CutPlanHow to calculate saw kerf loss
Multiply blade kerf by cut length without confusing saw loss with leftover sheet area.
Measure the actual cut
Kerf is the strip of material removed by the saw. Measure your own blade and machine combination. The example uses 3.2 mm; this is not a universal recommendation.
Two 500 mm pieces plus one 3.2 mm cut require 1,003.2 mm in the same strip. On a 1,000 mm strip, the second piece loses size. The optimizer reserves this band at each split.
Loss area is width times length
Three 1,830 mm cuts with a 3.2 mm kerf remove 3 × 1,830 × 3.2 = 17,568 mm², or 0.017568 m². The calculator below reproduces this for equal-length cuts.
In a real plan, each cut uses the current region’s length and the band intersecting material. The tree avoids counting intersections twice. At an edge, only the blade band inside the sheet contributes to loss.
Offcuts are different from saw loss
An intact offcut can be reused; sawdust cannot become a sheet again. The report separates margins, saw loss, total offcuts and reusable offcuts.
Pieces + margins + kerf + offcuts must equal the gross area of all sheets. Omitting a term misrepresents the material purchased.
Related guides: Grain · Saw kerf · Cut sequence