Built in Newcastle upon Tyne · Used across fabrication, joinery & more

Stop guessing
how much
material to order

Know exactly what to order before you cut a single sheet. Works for steel, timber, acrylic, glass and more.

Try it free → See how it works
✓ No install
✓ No account needed
✓ Works offline
✓ Made in the UK
✓ Free forever tier
Sheet Metal Timber & Joinery Acrylic & Plastics Glass & Glazing Decking & Cladding
CutNest — JOB-047 — Stainless Enclosures
📋 SHEET USAGE — S/S 2mm 316 Brushed
COMPLETE
S/S 2mm — 316 Brushed No rotation · Grain locked
2 × 2450×1150mm · £225ea
1 × 1950×900mm · £132ea
You had 4 sheets on the previous quote — CutNest says 3.
3
sheets
Sheet 1 of 3 — 2450×1150mm — 89% utilisation
Door Front
800×600
Side L
450×380
Side R
450×380
Base Panel
700×280
Total Cost
£582
Saved vs 4 sheets
£225
Avg Fill
87%
R
“I work in sheet metal fabrication. Every week we’d quote a job, order steel, and end up with offcuts we couldn’t use. I built CutNest to solve that — and quickly realised the same problem exists in timber, joinery, acrylic, glass. Anyone cutting from sheet material wastes money without a proper cut list.”
Ryan — Sheet Metal Fabricator · Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
First job at Dacon Fabrications, Newcastle

The numbers that made us build this properly.

3
sheets saved
First job we ran through it — 3 sheets of stainless we’d have over-ordered without CutNest.
<30s
to a result
Enter your pieces, hit calculate. The result is instant — no waiting, no server, no account.
£225
saved, first use
One sheet of 316 brushed stainless. That’s 15 months of Pro subscription, from a single job.
Free vs Pro

The free version works.
Pro is for when it’s saving you money every week.

One material is enough to see if CutNest works for you. But most jobs involve more than one material. That’s where Pro pays for itself — usually on the first job.

Get Pro — £12/month →
or £99/year · cancel any time · key emailed instantly
Free
✓ 1 material per job
✓ 2 sheet sizes
✓ Visual layouts
✓ CSV export
✗ Multiple materials
✗ Master library
✗ DXF export
✗ Job history
✗ Unit multiplier
Pro — £12/mo
✓ 5 materials per job
✓ Unlimited sheet sizes
✓ Visual layouts
✓ CSV export
✓ Multiple materials
✓ 23-grade UK library
✓ DXF export (CNC/laser)
✓ Job history (50 jobs)
✓ Unit multiplier
See it in action

From blank page to cut list
in under 30 seconds

Enter your pieces, hit calculate. CutNest works out the most efficient layout across all your sheets — factoring in cost, grain direction and sheet sizes.

Try it on a real job →
CutNest App — Live Demo
Step 1 of 4 — Select material
How it works

Three steps. No training needed.

If you can fill in a spreadsheet, you can use CutNest. There’s nothing to install and no account to create.

1
Add your pieces
Enter the width, height and quantity of each piece you need to cut. Works for steel, timber, MDF, acrylic, glass — any sheet material.
2
Hit calculate
CutNest works out the most efficient way to fit everything onto the fewest sheets. It takes about 20 seconds and runs entirely in your browser.
3
Order with confidence
You get an exact sheet count, total material cost and a visual layout showing where every piece goes. Export to CSV or print it for the shop floor or site.
Features

If you cut sheets and quote jobs, this is built for you

Whether you’re a fabricator, joiner or sign maker — if you’ve ever over-ordered because your cut list was a guess, you know the problem CutNest solves.

Grain direction lock
Brushed stainless, veneered MDF, patterned glass, wood grain — some materials can’t be rotated. Tick “no rotation” on any material and CutNest will never flip pieces against the grain direction.
Built for fabricators
£
Cost-aware optimisation
Enter your sheet prices and CutNest minimises your total spend — not just sheet count. A cheaper smaller sheet that creates more waste isn’t always better. CutNest knows the difference.
Built for fabricators
Guillotine mode
Running a saw or guillotine as well as a punch press or laser? Set cutting method per material. Free placement for CNC work, guillotine mode for straight cuts. Ideal for timber, decking and steel sheet alike.
Built for fabricators
Fast. Always.
CutNest runs in your browser, not on a shared server. A 50-piece job across three materials — steel, ply and acrylic — calculates in under 30 seconds. No queue, no waiting, works offline once loaded.
Works offline
Your materials, your prices
Set up your stock library with your actual sheet sizes and prices. Steel, timber, MDF, acrylic — add whatever you work with. Pro users get a pre-built library of common UK grades as a starting point.
Works with your existing setup
CutNest sits at the quoting stage — before production. Your tooler keeps using Dr. ABE Blank, AP100 or whatever they already run for punch programming. No conflict, no retraining, no disruption to your shop floor.
No disruption
Quote-ready output
Visual layout showing exactly where every piece lands. Total sheets, total cost, waste percentage. Export to CSV or print direct to PDF. Everything you need to quote with confidence.
What you get

Built for how fabrication shops actually work

Most cut optimisers are general-purpose. CutNest Pro is shaped around quoting and cutting real sheet material.

