Which sheet? — comparing sheet sizes
Your supplier sells the same board in several sizes, and you have to pick one before you can order. The ⚖ Which sheet? button in the Stock panel — its own gold-outlined button in the row just under the panel header — answers that question directly: it takes the sheet sizes you entered, runs your cut list on each size separately, and ranks the results — how many sheets, how much material in total, what yield, and (when every size is priced) what it would cost.
It is available on every plan, guests included, and on any 2D Panel job with at least two sheet sizes entered.
Every size is run on its own. A normal optimization may mix your sizes, because the least-material plan often combines them — which is the right answer when you already own several sizes, and the wrong answer when you are deciding what to buy.
When to use it
- You are about to order material and want to know which size fits this cut list best.
- You are deciding which size to keep in stock for the kind of work you repeat.
- Your supplier offers an unfamiliar size and you want to see what it would change.
When not to use it: if you already own several sizes and want to cut the job from what you have, just press Run optimizer. A normal run may mix sizes, and that will usually beat any single size.
Step by step
- 1
Enter your parts
Fill the Parts (2D) table as usual — the comparison uses exactly the job Run optimizer would pack, including kerf, trim, per-part rotation and grain groups.
- 2
Enter at least two sheet sizes
Add one stock row per candidate size. Prices are optional; fill every row's price if you want the cost column. Up to 6 sizes can be compared at once.
- 3
Press ⚖ Which sheet?
It sits in the Stock panel, in its own row directly under the panel header — a gold-outlined ⚖ button on the right, with an i help chip next to it. Same place and same size on a phone.
- 4
Read the table
Sizes are ranked best first. The winner carries a 'least material' badge; a size that cannot hold every part says how many parts do not fit and drops to the bottom.
- 5
Use this
Click Use this on the size you chose. It stays in the stock table, the other sizes are removed, and an Undo button appears in the toast. Nothing is run yet.
- 6
Run optimizer
Press Run optimizer to get the full cutting plan, diagrams and exports for the size you kept.
How to read the table
| Column | What it says |
|---|---|
| Sheet size | The stock row’s name (if any) and its dimensions, in the unit you are working in. |
| Sheets | How many boards of that size the job needs, from unlimited stock. |
| Total material | The area of those boards added up — the material you would buy, m² (or ft² in inch mode). |
| Yield | How much of that material becomes parts. |
| Estimated cost | Sheets × price. Shown only when every compared size has a price, because a half-filled cost column would suggest a ranking that is not there. |
The ranking is the optimizer’s own order of preference: every part placed first, then least total material, then fewest sheets. It does not depend on the order you listed your stock.
The fewest sheets is not always the best buy. Measured on a 22-part carcass job (kerf 3 mm): a 3050×1220 board needs 3 sheets = 11.16 m², while a 2800×2070 board does the same job in only 2 sheets — but 11.59 m². Fewer boards to handle, more material paid for. Which one wins for you depends on whether your supplier prices by the sheet or by the square metre — that is what the Estimated cost column is for.
How it differs from a normal run with several sizes
| Feature | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mixing sizes | difference | Comparison: never — each size is run alone. Normal run: yes, the plan may combine your sizes. |
| Stock supply | difference | Comparison: always unlimited, because the question is how many you would need. Normal run: your Sheet supply setting (Unlimited or Limited). |
| Off-cut reuse | difference | Comparison: off, so leftovers cannot flatter one size. Normal run: your setting. |
| Optimization goal | difference | Comparison: least material (price is only reported, never used to rank). Normal run: your goal — Minimize waste or Minimize cost. |
| Quota | difference | Both: one optimization per press, however many sizes you compared. |
Your settings are not modified by the comparison — only this one calculation ignores them, and the table says so underneath.
Limits
- 2D Panel mode only. Bars (1D Linear) and Wood are not supported yet.
- Up to 6 sizes in one comparison. Every size is a full solve, and the app optimizes in your browser.
- On a very large cut list (over 1000 parts) the comparison switches to Fast search so it stays responsive, and says so under the table; a normal run may then find a slightly better plan.
- Not available in Material-specific mode — and note that turning on area-based pricing switches Material-specific mode on.
Enter the real sheet size your supplier delivers, not the nominal one, and set your kerf before comparing. Both change how many parts fit on a board, and therefore which size wins.