TradeLedge

Trim planning guide

Measure pieces, not just the room

A useful cut list answers four questions for each piece: where does it go, which material/profile does it use, how long is its finished blank, and how many are needed? A room perimeter answers only a quantity question.

Choose and record your measuring basis

TradeLedge uses user-confirmed finished blank lengths. This is the stock length you need before extracting that piece, including any cutting allowance you enter. The calculator does not turn an opening measurement into a miter long point, infer a reveal, or decide a joint.

For casing, record the actual legs, head and sill separately. If you measured an opening or a short point, establish the finished blank you need using your own installation drawing or method before confirming the row. The diagram below names the pieces; it does not calculate their lengths.

Three separately confirmed casing blanksA doorway schematic identifies the left leg, head and right leg. A separate list shows two 2100 millimetre legs and one 900 millimetre head, entered as confirmed blank lengths. No dimension is derived from the opening.HeadLeft legRight legOpeningConfirmed piece listLeft leg · 2,100 mm · ×1Right leg · 2,100 mm · ×1Head · 900 mm · ×1Example blanks only.No opening-to-blank conversion.Schematic, not to scale.
One face has three individually confirmed pieces. A second identical face would double the quantities, only if its measurements match.

Label the list before optimizing

  1. Give each piece a location: “Hall — north wall” is more useful than “Piece 1.”
  2. Use a distinct material/profile group for each incompatible size or finish.
  3. Enter the finished blank length and quantity. Recheck repeated pieces before increasing quantity.
  4. Record notes that help you identify the piece on site. Notes do not change its length.
  5. Compare the sum with your takeoff as a cross-check, then confirm each row.

Leave room for the material the saw removes

The conservative board rule is:

Sum of finished lengths + one kerf per piece + allowance at both ends ≤ stock length.

For two 1,000 mm pieces, 3 mm kerf and 5 mm at each end: 2,000 + (2 × 3) + (2 × 5) = 2,016 mm. From 2,400 mm stock, the remaining offcut is 384 mm. Saw and end loss is 16 mm.

The last piece also receives a full kerf allowance. This can reject an exact-end arrangement you could achieve with fewer cuts; it is a planning allowance, not a prescribed cutting sequence. The end allowance includes preparation loss, so the planner does not add a second hidden end cut.

Confirm stock on the day

Enter the lengths, price and quantity your supplier actually offers. The planner cannot inspect defects or grain, check your equipment, or decide joinery. Resolve unplaced pieces by checking the input or adding suitable stock; a total length does not establish that a long blank fits.

Plan baseboard · Plan casing · Open the local job workspace