Capability CutNest Pro
2D sheet nesting (steel, timber, acrylic, glass...)✓
Free placement for CNC punch, laser & router✓
Guillotine shear mode for saws & panel cutting✓
Up to 5 materials in one job, costed together✓
Grain-direction lock per material✓
Cost-aware optimisation (minimise spend, not just sheets)✓
Pre-built UK material library23 grades included
DXF export — straight to CNC, laser & router✓
CSV export for spreadsheets & quotes✓
Works offline — install it like an app✓
Your data stays in your browser — no account needed✓
Price£12/month · or £99/year
Every capability above is live in CutNest Pro today. No account, no install, no card needed to try the free version.
Why I built it

From someone who got tired of over-ordering

“
I’ve spent years quoting and cutting sheet metal, and I kept watching good material go to the offcut pile because the sheet count was a guess on a spreadsheet. Over-order and you’ve wasted money; under-order and the job stops. I built CutNest to take that guess out — enter your pieces, get the exact sheets to order, with a layout you can hand straight to the saw or press. It does the one job I needed it to do, properly.
R
Ryan · Founder
Sheet-metal fabricator · Newcastle upon Tyne
Using CutNest? I’d genuinely like to hear how it went →
Pricing

Start free. Upgrade when it pays for itself.

No subscription tricks. No hidden fees. Cancel any time.

Free
£0
No card needed · forever free
  • ✓Full nesting algorithm
  • ✓1 material per job
  • ✓2 sheet sizes per material
  • ✓Your own stock library (5 materials)
  • ✓Visual cut layouts
  • ✓CSV export
  • 🔒Multiple materials per job
  • 🔒Pre-built UK material library
  • 🔒Job history
Start Free →
Pro
£12/mo
Per company · cancel any time
One sheet of stainless saved pays for a year’s subscription. Most jobs save more than that.
  • ✓Everything in Free
  • ✓Up to 5 materials per job
  • ✓Unlimited stock library
  • ✓Pre-built UK library (23 grades + prices)
  • ✓DXF export — machine-ready for CNC, laser & router
  • ✓Job history (last 50 jobs)
  • ✓Unit quantity multiplier
  • ✓Grain direction lock
  • ✓Guillotine mode for saws & shears
  • ✓Remnant & offcut support
  • ✓Cost-aware optimisation
  • ✓Email support
Get Pro — £12/month →

🔒 Secure payment via Lemon Squeezy · VAT added at checkout where applicable · Licence key emailed instantly

🔐 How to activate: After payment, Lemon Squeezy emails you a licence key instantly. Open the CutNest app, click the ⚙ Settings button in the top right, paste your key into the Licence Key field, and click Activate Key. Takes 10 seconds.
FAQ

Straight answers

Will it work for saw cutting and guillotine, not just punch press?
Yes. Set the cutting method per material. “Free placement” for CNC punch, laser and router. “Guillotine” for saw or shear cutting where every cut goes edge to edge. Works for timber, steel sheet, acrylic — mix both in the same job.
Can I use my own sheet sizes and prices?
Yes — that’s the whole point. Go to Library, enter your sheet sizes and prices. Steel, MDF, ply, acrylic, glass — whatever you work with. CutNest uses your actual numbers. Pro users get a pre-built library of common UK grades as a starting point.
What if my material has a grain direction and can’t be rotated?
Tick “No rotation” on that material in your library. Works for brushed stainless, veneered MDF, wood grain, patterned glass — any material where rotation matters. CutNest will never flip pieces against the grain.
Do I need to install anything or create an account?
No to both. Open cutnest.co.uk/app in any browser and start using it. Your library and job history are saved in your browser — nothing is sent to a server. For Pro, you just enter a licence key in Settings after purchase.
How does the Pro licence work?
After payment you’ll get a licence key by email within a minute. Open the app, tap Settings, paste the key. Pro unlocks immediately. One key works for your whole company — share it with your team.
Will it conflict with our existing CAM or nesting software?
No — CutNest works at the quoting stage, before production starts. Your tooler keeps using whatever they already run (Dr. ABE Blank, AP100, SigmaNEST etc) for punch programming and NC code. The two tools serve completely different purposes and never overlap.
What’s the difference between free placement and guillotine mode?
Free placement uses the MaxRects algorithm to pack pieces anywhere on the sheet — the same approach used in industrial nesting software. It’s ideal for CNC punch presses, plasma cutters, lasers, and routers where you can cut in any direction. Guillotine mode restricts cuts to full edge-to-edge straight lines, just like a manual guillotine shear or panel saw. Use guillotine mode for timber, MDF, and sheet cutting on saws where you can only make straight cuts across the full sheet. You set the cutting method per material in your library.
Try Free → Pro £12/mo