X-Carve Pro Cutting Area — Nest Your Parts on the Real Work Area
Inventables' X-Carve Pro comes in two sizes: 48" × 48" (4x4) and 48" × 24" (4x2), both with a 4" Z work area. This calculator nests your parts against either work area so you know how many come out of one spoilboard load before you cut. Free to try, in your browser, no signup.
X-Carve Pro work areas, precisely
From Inventables' X-Carve Pro tech-specs page (checked 2026-10):
- X-Carve Pro 4x4: 48" × 48" × 4" work area
- X-Carve Pro 4x2: 48" × 24" × 4" work area
The original belt-driven X-Carve (sold in 500 mm, 750 mm and 1000 mm versions) is a different, smaller machine, and its usable area depends on the version and how it was assembled. If you run one, jog it to its limits and measure rather than trusting a number from a forum post.
Worked example: 15×20 sign blanks on a 4x4
Run through the optimizer against a 48" × 48" bed, a ⅛" (3.175 mm) router-bit kerf, and rotation allowed:
- 8 requested 15" × 20" sign blanks
- 6 fit in a single bed load at 78.1% bed utilization
- The remaining 2 go on a second load
Area math (48 × 48 = 2,304 sq in ÷ 300 sq in per blank ≈ 7.7) says 7. The rectangles say 6: three 15" blanks fit across (45¼" with kerf), two 20" rows fit down (40⅛"), and the strips left over are too narrow for a seventh in either orientation.
One caution: when a part is exactly half or a third of the bed (two 24" parts across a 48" bed, say), the kerf between them decides whether both fit. If you're that close, enter your machine's measured travel rather than the rounded spec.
How to use it
- Open the optimizer — the button below preloads a 48" × 48" sheet labeled "X-Carve Pro 4x4 bed" (swap to 48" × 24" for a 4x2 before you run it)
- Add your parts: width × height × quantity for each shape you're cutting
- Set kerf to your bit diameter — ⅛" (3.175 mm) is typical for a router bit
- Allow rotation unless grain or engraving orientation is fixed
- Run it. You get the per-load part count, bed utilization, and a layout diagram you can export as DXF for your CAM software (EZNESTING places rectangles; it doesn't generate toolpaths)
Where this fits among the tools
This page is about the X-Carve Pro's own work areas. For other CNC router beds, see the CNC router nest optimizer, Shapeoko cutting area, and Onefinity cutting area pages. Background on the packing problem underneath any of these layouts is in what bin packing means for cut lists.