 96 × 48 in, 71 % of the board used. Clear it and put in your own sizes.
- sheets
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- used
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- edge banding
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- waste
- —%
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The example of this page, worked out
The list the page opens with is an example, not anybody's order: a kitchen base unit and the wall unit above it, base 30 × 30.5 × 24 in, wall unit 30 × 30 × 12 in, in 3/4 in plywood, on sheets of 96 × 48 in with a 1/8 in saw cut and no trim. Every part comes from those outside sizes, and the figures are the optimiser's own, worked out by the same code as the tool above.
| What the optimiser answers | Figure |
|---|---|
| Sheets to buy | 2 |
| Parts | 16 |
| Board used | 71.4 % |
| Edge tape, with the 10 % allowance | 64.9 ft (59.0 ft net) |
| Offcuts worth keeping, 12 in or more a side | 1 · 12.5 ft² |
The cutting list of the example
| Part | Qty | Length, in | Width, in | Banded edges | Grain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base side | 2 | 30.5 | 23.75 | 1 long | — |
| Base bottom | 1 | 28.5 | 23.75 | 1 long | — |
| Rail | 2 | 28.5 | 4 | 1 long | — |
| Base shelf | 1 | 28.375 | 23 | 1 long | — |
| Base door | 2 | 30.25 | 14.75 | all four | yes |
| Kickboard | 1 | 30 | 4 | 1 long | — |
| Wall side | 2 | 30 | 11.75 | 1 long | — |
| Wall top/bottom | 2 | 28.5 | 11.75 | 1 long | — |
| Wall shelf | 1 | 28.375 | 11 | 1 long | — |
| Wall door | 2 | 29.75 | 14.75 | all four | yes |
What to watch on kitchen cabinets
- The base unit has no top. Two rails 4 in wide tie the sides and the countertop sits on them; the kickboard is a strip the width of the unit, in front of the legs or of a separate base.
- Doors with the grain upright, edged all round. The carcass is edged on its front only. Sides that end a run and show are a decision of yours: mark them with grain in their row.
- A whole kitchen is one list. Add up the equal parts of every unit with their quantity: the more parts in the list, the better the small ones fill what the big ones leave.
- The back is another list. It is cut from thin board (1/4 in here), which is another sheet and another job: this list holds only the 3/4 in parts. Load the thin parts of this example to see what they take.
- Your sheet, your saw, your thickness. Pick the sheet you buy under «Usual sheet formats» and set your blade's kerf: the plan is worked out again as you type. The sizes here are for 3/4 in board; in another thickness the parts between the sides change, and the cabinet cut list guide gives the rule for each.
Templates: kitchen cabinets
Example sizes, not a standard: load one into the list above, then change each size to yours. Loading one replaces the list; nothing is sent and no email is asked for.
| Template | Parts | Sheets | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base and wall unit, 24 in wide base 24 × 30.5 × 24 in, wall unit 24 × 30 × 12 in | 16 | 2 | 61.5 % | Load |
| 36 in wide, with a 36 in high wall unit base 36 × 30.5 × 24 in, wall unit 36 × 36 × 12 in | 16 | 2 | 85.3 % | Load |
| The two backs of the example, in 1/4 in plywood | 2 | 1 | 38.7 % | Load |
Sheets and board used on a sheet of 96 × 48 in, as the optimiser works them out. From outside sizes to every part, rule by rule: how to work out a cabinet cut list; to draw the piece to your sizes first, the cabinet designer.
Questions people ask
- How many sheets of plywood does a kitchen base and wall unit take?
- The example on this page, a kitchen base unit and the wall unit above it, base 30 × 30.5 × 24 in, wall unit 30 × 30 × 12 in, in 3/4 in plywood, is 16 parts and takes 2 sheets of 96 × 48 in with a 1/8 in saw cut, with 71.4 % of the board used; the thin back is cut from another sheet. Put in your own sizes and the page works out yours.
- How much edge banding does it take?
- 59.0 ft net for the example, 64.9 ft with the 10 % allowance for overhang and joins, on 28 edges: the faces that show, as marked in each row of the list. Change the marks and the metres follow.
- Why does a kitchen base cabinet have no top panel?
- Because the countertop closes it. Two rails, one at the front and one at the back, hold the sides square and take the countertop's fixings; that saves a panel in every base unit.