What is a remnant?
A remnant is a usable piece of sheet or plate left over after a job is cut, also called an offcut, drop or partial sheet. Unlike the skeleton, which goes to scrap, a remnant is big enough to cut future parts from, so how it's stored and charged for affects material cost on every job.
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What does remnant mean in fabrication?
When parts are nested onto a sheet, they rarely use all of it. The material left over falls into two groups:
- the skeleton: the frame of narrow webs between and around the cut parts, too thin to reuse, which goes to scrap
- the remnant: any uncut area big enough to be worth keeping, usually a strip along one end or side of the sheet
Each shop decides what's worth keeping, usually based on material price, rack space and the smallest parts it cuts regularly. A strip a few hundred millimetres wide is often kept. Odd shapes and slivers usually aren't.
How is a remnant used?
Remnants go on a rack, labelled with the material, grade, thickness and size, and get used for small jobs, samples and rush work. Many CAM systems can nest parts into a remnant's actual shape, and some track remnant stock so the programmer can see what's available before pulling a full sheet.
The labelling matters more than it sounds. 304 and 316 stainless look the same, and so do some aluminium grades. An unlabelled offcut is a remnant nobody can safely use.
Why does a remnant matter?
Material is one of the biggest numbers in a laser cutting quote, and a remnant is material that's already been paid for. Used on the next job, it lowers that job's material cost. Left on the rack for a year, it's money tied up in steel, taking space, and eventually sold as scrap for a fraction of what it cost.
How remnants are charged also decides how competitive a quote is, especially on small jobs that use only part of a sheet.
Who pays for the remnant?
Every shop needs a remnant policy: a consistent rule for how much sheet each job is charged for. The common options:
- Full sheet: the customer pays for everything, remnant included. Safe for the shop, but uncompetitive on small jobs.
- Nested area: the customer pays for the part of the sheet the job uses, and the shop keeps the remnant. More competitive, but the shop carries the remnant until it's used.
- Part area plus an allowance: the most competitive and the riskiest, because the skeleton and any unusable offcuts come out of the shop's margin.
A worked example: a 3000 x 1500 mm (about 10 x 5 ft) sheet of 3 mm mild steel weighs about 106 kg (234 lb). If a job's nest fills the first 2000 mm, it leaves a 1000 x 1500 mm remnant, a third of the sheet. Charging the full sheet puts 50% more material on that quote than charging the nested area.
Remnants and quoting
A quote should charge material the same way every time, whoever builds it. Tempus Tools nests the parts to work out real material use, then charges it the way you choose. Parts per sheet divides the full sheet between the parts that fit on it, remnant included. Best yield divides only the nested area between the parts, so remnant strips aren't charged.
Further reading: How to maximise the profitability of your laser cutting job shop
Charge for material the same way on every quote
Tempus Tools nests every part to work out real material use, then charges it the way you choose: the full sheet including remnant, or only the nested area.
FAQs
What is a remnant in metal fabrication?
A usable piece of sheet or plate left over after a job is cut, kept on a rack to cut future parts from. It's also called an offcut, drop or partial sheet.
What is the difference between a remnant and scrap?
A remnant is big enough to reuse. Scrap, including the skeleton left around cut parts, is too small or thin to use and is sold to a scrap metal dealer.
Should the customer pay for the remnant?
It depends on the shop's policy. Charging the full sheet is safest for the shop, while charging only the nested area is more competitive. Whichever you choose, apply it the same way on every quote.
How do shops keep track of remnants?
Usually on a dedicated rack, with each piece labelled with material, grade, thickness and size. Some CAM and nesting software also records remnant stock so programmers can nest into it.
Can you buy metal remnants?
Often, yes. Many fabrication shops and metal suppliers sell offcuts, usually by weight and for less than the price of full sheets.