Lumber Yield Optimizer
Estimate how much board is actually usable after kerf, defects, and waste. Great for quoting, inventory planning, and avoiding the “I’m one board short” walk of shame.
- Enter board size and quantity (or target board feet).
- Set kerf and number of cuts (or cut density).
- Add defect/waste allowance (knots, checks, twist).
- Read usable yield and adjust your buy list.
Lumber Yield Optimizer
Estimate how much of your purchased lumber remains usable after accounting for defects, saw kerf, and waste.
How to use
- Enter your starting lumber dimensions and quantity.
- Add kerf (blade width) and estimate how many cuts you’ll make.
- Set defect/waste allowance (knots, cracks, sapwood, twist, bad grain).
- Use the usable yield to decide how much to buy or pull from inventory.
Pro tips
- • If you’re milling rough stock, add extra waste for flattening and snipe.
- • For expensive hardwoods, track yield per project to tighten future estimates.
- • When grain-match matters, increase waste (you can’t always “use the short bits”).
FAQs
What defect percentage should I use?
Depends on grade and species. For clean S4S boards, waste can be small. For rough or reclaimed, go higher. If you regularly buy from the same supplier, track your average and use that as your default.
Does kerf really matter on big projects?
Yep. Lots of cuts turn “tiny” kerf into real inches. If you’re ripping many strips or doing repetitive crosscuts, kerf can easily become a board’s worth of loss.
Why am I still short even with a waste buffer?
Common culprits: milling removed more thickness than expected, boards had hidden defects, grain-direction constraints forced longer parts, or you changed the cut plan midstream. Increase defect allowance for that supplier/species and consider the Cut List Optimizer for layout planning.