How many 24" × 30" pieces can you cut from a 4×8 sheet?

You can cut 3 pieces of 24" × 30" from one 4×8 sheet (48" × 96") with a 1/8" saw kerf and rotation allowed — 47% of the sheet ends up in parts. Sizes like this are typical for desk sides and cabinet doors.

The layout is a straight grid, 1 across and 3 along the length, long sides running with the sheet. Only 47% of the sheet becomes parts. This size leaves a lot of sheet behind: nest it alongside other parts, or tweak the size if the design allows.

3 × 24" × 30" nested on a 4×8 sheet
3 × 24" × 30" on a 4×8 sheet (48" × 96"), 1/8" kerf, rotation allowed. Dashed: largest offcut, a 23-7/8" × 30" piece.
Open this layout in the optimizer →Add your other parts and re-nest

Kerf and grain

On paper the sheet holds 6, but that is the no-kerf answer. Two 24" parts add up to exactly the sheet's 48", so there is no room left for even one 1/8" saw cut between them. Cut the parts at 23-15/16" × 30" instead and you get all 6 back.

Grain direction costs nothing here: with every part's 30" side running along the sheet's 96" length you still get 3, so you can keep the grain consistent for free.

Parts per 4×8 sheet · share of the sheet in parts
Saw kerfRotation allowedGrain-locked (no rotation)
1/8"3 · 47%3 · 47%
None (theoretical)6 · 94%6 · 94%

How many sheets for a batch?

Pieces needed4×8 sheetsLast sheet
1041 of 3 — room for 2 more
2591 of 3 — room for 2 more
50172 of 3 — room for 1 more

Same 1/8" kerf, rotation allowed. A part-filled last sheet is the place to nest drawer bottoms, shelves or anything else from the same material.

FAQ

How many 24x30 pieces can you cut from a 4×8 sheet?

You can cut 3 pieces of 24" × 30" from one 4×8 sheet (48" × 96") with a 1/8" saw kerf and rotation allowed — 47% of the sheet ends up in parts. The layout is a straight grid, 1 across and 3 along the length, long sides running with the sheet.

Why only 3 and not 6?

On paper the sheet holds 6, but that is the no-kerf answer. Two 24" parts add up to exactly the sheet's 48", so there is no room left for even one 1/8" saw cut between them. Cut the parts at 23-15/16" × 30" instead and you get all 6 back.

How many 4×8 sheets do I need for 25 pieces at 24" × 30"?

9 sheets. At 3 per sheet, the last one carries 1 part, leaving room for 2 more.

How this was worked out

EZNESTING's nesting engine (the same one the optimizer runs, in its default least-waste guillotine mode) was given more 24" × 30" parts than could possibly fit on one 48" × 96" sheet, with a 1/8" kerf between parts and none at the factory edges. The parts it placed are the answer. That count is checked against simple grid layouts in both orientations (best of those: 3), so the page never shows less than a straight grid would give. No edge trim is assumed; if you skim 1/4" off a factory edge, re-run it in the optimizer with trim set.

Nearby sizes

Try any size in the sheet yield calculator, or lay out a full cut list with the plywood cut list optimizer, the 4×8 plywood cut calculator or the nesting optimizer.