48-Inch Bookcase Cut List and Two-Sheet Layout
This original 48-inch-wide by 72-inch-high bookcase companion lists a simple plywood carcass with four adjustable shelves and two rails. It is intentionally a cut-planning example rather than a claim that an unbraced wide bookcase is structurally complete.
Download the cut listTen long parts require two sheets in this solver run
The published placement uses two 48 × 96 sheets and puts every listed rectangle on a sheet with 1/4-inch trim and 1/8-inch kerf. Finished parts occupy 53.8% of the purchased area across both sheets. Sheet count, not percentage alone, drives the buying decision.
- Carcass
- 48 in wide × 72 in high × 11 1/4 in deep
- Construction
- Top and bottom captured between measured 3/4 in sides
- Stock
- Two 48 × 96 sheets; 1/4 in edge trim; 1/8 in kerf
- Excluded
- Back, fixed anti-racking structure, shelf stiffeners, base, trim, finish, and wall anchoring
48-inch bookcase cut list
The 46 1/2-inch top and bottom span between two 3/4-inch sides. Shelves are 46 3/8 × 10 7/8 inches after clearance; those dimensions create a long unsupported span.
Swipe horizontally to see every cut-list field →
| ID | Part | Width | Length | Qty | Layout / design rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BK48-SIDE | Bookcase side | 11 1/4 in | 72 in | 2 | Grain locked with bookcase height |
| BK48-TB | Top / bottom | 11 1/4 in | 46 1/2 in | 2 | Captured between the sides |
| BK48-SHELF | Adjustable shelf | 10 7/8 in | 46 3/8 in | 4 | Four shelves; rotation allowed |
| BK48-RAIL | Front / back rail | 3 in | 46 1/2 in | 2 | Cut-planning placeholders |
A rectangle fit is not a furniture engineering check.
The inside span is 48 − (2 × 3/4) = 46 1/2 inches. The sample shelves are 1/8 inch narrower and 3/8 inch shallower, but clearance alone does not make a 46 3/8-inch shelf stiff enough for every load.
A real build may need a center divider, thicker shelves, hardwood nosing, fixed shelves, a structural back, or a narrower overall span. It also needs anti-tip anchoring. Any of those decisions changes this cut list and should be entered before purchasing plywood.
inside span = 48 − (2 × 0.75) = 46.5 inshelf = 46.375 × 10.875 in after clearancefinished part area = 4,962.56 sq in = 53.8% of two sheetsFour checks this layout cannot make for you
- Engineer shelf stiffness for the material, load, and span.
- Add a structural back or other anti-racking system.
- Use suitable anti-tip anchoring for the wall and site.
- Re-optimize after adding a divider, nosing, base, or fixed shelves.