🧮 Free tool

Laser cut
material calculator

How many boxes fit in your sheet? Calculate material usage, waste and cost per piece.

📐 Sheet size

Select a preset or enter a custom size.

📦 Box size

Dimensions of the largest box panel (usually the lid or bottom).

Recommended minimum margin: 3–5mm to prevent pieces from touching during cutting.

💰 Material cost

Result

📊

Fill in the data and click Calculate

Sheet preview

Preview

Optimization tips

  • Rotate pieces 90° if the panel is wider than tall — sometimes more fit.
  • Reduce spacing to 3mm if your cutter is precise.
  • Side panels are usually smaller — calculate them separately.
  • Leave a 10mm margin on sheet edges for the clamp.

How to use the material calculator

  1. Pick the sheet. Choose a preset (for example 600×300 mm or 1220×610 mm) or type your own size.
  2. Enter the largest panel of the box. It is usually the base or the lid. If that panel fits, every other piece will too.
  3. Set the spacing between parts. It is the gap you leave between one panel and the next so they do not touch while cutting.
  4. Enter the sheet price if you want to know what each panel costs.

The calculator tries the panel in its normal orientation and rotated 90°, and shows the layout that fits more pieces on the sheet.

Worked example. A 600×300 mm sheet, a 150×100 mm panel and 3 mm spacing. Each panel takes 153×103 mm with its spacing. In the normal orientation 3 fit per row (600 ÷ 153) and 2 rows fit (300 ÷ 103): 6 panels. Rotated 90°, 5 fit per row but only 1 row, so 5 panels. The normal orientation wins: 6 panels and 50 % of the area unused. If the sheet costs 12 USD, each panel costs 2 USD.

What the waste percentage means

It is the share of the sheet area those panels do not cover: the gaps between parts plus the leftover at the edges. It is not completely lost, because that space can be used for smaller parts such as walls or dividers.

Frequently asked questions

Why does it only count one panel size?

The calculator gives a quick estimate with a single measurement. A real box has panels of several sizes, so the final number can be better than the calculated one. To arrange every piece of a box at once, use the optimized SVG option in Box Studio.

What spacing between parts should I use?

3 to 5 mm is a comfortable margin. With a well-tuned machine you can go down to 2 or 3 mm. If parts touch or the edges scorch, increase it.

What do I do with the offcuts?

Keep them for small pieces: keychains, dividers, labels or test cuts. A 100×100 mm scrap is enough to measure the kerf of a new material.