Reading a Cut List: What a Panel Shop Actually Needs From Your Print

"24 x 36 inches" tells us the target size. It doesn't tell us how much variation is acceptable. A part that mates with another component usually needs a tighter tolerance than a part that doesn't — say it explicitly rather than leaving us to guess a default, because our default might be tighter (and more expensive) or looser (and unusable) than what you actually need.

"Plywood" alone leaves out a lot: Southern Yellow Pine or Russian Birch, what thickness, what grade or finish quality if the surface shows. The same goes for MDF, particle board and OSB — thickness and any moisture-resistance requirement change both the cut and the cost. If you know the end use (structural, visible surface, wet environment), tell us that too; it often resolves a material question faster than a spec sheet does.

Rounded corners, chamfered edges, drilled holes — all routine on our CNC equipment, but each one needs a dimension, not just a note that says "round the corners." A radius callout ("1/4-inch radius") or a hole size and position takes the guesswork out and lets the part go straight into a CNC program instead of a clarifying email.

Volume changes everything from material ordering to scheduling to how the finished parts get packed for shipment — a single pallet runs differently than multiple truckloads. Tell us the quantity up front, along with any preference on how it ships: van, flatbed, container, or held in warehousing against a standing purchase order for just-in-time release.