GUIDE / CUTTING
How to make a cut list: chipboard and MDF, step by step
A cut list says which parts a cabinet is made of and the size each one is cut to. Below we work out the list for a standard 60 cm base cabinet line by line, then show how the same list comes out of the program by itself.
01 / WHAT IT IS
What a cut list says
| Part | Its name and which cabinet it belongs to: side, bottom, shelf, door, back. |
| Material | The board and its thickness, e.g. 18 mm melamine chipboard or an 8 mm back. |
| Length × width | The part's size. On a grained board the length is the size along the grain. |
| Quantity | Parts of the same size go on one line, so none is missed at the saw. |
| Edge banding | Which edges are banded and how many metres it comes to. |
02 / EXAMPLE
The cut list of a 60 cm base cabinet
The cabinet is 60 cm wide, 72 cm high and 56 cm deep; the carcass is 18 mm white melamine chipboard and the back 8 mm. These are the default sizes MobiCAM uses for a new base cabinet, and the table is the list the program gives for it.
| Part | Length × width × thickness (mm) | Qty | Edge banding | Why this size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side (left, right) | 720 × 560 × 18 | 2 | Front edge | The carcass's full height and depth. |
| Bottom | 564 × 560 × 18 | 1 | Front edge | It sits between the two sides: 600 − 2 × 18 = 564. |
| Shelf | 564 × 497 × 18 | 1 | Front edge | Between the sides; it stands 20 mm back from the front and leaves room for the back panel, so it is shallower. |
| Front and back rail | 564 × 100 × 18 | 2 | — | Two rails instead of a full top; the worktop sits on them. |
| Door | 717 × 597 × 18 | 1 | All four edges | A 3 mm door gap: 720 − 3 and 600 − 3. |
| Back | 702 × 582 × 8 | 1 | — | It runs 9 mm into the groove in each side: 564 + 2 × 9 = 582. |
In all: 1.94 m² of 18 mm chipboard, 0.41 m² of 8 mm and 5.2 metres of edge banding.
03 / RULES
What to watch when you do it by hand
| Parts between the sides | The width of the bottom, shelves and rails is the outside width less two carcass thicknesses. |
| Door | It is cut smaller than the carcass by the door gap. |
| Grain direction | On a grained board a part is placed with its grain along the board's. Mix up length and width and the door's pattern lies on its side. |
| Saw kerf | Every cut eats a few millimetres of board. Leave it out of the layout and the parts fit the board on paper but not in reality. |
| Repeated sizes | They go on one line with a quantity; the list gets shorter and no part is missed at the saw. |
04 / IN THE PROGRAM
The same list, without typing it
In MobiCAM this table comes out by itself when you draw the cabinet. Change the width from 60 to 80 and the bottom, shelf, rails, door and back change together — and the quote and the sheet layout with them.
- The list exports as CSV to Excel or your own software
- Parts are nested onto the sheet with the least waste; the waste and the sheet count are given
- Every part gets a barcode label
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