Glossary

Nesting & cutting terminology

Clear definitions of terms used in nesting software, sheet cutting, and 2D bin packing.

Bin Packing

A class of combinatorial optimization problems concerned with packing items of various sizes into a finite number of containers (bins) as efficiently as possible. 2D irregular bin packing is the theoretical basis for nesting software.
Kerf

The width of material removed by a cutting tool — laser beam, plasma arc, saw blade, or router bit — during a cut. Kerf must be accounted for in nesting to ensure finished parts are the correct size.
Material Utilization

The percentage of a sheet material actually used for finished parts, versus the total sheet area. Higher utilization means less waste and lower material cost per part.
Nesting Software

Software that automatically optimizes the placement of parts on sheet materials to minimize waste. Used in laser cutting, plasma cutting, sheet metal fabrication, woodworking, and other flat-material cutting industries.
No-Fit Polygon (NFP)

A computational geometry construct used in nesting algorithms that defines all positions where one part can be placed relative to another without overlap. NFP calculation is the core of most true-shape nesting solvers.
True-Shape Nesting

A nesting method that places parts according to their exact geometric outline — including curves, holes, and irregular edges — rather than fitting each part into a rectangular bounding box.