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How to choose a cut and edge service

Written from the workshop floor by someone who makes and fits bespoke kitchens and bedrooms. This is what we check before sending a cut list out.

1. Start with the board, not the price

Ask for the exact décor code and texture (for example an Egger or Kronospan code with its surface finish). "Light grey" from two suppliers can be two different boards. Matching doors, end panels and edging later depends on the code.
Check they stock it. Stocked decors turn round faster. Special-order boards can add days and are often sold by the full sheet.
MR MDF for anything near water: sink bases, bathroom units, anything painted that goes into a kitchen. Ask for MR by name.
Grain direction matters on woodgrain and veneer. Find out how their cut list records it (usually the first dimension runs with the grain, but check), and ask for grain matching across door and drawer-front runs if you need it.

Thin tape (around 0.4–0.8mm) is fine for internal shelves and carcass edges nobody touches.
Thicker ABS or PVC (1–2mm) belongs on front edges, doors, end panels and anything that takes knocks. Corner rounding on the edger is worth paying for on exposed edges.
PUR glue vs standard hot-melt (EVA): PUR gives a thinner glue line and copes with heat and moisture far better. For kitchens, utility rooms and bathrooms, ask for PUR.
Say which edges, per part. Use the supplier's notation (often L1/L2/W1/W2). Ambiguous edging is the biggest single cause of remakes.
Ask for a pre-edged sample in your décor before committing to a whole kitchen.

Hinge boring: confirm cup size (35mm is standard), the distance from the door edge and the hinge positions from top and bottom. Tell them which hinge and plate you are fitting.
System holes (32mm line boring) for shelf pins and runners. Confirm the set-back from the front edge matches your runners and hinge plates.
Cam, dowel and connector drilling only pays if your design is finished. A drilled panel that's wrong is scrap. Unless you're sure, get carcass parts cut and edged and drill on site.
For CNC work, send a DXF/DWG if they take one, and say which face is up.

One line per part: name/label, length × width, thickness, board, quantity, edges, grain, drilling.
Give finished sizes and state whether they include the edging thickness. Ask how the supplier handles it.
Label every part (e.g. "Sink base: left side"). Most good shops print labels, so use them.
Leave scribe allowances on end panels and fillers that meet walls. Cut those on site.
Ask if they'll return the offcuts. Some will on request, and they're handy for plinths and fillers.

A beam saw gives you square, repeatable carcass parts. Ask what tolerance they work to. Some publish it, and parts that go together without trimming are what you're paying for.
Check they trim board edges before cutting. Factory edges are often damaged in handling.
Ask whether they'll cut free-issue board (board you supply) and whether they'll guarantee the finish on it. Many won't.

Lead times swing with how busy the saw is. Book against your fit date and ask them to confirm it before you pay.
Own van vs pallet network: blanket-wrapped on the supplier's own vehicle usually arrives with fewer chipped corners than a palletised network delivery. Check how they pack.
Minimum orders and cutting fees: some charge per board, some per cut, some per part. Compare the whole job, including edging metres, drilling and delivery, not the sheet price.
Remakes: ask what happens if a part is wrong, and how fast they replace it.

Ask what they spray (PU/acrylic lacquer, primer only), the sheen level, and whether they'll match RAL/NCS colours or a sample.
Ask for a signed-off sprayed sample before the full run, and keep a record of the colour so a replacement door matches next year.
MDF edges must be sealed and flatted before topcoat or they'll look furry. Ask how they prep.