Check deck rows, reusable offcuts and saw kerf
A deck-board order has two different problems: how many rows cover the width, and which stock pieces supply those rows. The deck board and offcut planner keeps these steps visible. Enter finished board coverage dimensions, then compare stock lengths, eligible offcuts and saw kerf. Its cut allocation is a planning heuristic, so review the output against the actual framing and product instructions.
Start with the board coverage rectangle
Use the actual board face width and the side gap required for the selected product and conditions. The example gaps here illustrate arithmetic only. The calculator does not choose a manufacturer-approved spacing for you. Resolve required perimeter and end clearances before entering the rectangle that boards will cover; a side-gap field does not automatically reserve every other clearance.
For a coverage area 48 inches wide and 96 inches long, use a 5.5-inch board face and a 0.1875-inch side gap. The row calculation is the ceiling of (48 + 0.1875) ÷ (5.5 + 0.1875), giving nine rows. After eight full-width rows and their following gaps, the last row is 2.5 inches wide. Each row still needs a 96-inch length, including the row that will be ripped narrower.
With 96-inch stock, no eligible offcuts and a purchase pack of one, that simple rectangle needs nine stock pieces in the model. It does not reclaim the narrow strip ripped from the last board as another full-width deck row. Check whether your real edge treatment, fastening layout and board profile allow that narrow finishing row.
A kerf boundary that changes the order
Consider two required 60-inch cuts and 120-inch stock. With a zero-width saw cut, the two lengths total exactly 120 inches and can share one stock piece in the model. With a 0.125-inch kerf, the first cut consumes 60.125 inches and leaves 59.875 inches. That remnant cannot supply the second 60-inch cut, so two stock pieces are needed.
The planner does not charge an additional kerf when a required piece exactly uses the available length. Real boards can still need end cleanup or removal of damage. Measure usable lengths after those deductions rather than entering the nominal length and assuming every inch is sound and square.
Only credit an offcut you can use
Record each existing offcut's usable length and quantity. It must be suitable for the same material, profile and intended application. A calculated length saving does not prove that the piece can be supported and fastened correctly. Keep incompatible materials in separate plans; do not combine offcuts simply because their numbers fit.
The allocator considers longer cuts first, tries eligible offcuts, then the tightest suitable opened stock and finally new stock. This approach produces a traceable cut list, but it does not promise the smallest possible order among every arrangement. Each row requires a continuous piece in this model; it does not design butt joints or the supports they would need. Multiple rectangles can share stock only where the entered material and layout assumptions permit it.
Review the purchase list
- Check coverage dimensions, board direction and the resulting last-row width.
- Check every proposed cut against measured usable stock and the entered kerf.
- Separate existing offcuts from pieces that still need to be purchased.
- Round new stock to the supplier's pack size and record the resulting surplus.
- Compare any extra contingency with the already counted cuts and package surplus to avoid adding the same allowance twice.
Keep the cut list with your area sketch and the product's spacing and installation instructions. The result estimates quantities; it does not verify joist spacing, load capacity, fixings, drainage or building requirements. The manufacturer references linked in the calculator provide the starting point for product-specific checks.