Plan your cuts.
Keep every dimension clear.

1. Create your first plan

1. Open Stock & job settings in Setup, then enter a job name and material description.
2. Select Custom dimensions. Enter the usable stock Cutting length and Width in millimetres.
3. Enter the finished strip Width and required Qty for each item. Complete or remove unused rows.
4. Select Calculate cutting plan, then review every slab and its cut details.
5. Use Save job for a local snapshot and Save to file for an independent backup.

On desktop, enter material and pieces in the right panel, review the cutting plan in the centre and inspect cuts in the left panel. On a phone, use the Setup, Plan and Cut detail tabs.

Try one piece

Use stock 1000 × 1200 mm. Keep one row: Item 1, width 250, quantity 1. Remove the unused row.

Expected result: 1 slab, 1 piece, 1 cut, 4 mm saw loss and 746 mm remaining.

2. Match the material to your saw

EraZip supports custom material sizes, such as 1800 × 600 mm or 3200 × 1500 mm. These are examples, not required formats. All stock within one calculation has the same dimensions; use separate jobs for different stock sizes.

Current cutting model

EraZip plans one-dimensional, full-width strip cuts. A 250 mm piece from 1200 mm-wide stock is 250 × 1200 mm. In Parts to cut, the input called Width is the variable strip dimension: entering 250 produces a 250 × 1200 mm strip in this example. The stock setting called Width is its full 1200 mm span. These labels describe different dimensions; review both before cutting. Arbitrary rectangles with different widths, contour nesting and multi-stage panel layouts are outside this edition.

Machine capacity

The material size you can physically process depends on the saw model and working setup. EraZip does not select a saw profile or validate maximum cut length, cutting height, stock thickness, clamping or material suitability. Check those against the equipment documentation.

Enter the usable material dimensions for the work you intend to perform. Automatic edge trimming, defect allowances, finishing allowances and grain constraints are not included.

This edition uses a fixed 4 mm kerf. It cannot represent a different measured kerf by changing the material name. Dimensions accept whole millimetres from 1 to 1,000,000,000; this software boundary is not a saw-capacity rating.

3. Enter or paste the pieces

A new page starts with Item 1 and Item 2, with width and quantity empty. Add another part supplies a numbered name that you can edit.

• Item: a unique, non-empty name.
• Width: the finished strip width. The other dimension is the full stock span selected by the cutting orientation. Do not add saw loss yourself.
• Qty: the number of finished pieces, as a positive whole number.
• ×: remove a row you do not need.

Complete or remove every blank row before calculating or saving. The job limit is 50 rows and 2,000 pieces.

The × button removes an input row. It is separate from deleting a saved snapshot in Open job.

Paste from a spreadsheet

1. Arrange three columns: Item, Width, Qty.
2. Copy the data rows without column headings.
3. Open Paste list, paste, then select Use this list.
4. Review the replacement list. Save the current work first, or cancel replacement if you need to retain it.

Item 1	250	4
Item 2	350	2

Use tabs from a spreadsheet or semicolon-separated columns. General CSV-file or Excel-workbook import is not provided by this paste action.

4. Understand saw loss

Kerf is the material removed by a cut. Every required physical cut consumes 4 mm, including the final cut that separates a piece from remaining stock. Finished piece dimensions exclude this loss.

A piece ending exactly at the original stock edge requires no extra separating cut at that edge.

A 997 mm piece is rejected: the remaining 3 mm cannot accommodate its 4 mm separating cut.

Check the balance

Stock length = finished lengths + saw loss + remaining length

The two-row paste example on 1000 × 1200 mm stock uses 2 slabs, produces 6 pieces and needs 6 cuts:

2000 mm = 1700 mm + 24 mm + 276 mm

5. Review the result

The summary reports Material yield, Stock slabs, Parts made and Saw cuts. The balance below the diagram applies to the selected slab.

• Inspect every slab using Previous/Next, a slab button or Go to slab.
• Select a piece to inspect its finished dimensions, start position, saw position and remaining stock in Cut inspector.
• Saw positions are measured from the original stock edge. The blade removes the next 4 mm.
• Zoom from 100% to 400%; scroll inside the enlarged diagram. Fit returns to 100%.
• The kerf lens is enlarged for explanation. Use the numeric dimensions for exact values. Diagram labels retain a readable minimum size. Narrow strips may show a rotated width instead of a name; select the strip for its full name and dimensions in Cut inspector.

Dimensions shows or hides diagram dimensions. Expand gives the plan more workspace; Exit focus restores the panels. Neither action changes the calculation.

Minimum proven

The plan fulfils the order and a verified bound or exact search establishes the minimum number of slabs.

Best solution found; minimum not proven

The plan fulfils the order, but a solution using fewer slabs has not been ruled out.

