A 4×8 sheet is 48 × 96 inches, 32 square feet. How many parts you take from it depends on three things a pencil sketch tends to skip: the kerf the blade takes between parts, which way the grain has to run, and whether a part is allowed to turn sideways.
This page is already set to a 48 × 96″ sheet. Enter a parts list and CutBore nests them, counts the sheets, and numbers every rip and crosscut. The live tool at the top is the same optimizer as /app, with no account and no run limit.
The table further down is one part size per sheet, grain locked versus free to rotate, run through that same nest. Use it to sanity-check a cabinet cut list before you buy the plywood. Then type your real sizes in the calculator — a 1/16″ change, or a 1/4″ trim, can cost a part.
Free and unlimited. Jobs stay in this browser. If you want a printable shop packet and part labels, that is the $4.99 Founding Pass, not a requirement to nest a 4×8.
How to use the 4×8 calculator
Before you type a single part. Decide which dimension is length (with the 96″ face grain, unless you unlock rotation) and which is width. Then check three things:
Cut size, not finished size. If a door finishes 19″ with 1 mm banding on both long edges, enter just under 18 15/16″. CutBore does not subtract banding from the nest.
Grain along the 96″. On a show face, lock grain so the part length runs with the 96″. At these sizes, rotation adds a part for base sides (+1), drawer fronts (+3) and half sheets (+2); shelves, bottoms and kicks fit the same either way.
Kerf is not optional. A full-kerf table saw takes about 1/8″. Two 24″ parts are 48 1/8″ once the second kerf is in. The nest will not pretend otherwise.
Step 1: Confirm the 48 × 96″ sheet
The chip in the toolbar is the preset. Thickness starts at 3/4″ maple; add a 1/4″ sheet if you have backs. Leave trim at zero unless the factory edge is rough.
Step 2: Enter the parts
Name, length, width, quantity. Type 23 3/4 or 603 mm. Lock grain on sides and doors. Allow rotation on parts that will not show.
Step 3: Read sheets, then the saw list
The nest updates as you type. Sheet count is what you buy. The numbered cuts on the diagram match the saw list, so you rip and crosscut in order.
What fits on a 4×8 sheet
Counts for common cabinet parts, one size per sheet. Grain locked means the part’s length runs with the 96″ face grain; may rotate means some parts can turn 90°.
| Part | Length × width | Grain locked | May rotate | Sheet used | Try in the calculator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base cabinets | |||||
| Base side | 34 1/2 × 23 3/4″ | 4 | 5+1 | 89% | |
| Base bottom, 30″ box | 28 1/2 × 23 3/4″ | 6 | 6 | 88% | |
| Base shelf, 30″ box | 28 3/8 × 22 1/2″ | 6 | 6 | 83% | |
| Wall cabinets | |||||
| Wall side, 30″ tall | 30 × 11 1/4″ | 12 | 12 | 88% | |
| Wall shelf | 28 3/8 × 11″ | 12 | 12 | 81% | |
| Doors and drawers | |||||
| Slab door | 30 1/4 × 14 7/8″ | 9 | 9 | 88% | |
| Drawer front | 14 7/8 × 6″ | 42 | 45+3 | 87% | |
| Full-length rips | |||||
| Shelf rip | 96 × 11 1/4″ | 4 | 4 | 94% | |
| Toe kick | 96 × 4 1/2″ | 10 | 10 | 94% | |
| Halves and quarters | |||||
| Half sheetkerf trap | 48 × 24″ | 1 | 3+2 | 75% | |
| Half, kerf allowed | 47 15/16 × 23 15/16″ | 4 | 4 | 99.6% | |
| Quarter, 2 × 2 ftkerf trap | 24 × 24″ | 3 | 3 | 38% | |
| Quarter, kerf allowed | 23 7/8 × 23 7/8″ | 8 | 8 | 99% | |
Base cabinets
Base side
34 1/2 × 23 3/4″
4
5+1
Base bottom, 30″ box
28 1/2 × 23 3/4″
6
6
Base shelf, 30″ box
28 3/8 × 22 1/2″
6
6
Wall cabinets
Wall side, 30″ tall
30 × 11 1/4″
12
12
Wall shelf
28 3/8 × 11″
12
12
Doors and drawers
Slab door
30 1/4 × 14 7/8″
9
9
Drawer front
14 7/8 × 6″
42
45+3
Full-length rips
Shelf rip
96 × 11 1/4″
4
4
Toe kick
96 × 4 1/2″
10
10
Halves and quarters
Half sheetkerf trap
48 × 24″
1
3+2
Half, kerf allowed
47 15/16 × 23 15/16″
4
4
Quarter, 2 × 2 ftkerf trap
24 × 24″
3
3
Quarter, kerf allowed
23 7/8 × 23 7/8″
8
8
Per sheet, one part size at a time. Sheet used is for the may-rotate count.
