EZNESTING
Nesting Optimizer

Kitchen Cabinet Cut List Calculator — Turn a Box Count Into a Sheet Count

Standard kitchen cabinets run 34½" tall × 24" deep for base cabinets and 12" deep at 30, 36, or 42" tall for wall cabinets, with widths sold in 3" increments from 9" to 48" — the sizing convention most North American cabinet lines follow. This calculator takes a cabinet run — however many boxes, whatever widths — and turns it into an exact plywood sheet count and cut plan, instead of the "figure a sheet per box" rule of thumb that either strands you short or buys three extra sheets. Free in your browser, no signup.

Nest a 12-cabinet run on 4×8 sheets →Free · in your browser · no signup

Standard base and wall cabinet dimensions

The numbers that drive every cabinet box takeoff:

  • Base cabinets: 34½" tall (36" with a 1½" countertop), 24" deep, widths from 9" to 48" in 3" steps
  • Wall cabinets: 12" deep (some run 13"), 30/36/42" tall for an 8-ft ceiling, same 3" width steps from 9" to 36"
  • Tall/pantry cabinets: 24" deep, 84"+ tall, same width convention

Widths in 3" increments exist so a run of boxes lines up on a floor plan without custom filler on every joint — a 12 ft base run can be built from stock widths (say 15+18+21+24+30+36 = 144") with no cabinet needing a custom cut. That's the number this calculator needs from you: your list of box widths, however you've laid them out.

Worked example: a 12-cabinet kitchen run

Take a 12 ft base run (six boxes: 15, 18, 21, 24, 30, 36") plus a 10 ft wall run (six boxes: 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 30"), built as standard frameless boxes — two 3/4" sides, a 3/4" bottom, two 3/4" stretchers in place of a full top on the base boxes (a full top plus bottom on the wall boxes), and a 1/4" plywood back let into a rabbet.

That parts list — 54 pieces of 3/4" plywood (sides, bottoms, tops, stretchers) and 12 pieces of 1/4" plywood (backs) — run through the optimizer on 4×8 sheets with a ⅛" kerf comes back at:

  • 3/4" plywood: 6 sheets, 76.8% utilization
  • 1/4" plywood: 3 sheets, 56.0% utilization

The 1/4" number is the one worth noticing: back panels are large, single, unrotatable-by-grain rectangles, so they tile worse than the box parts do. If you're running more than one job's worth of backs, nest them together in one project — the low yield on backs alone is exactly the waste a shared sheet count fixes. Change any width in the run and the sheet counts above are wrong immediately — that's the point of running your own list instead of reusing this one.

Frameless vs. face-frame: what changes in the cut list

This example is frameless (European-style) construction, where the box itself is the finished interior — no separate hardwood face frame, so every part above is sheet goods. Face-frame construction adds a solid-wood frame (stiles and rails) glued to the box front, which does two things to the takeoff: the box sides can run a bit narrower since the frame conceals the front edge, and a new lumber cut list appears alongside the sheet-goods one — stiles and rails cut from 1×2 or 1×3 hardwood, sized to each opening.

If your job is face-frame, run the frame stock through the linear cut optimizer as its own material and the box panels through this sheet-mode run as shown above — one project, two materials, same "actual sheets/sticks needed" answer for both.

Nest a 12-cabinet run on 4×8 sheets →

How to use it

  1. Open the optimizer in sheet mode — no account needed
  2. List each cabinet's box parts: 2 sides, a bottom, top or stretchers, and a back, at the dimensions above (adjust for your depth/height/reveal)
  3. Group 3/4" box parts and 1/4" backs as separate materials so they nest onto their own sheets
  4. Enter your sheet size (4×8 is the default; note if your yard sells 4×10 or metric sheets)
  5. Set kerf (⅛" covers most table and panel saws)
  6. Run it — you get sheets to buy, a cut diagram per sheet, and every offcut listed

The plan prints to PDF for the shop floor, and re-runs instantly if a cabinet width changes.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

What are standard kitchen cabinet dimensions?
Base cabinets are 34½" tall (36" with a standard 1½" countertop) and 24" deep. Wall cabinets are 12" deep and typically 30, 36, or 42" tall for an 8-ft ceiling. Both are sold in widths from 9" to 48" in 3" increments, which is why a well-planned run rarely needs a custom-width box.
How many sheets of plywood does a kitchen need?
It depends entirely on box count and construction, not square footage of floor space. A 12-cabinet run (12 ft of base, 10 ft of wall, frameless boxes) works out to 6 sheets of 3/4" plywood for the box parts plus 3 sheets of 1/4" for the backs — 9 sheets total for 12 boxes. Scale that ratio, but re-run your own list; box depth, height, and construction style all shift the count.
What is frameless cabinet construction?
Frameless (European-style) boxes have no separate hardwood frame on the front — the box sides, top, and bottom are the finished opening, and doors mount directly to the box with concealed hinges. Every structural part is sheet goods, which is why a frameless takeoff is a pure plywood cut list with no separate lumber component.
Why is the utilization on cabinet backs so much lower than the box parts?
Backs are large single rectangles, one per box, with no way to break them into smaller pieces that tile more efficiently — a 3/4" box run of the same job hits roughly 77% utilization while the 1/4" backs alone land around 56%. Nesting several jobs' backs together on shared sheets is the practical fix, since low utilization on a small, cheap material matters less than doing it on your primary box stock.
Do base and wall cabinets use the same depth?
No. Base cabinets are 24" deep to leave room for a countertop overhang; wall cabinets are 12" deep (13" on some lines) to clear head height above a counter. Tall and pantry cabinets typically match the base depth at 24".
Can I mix cabinet box parts and hardwood face-frame stock in one project?
Yes. Enter the sheet-goods box parts (sides, tops/bottoms, backs) as one material in sheet mode, and the face-frame stiles/rails as a second material in linear mode, in the same project. Each nests onto its own stock — you get a sheet count and a stick count from one run.
Turn your cabinet run into a sheet count — free →