For sheet metal fabricators

Know the sheet count before the steel arrives

CutNest nests your parts on the sheet sizes you actually buy, tells you exactly what to order, and prices the job — in the browser, in seconds, without touching your CAM.

Nest a real sheet-metal job

Covers, brackets, base plates and gussets on 2450×1150 and 2050×900 mild steel. Change any part and calculate.

Built for how a fab shop quotes

Your sheet sizes, your prices

Enter 2500×1250, 3000×1500 or whatever your stockholder sends, with the price per sheet. CutNest picks the cheapest mix and can be told you only have six of a size.

Brushed and polished finishes (Pro)

Lock the grain on brushed stainless or on individual parts, so a door face never ends up running the wrong way on the nest.

Laser, plasma, punch or guillotine

Set the gap between parts to suit the machine (a few millimetres on a laser, more on plasma or a punch), or switch a material to guillotine for shear work with a numbered cut sequence.

DXF straight to CAM (Pro)

Export the nest as a DXF with every part on its own layer. CutNest sits at the quoting stage; your programmer keeps using the nesting software they already run.

Quote from the layout (Pro)

Cut length and pierces come from the actual nest, at your machine rate, plus handling, markup and VAT — printed as a quote with your logo.

Offcuts that come back (Pro)

Usable offcuts are measured on every sheet. Save them to stock and CutNest offers them back on the next job in that material before you buy another sheet.

Questions

Straight answers

Does CutNest replace my nesting software?

No. CutNest is for the office: knowing how many sheets to order and what the job will cost, before production. Your programmer keeps using their nesting and NC software for the machine; CutNest’s DXF can help them start from the same layout.

What gap should I leave between parts on a laser?

The beam itself removes well under a millimetre, but most shops leave a few millimetres between parts for heat and a stable skeleton. Use the gap you actually leave. The kerf guide has typical figures for laser, plasma, punch and saw.

Can it handle brushed stainless where the grain matters?

Yes, with Pro. Lock the grain on the material (every part keeps its orientation) or on individual parts, so hidden parts can still turn to fill gaps.

Does it work for bar and box section too?

Yes. Add the section as a bar material with your stock lengths and CutNest cuts parts to length, in the same job as the sheet with Pro. See bar and tube.

Try it on your own job

Free, in your browser, no account. Your cut list stays on your computer.

Open CutNest free → See Pro — £12/month