The kerf trap
Two 24″ parts need 48 1/8″ once the second one takes its 1/8″. On a 48″ sheet the second one comes out 23 7/8″. Cut quarters at 23 7/8″ and you get 8 per sheet instead of 3.
Turning one part saves a side
A 34 1/2 × 23 3/4″ base side packs four with the grain locked. Turn the fifth so 34 1/2″ fills the leftover strip, and five fit on the same 4×8.
Turning a half-sheet fits three
Half sheets at 48 × 24″: one fits with the grain locked, because two 24s across the 48″ need 48 1/8″. Turn them so 48″ fills the width with no kerf, and three fit along the 96″.
48 × 96″ · 1/8″ kerf · grain free · 3 halves · 75% used
Kerf, trim and grain on a 4×8
Kerf. CutBore leaves your blade width between parts, not after a part that ends at the sheet or the trim line. On a 48 × 96″ sheet that 1/8″ is why two 24″ squares need 48 1/8″, and why four 47 15/16″ halves fit when grain-locked 48 × 24″ halves give only one.
Trim. New jobs start with no trim, so outside parts can use the factory edge. Set 1/4″ if the sheet is chipped or out of square; that keep-out is not a numbered first cut on the saw list.
Grain. Locked means the part length runs with the 96″ face grain and the part will not turn. May rotate means it can turn 90°. The table reports both, from the same guillotine nest the tool uses.
Measure your own kerf. Rip a scrap partway, measure the slot, and enter that. Do not trust the number on the blade box. A 96″ rip on a 96″ sheet with no trim fits; two 24″ squares on a 48″ width do not, because the kerf sits between them.
4×8 plywood cut calculator FAQ
How many parts fit on a 4×8 sheet of plywood?
It depends on the part size, kerf, trim and grain. The table on this page is one size per 48 × 96″ sheet at 1/8″ kerf and no trim. Four 34 1/2 × 23 3/4″ base sides fit (five if they may rotate). Four 11 1/4″ × 96″ rips fit. Two 24 × 24″ squares do not.
Why do two 24-inch parts not fit on a 48-inch sheet?
Because the second part needs a kerf. 24 + 1/8 + 24 is 48 1/8″. Cut the squares at 23 7/8″ and eight fit on a 4×8. That is the kerf trap; the live calculator will show it if you type 24 × 24.
Does this calculator start on a 4×8 sheet?
Yes. The toolbar chip is Sheet 48 × 96″ · 4×8. You can still add a second thickness, switch to millimetres, or open the full optimizer if the job is more than one sheet size.
Can I use 2440 × 1220 mm sheets instead?
Yes. Switch the job to millimetres. Sizes already entered are stored in millimetres, so the numbers convert. A 2440 × 1220 sheet is close to 4×8 but not the same; nest it as 2440 × 1220, not as 48 × 96.
Does a 96-inch rip fit on a 4×8 sheet?
Yes, if trim is 0. A 96″ part that ends at the sheet needs no trailing kerf, so four 11 1/4″ strips or ten 4 1/2″ kicks fit. Two 24″ squares still do not, because they need a 1/8″ kerf between them. Type either size in the tool to see it.