Construction · trim cut list
Baseboard cut list optimizer.
List each wall, pick the board lengths your store sells, and get how many to buy plus exactly which cuts go on which board. Calculations run locally; nothing is sent anywhere.
Walls and stock
Boards to buy
Method, sources, and limits
Method: this is a one-dimensional cutting-stock problem, a form of bin packing (NIST Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures: bin packing). Pieces are sorted longest first and placed first-fit on open boards; each board is then shrunk to the shortest stock that holds its cuts, and for up to 14 pieces a branch-and-bound search minimises total length bought, then board count. A board with k cuts needs sum of cuts + (k − 1) × kerf ≤ board length. A wall longer than your longest board is split into joined boards, each joint adding your splice allowance; walls marked no-splice must fit on one board or the tool reports an error.
Numbers you supply: the stock lengths (8, 12, 16 ft), the 1/8 in kerf, and the splice allowance are editable assumptions, not standards. Stock lengths such as 8, 12 and 16 ft are the kind of lengths retailers list; see the DIYCalcs baseboard calculator for the linear-foot approach this tool goes beyond. Checked September 30, 2026.
Limits: lengths are rounded to 1/16 in. Mitre and coped-corner lengths, grain or finish matching, and defect cut-outs are not modelled; treat the count as a plan and buy a spare board on a tight fit.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from a linear-foot baseboard calculator?
Those divide total length by stock length and add a percentage. This tool packs each actual piece onto boards, so the count reflects which cuts really fit together.
Is the answer always the fewest boards?
For up to 14 pieces it searches exhaustively within a node limit and tells you if it hit the limit. Bigger jobs get a strong heuristic plan, not a proof.
Where do the defaults come from?
They are starting assumptions. Use the lengths your store stocks and measure your blade.