Changing inputs invalidates the old plan. Recalculate before using or printing an amended job. The first objective is the number of stock slabs. At the same slab count, a bounded secondary search seeks fewer distinct physical cutting patterns. If that search reaches a limit, the existing valid plan is retained. Minimum proven refers to slab count; it does not by itself prove the fewest cutting patterns. Different item names with equal widths remain separately traceable in the PDF. Machine travel, actual setup time, labour time and prices are not optimised.

6. Save, back up and reopen

On narrow screens, Save to file is available in Cut inspector. Files preserve the stock settings, item list and job information. Recalculate after reopening.

New blank job clears the current inputs after confirmation. Cancel keeps the current work. It does not delete saved snapshots. Save the current work before starting another job.

A job file uses the .smartcut extension for compatibility. It contains editable job data, not a PDF. Import it through Open job; use Download PDF for a readable cutting sheet.

Up to 30 snapshots can be retained. At the limit, back up your work and remove an unneeded snapshot in Open job before saving another. Imported files are validated before replacing the current job. Before deleting a saved copy, check its job name and exact saved timestamp in the confirmation; other copies are retained.

Local snapshots do not synchronise between devices, browsers, profiles or site addresses. Transfer a job file to move work. Keep file backups before clearing site data.

Saving requires valid inputs. Downloading a file does not clear the unsaved-changes warning: the browser cannot confirm how you retained it. A mobile browser may close without showing a warning; save explicitly before leaving.

7. Download and print a PDF

1. Calculate and review the current job.
2. Open the Cut detail tab in the tabbed layout and select Download PDF.
3. Identical cutting patterns are grouped. Read the slab count for each variant, then cut every slab in that group identically.
4. Open the downloaded PDF on your laptop or phone. Print it from your PDF viewer when needed.
5. Check that the variant slab counts add up to the total stock and that the item references match your order.

The plan is formatted for A4. The PDF downloads directly without the browser print-preview window. It contains one A4 page with variant counts and cuts per slab. A line such as "V1 | 100 slabs | 2 x Item 1 (190 mm) + 4 x Item 2 (200 mm)" means cut 100 slabs identically; each slab produces two Item 1 pieces and four Item 2 pieces at the shown finished widths. Long item names use references such as #1, explained in a reference list on the same page. Layout uses additional columns when needed. If all data cannot fit on one readable page, export stops with an explicit error; it never omits rows or silently creates extra pages. A PDF is a readable output; retain a job file for editing.

8. Android, offline use and updates

Install on a supported phone

1. Open https://erazip.com/ in a supported Android browser.
2. Wait for Offline copy ready.
3. Select Install on Android, or the browser's Install app / Add to Home screen option.
4. Launch from the icon. Save a test job and verify reopening and calculation in airplane mode before relying on offline use.

EraZip is a progressive web app. The install button displays instructions if a browser prompt is unavailable. Installation depends on the device and browser; it does not require Google Play.

Offline availability

After a complete offline copy is ready, the application is designed to reopen, calculate, show this guide and access saved snapshots without a connection. Verify this on your device. Browser storage cleanup or an incomplete download can make offline use unavailable. File actions and printing remain device-dependent.

Apply an update

1. Connect and select Check updates.
2. When Update ready appears, save or back up changes in every window.
3. Close every EraZip tab and installed window, including this guide.
4. Reopen EraZip and check your saved jobs. If an immediate reopen still shows the old version, close it and allow activation to finish before reopening.

An update waits for old windows to close. EraZip does not automatically reload an open job. Updating application files does not intentionally remove saved snapshots.

9. Storage and privacy

Read the Privacy Notice for contact details, support correspondence, website information and your rights. The website is hosted by Netlify; support email is provided through Namecheap Private Email.

Calculations run on your device. EraZip does not transmit job names, material descriptions, item lists or plans to a calculation service. There is no account-based synchronisation.

• Snapshots: this site's browser storage on your current device.
• Job files and PDFs: the destination selected by your browser or operating system.
• Offline application: separate browser-managed application files.

Clearing site data can remove snapshots and offline files. Private browsing may not retain them. Downloaded backups remain separate files you manage yourself.

Loading the website and checking updates contacts its host, which can receive standard connection details such as IP address and browser information. The Privacy Notice describes hosting requests, support correspondence, provider retention and your choices. The current application has no analytics, advertising or payment integration.

10. Troubleshooting

11. Quick reference

Stock slab

One piece of material from which the required strips are cut.

Strip width

The finished dimension entered under Width in Parts to cut, excluding saw loss. The other dimension is the full stock span.

Offcut / remaining stock

Material left after all finished pieces and cuts are accounted for.

Material yield

The share of total stock length used in finished pieces; all pieces have the same full width.

12. Licence

This edition is free for personal and internal business use, including customer production. Your job files and PDFs remain yours to use and share. Application redistribution and resale require permission, subject to applicable law and independent third-party licences.

Download the licence text