In this guide 6 sections
Work in shop floor order. List each unit from the final drawing, break it into carcass panels, mark the edge banding, group panels by board, nest them on sheets and total the hardware. Check the sums before cutting. Each step feeds the next.
Step one: list every unit from the final drawing
Use the approved drawing. Never the first sketch. Number every base unit, wall unit, tall unit and filler, and note the width, depth and height of each, plus its door and drawer count.
Add the finish choices at this stage. Shutter material, carcass board, back panel and handle change the parts that follow, so a change here costs a pencil mark and one after cutting costs a sheet.
Keep the unit numbers on the drawing, the list and the panel labels, because that number lets the packing team match parts to the right cabinet. Re-measure the room when the drawing came from a rough site visit, since wall sizes drive every filler, every end panel and every gap beside a tall unit.
Step two: break each unit into carcass panels
A base unit breaks into two sides, a bottom, a top rail, a back panel and a shelf, each with a length, a width and a quantity. Deduct thickness where panels sit inside others.
Write sizes in a fixed order, length along the grain first, because mixed order is a common source of a rotated panel on a laminated face. State the grain direction wherever it matters.
Doors and drawer fronts follow. Size each from the opening, less gaps. Drawer boxes have their own parts. Check whether the back panel sits in a groove or on the rear edge, since that decides the carcass depth you cut.
- Sides, bottom and top rail per unit
- Back panel and fixed shelf
- Door and drawer front sizes
- Drawer box parts
- Fillers and end panels
Step three: mark edge banding and drilling
Record which edges get tape. Visible edges usually take the finish colour while hidden edges take plain tape or none, and a letter code on each side stops the operator guessing.
Add drilling notes for hinges, shelf pins, cam fittings and handle holes, stating the face and the offset from each edge so the boring machine operator never guesses. Quote the CNC programme number.
Most lists skip this step, which is why edge tape runs out and a hinge hole lands on the wrong face halfway through a batch. Write the tape thickness on the sheet, because thick tape changes panel size once the edge bander has run and the cut sizes must allow for it.
Step four: group by board and nest on sheets
Sort panels by board type, thickness and finish, and keep the carcass list, the shutter list and the back panel list on separate sheets.
Nesting arranges panels on a full sheet to leave the smallest waste, and software does it quickly, though a careful planner can nest a small kitchen by hand. Allow for kerf, the width the saw blade removes, and keep grain direction fixed on every laminated face, even when a rotated panel would pack the sheet tighter.
Number each sheet and print a layout. The operator cuts sheet by sheet and labels each panel with its unit number as it leaves the saw, so nothing waits unmarked. Keep an offcut list at the end of the nesting plan, so the next small kitchen can use the leftover strips and half panels.
- Group by board type and finish
- Allow for saw kerf
- Keep grain direction fixed
- Number every sheet layout
Step five: total the hardware and check
Count hinges, drawer runners, handles, shelf pins, legs, cam locks and screws from the unit list, not from memory, and add a small spare quantity for breakage. Issue each unit a labelled kit.
Close with a cross check. Add the panel areas and compare them with the board you plan to issue, because a wide difference means a panel is missing or doubled.
Before cutting, a second person should read one cabinet’s list against the drawing, because a spotted error costs minutes and a cut error costs a sheet. Then release the job. Staple the hardware count to the list. One folder then travels with the job.
Modular kitchen cutting sheet
One sheet, three sections. Units come first, each with width, depth, height and finish, then panels per unit with length, width, quantity, grain and edge tape codes. Hardware totals and sheet layouts end it.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
What is a cutting list in a modular kitchen?
It is the list of every panel to be cut, with size, quantity, board, grain and edge banding, grouped so the saw operator can work sheet by sheet.
Do I need nesting software to start?
Hand nesting on paper suits small jobs. Software saves time once you cut many kitchens a week, because each nesting run takes minutes instead of an afternoon, and the offcut list prints with it.
How do I avoid wrong hinge holes?
Add drilling notes to each door and side panel, with the face and offsets stated, and have the operator check the first panel against the note.
How much spare hardware should I add?
Keep the spare allowance small. Track how many spares you really use for a month, then adjust the allowance to match what the floor actually breaks and loses.