Guides: estimating countertop jobs by the numbers
Answer-first guides on slab count, yield, kerf and edge offset, vein direction and rotation, DXF cleanup, layout validation, the 6-slab batch, and multifamily estimating — each grounded in real numbers from a published StoneNest demo job (Ridgeline Flats: 3 unit types, 108 units, 132 slabs, 81.6% yield) and shipped product config, not rounded estimates.
How many slabs do you need for a countertop job?
Why slab count isn't a flat square-footage ratio, and what actually drives the number on a real multifamily job.
Slab yieldCountertop slab yield: what's a good number?
What the yield percentage on a nested layout actually measures, and what a good number looks like on a real job.
MultifamilyEstimating countertops for multifamily and apartment projects
Why multifamily bids nest by unit type and quantity, not by multiplying one kitchen's square footage by the door count.
WorkflowFrom DXF export to countertop slab count: how it works
The mechanical path from the DXF your ERP or CAD already exports to a validated slab count and cut-ready file.
Cutting setupKerf and edge offset: why your nest has to respect the saw
What kerf and slab edge offset actually are, why they have to be modeled inside the nest itself, and how getting them wrong quietly changes your slab count.
Vein & rotationVein direction and rotation policies in countertop slab nesting
How free rotation, 90-degree-only, and Vein Flow aligned policies trade yield against the vein direction the customer sees.
Bid confidenceWhy deterministic nesting matters when money is on the line
A bid is a promise - the slab count behind it should never change on its own.
Import prepCountertop DXF cleanup: open outlines, text junk, and what a clean import needs
The pre-import checklist that keeps a DXF from failing silently.
Cut-safe nestingHow every layout is validated before it can export
The second-opinion gate that blocks bad exports.
Production workflowThe 6-slab batch: how production shops actually cut
Why production shops nest and cut a few slabs at a time, not the whole job at once.
MultifamilyHow to quote a 120-unit apartment job in an afternoon
A step-by-step run through turning a multifamily job into a defensible slab count in one sitting.
Free estimatorHow to read the Try It estimator results
What the three sample unit packages in Try It are, how to read the slab-count-and-yield results panel, and when a job needs the full validated desktop workflow instead.
FundamentalsWhat is slab nesting? A fabricator's plain-English guide
The plain-English definition of slab nesting, why a square-footage guess isn't the same calculation, and where it fits in a real multifamily bid.
Multifamily estimatingHow many slabs for a 50-, 100-, or 200-unit building?
Why a bigger building isn't a bigger multiplier: the method that sizes a 50-, 100-, or 200-unit job from its unit mix, walked through on a real 108-unit job.
Material & estimating2cm vs 3cm countertops: what the thickness actually does to your slab count
Everyone compares 2cm and 3cm on looks and price. The estimating question is different: a 2cm top built to read thicker needs buildup strips cut from the same slab.
Islands & supportIsland overhangs: why every seating overhang needs support
The two standard numbers contradict each other: stone spans ~8in unsupported, and seating needs 12–15in. Every seating island is already past the limit.
Edges & estimatingWaterfall edges and mitered aprons: the piece a nester can't split
A waterfall leg is a full-height piece with nowhere else to come from. A vein-matched fold at the top constrains exactly where on the slab it can be cut.
ComparisonStoneNest as a Deepnest alternative for countertop shops
An honest side-by-side: Deepnest's free general-purpose nesting versus StoneNest's countertop-specific slab count, kerf and edge-offset modeling, validator gate, and AlphaCAM-ready export.
ComparisonWhat Slabsmith costs, and where StoneNest fits
An honest look at what Slabsmith does and costs, and where StoneNest's narrower nesting-and-cut-safe-DXF slice fits instead.
ComparisonBest nesting software for stone shops in 2026: an honest comparison
A plain, side-by-side look at four real nesting options — what each one costs, what it actually does, and why the bidding-and-cutting slice of the job is the one StoneNest was built to own.
ReferenceSlab sizes & usable square footage, by material
Typical granite, quartz, and porcelain slab dimensions, plus a free browser tool that turns any slab size into gross area, area after edge offset, and a practical usable range by veining.