Skip to main content
PROCESS GUIDE

How kerf and end trim change a cutting plan

Kerf is the material removed by the blade. End trim reserves unusable material at the ends of a stock bar. Both must be included before a pattern can be called executable.

Updated: · Toreniva Cutwise technical review

Start optimizing freeDownload the 6000 mm example CSV

Use the same convention throughout the job

Cutwise accepts kerf in the same length unit as stock and demand. trimPerEnd applies to each end, so a value of 8 reserves 16 mm on every used stock bar. Keep drawing, machine and optimizer units aligned before comparing results.

Capacity check for one pattern

The exact kerf convention must match the solver and the shop procedure. Cutwise exposes the process parameters with the result so the plan can be checked rather than inferred later.

required length = sum(part lengths) + kerf allowance + (2 × trimPerEnd)
required length ≤ selected stock length

Why a few millimetres can change the optimum

Near a stock-length boundary, adding one more cut or reserving end trim can force a part onto another bar. That is why utilization should be compared only when the underlying kerf and trim assumptions are identical.

ScenarioReserved trimKerfConsequence
Idealized0 mm0 mmMay fit a pattern that cannot be cut
Trim only16 mm per bar0 mmLess net stock on every used bar
Production input16 mm per bar3 mmPatterns and utilization reflect process loss