Combined cutting for panel material

Combined cutting is the fourth way to sell panel material, distinct from m², full sheet and half sheet. It applies when the client’s order takes several full sheets plus a piece that doesn’t justify paying for an entire sheet.

How the price is calculated

The client’s order is split into two parts:

Full sheets — sheets that are filled with parts entirely or almost entirely. The client pays for them at the sheet price.
Incomplete last sheet — a sheet where parts cover less than a certain threshold. The client pays for it at the m² price, as if it were a separate m² order.

Example: 12 m² of parts in the project. Sheet 5 m². That gives 2 full sheets (10 m²) + 2 m² on the third sheet. The client pays:

2 sheets × sheet price,
+ 2 m² × m² price.

Where the business remainders go depends on the firm settings and the specific order: they can be handed over to the client (the material in the calculation has a «Remainders to client» checkbox, and such remainders are marked on the cutting map) or stay at the factory’s stock — then the factory uses them in other orders or sells them separately (see Stock and cut-offs).

Why this is needed

Combined cutting resolves the trade-off between two extremes:

«Full sheet» is inconvenient for the client if only 1–2 m² remain unfilled on the sheet — overpayment is too high.
«m²» is inconvenient for the factory when the client has 10+ m² — the factory loses the opportunity to immediately ship whole sheets, and cut-offs pile up.

Combined cutting takes the best of both: the factory ships the full sheets right away, the client pays fairly for the incomplete one.

Setup

Combined cutting is enabled in the factory’s settings (a global toggle). Additionally configured:

Minimum order area threshold — if the total area is below the threshold, combined cutting does not apply and m²-calculation is used.
Transition point — what percent of fill on the «last» sheet is considered «whole», and what — «m²».

Combined cutting can be individually disabled per material — the material card has a «Disable combined cutting for this material» setting. If the flag is on, even when combined cutting is allowed at the factory level, this specific position is calculated with regular sheet or m² pricing. More on per-material settings — Per-material individual settings.

Minimum business-remnant size — individual per material

The card of each material has two parameters: «Minimum business remnant size along X» and «along Y» (see Per-material individual settings). They define what counts as a usable business remnant and what counts as waste. This directly affects the final price in combined cutting.

How it works

After parts are laid out, the algorithm looks at the «last» sheet where parts cover only a portion of the area.
If the leftover free piece is larger than the minimum business size for this material, it is recognized as a usable remnant. The sheet is treated as «not fully used» and m²-pricing applies to it. The client pays for the area actually used.
If the leftover piece is smaller than the minimum business size, it is written off as waste. The sheet is treated as «fully used» and the sheet price applies. The client pays for the whole sheet.

Impact on the price

Larger minimum size (e.g., 400 × 600 mm): remainders are more often written off as waste, sheets are more often treated as «fully used», sheet pricing is applied more often. The final price for the client is higher, but the factory does not accumulate small unusable cut-offs.
Smaller minimum size (e.g., 100 × 100 mm): remainders are more often recognized as business, sheets are more often treated as «not fully used», m²-pricing is applied more often. The final price for the client is lower, but the factory accumulates small cut-offs that have to be placed later (see Stock and cut-offs).

For the same order under different minimum business-size values, combined cutting yields different final prices. The setting must therefore match the real cost of the material, the turnover of remainders in your stock, and the technological capability to use small cut-offs.

Example: the factory has combined cutting on, sheet 2750×1830 mm. The client ordered 12 m² of parts. On the third sheet, 2 m² are taken, 3 m² are free (a piece ~1500×2000 mm).

At min_rest = 1000×1000 mm — a 1500×2000 remnant counts as business. The third sheet is treated as incomplete, paid by m² (2 m² × m² price).
At min_rest = 1600×1600 mm — a 1500×2000 remnant is shorter than 1600 on one side and does not pass the business threshold; it counts as waste. The third sheet is treated as fully used, paid at the sheet price.

The difference in the final order cost can be 1.5–2× depending on the setting.

What the client sees

In the calculation the client sees a split sum: «N sheets × …» and «N m² × …». This is transparent — the client understands why the price is neither «full sheets × sheet» nor «total area × m²».

When it does not apply

Total volume below the threshold — calculation uses regular m².
Combined cutting is disabled individually on the material card.
The client explicitly picked a different sales type on the material card (when several types are allowed).