Skip to main content

PackingSolver

Build PyPI Python ≥ 3.12 License: MIT Try it online

A state-of-the-art solver for cutting and packing problems.

Online solver · Documentation · Ask a question

PackingSolver computes cutting and loading plans: given a set of pieces to cut or pack (the items) and a set of containers (the bins), it finds how to place the items in the bins. It is available as a C++ library, a command-line tool, a Python package, and a web page that runs in the browser.

Problem types

Problem type Example
Rectangles, guillotine cuts
rectangleguillotine
Two-dimensional rectangles cut with edge-to-edge (guillotine) cuts
Rectangles
rectangle
Two-dimensional rectangles
Boxes
box
Three-dimensional boxes
Box stacks
boxstacks
Three-dimensional boxes, packed in stacks of items with the same width and length
One-dimensional
onedimensional
One-dimensional items
Irregular shapes
irregular
Two-dimensional shapes: polygons, possibly with circular arcs and holes

Features

PackingSolver supports the following objectives:

  • Bin packing: pack all the items in a minimum number of bins (optionally maximizing the value of the leftovers)
  • Variable-sized bin packing: pack all the items in bins of minimum total cost
  • Open dimension (all problem types except one-dimensional): pack all the items in a single bin of minimum length
  • Knapsack: pack a subset of the items of maximum total profit
  • Feasibility: pack all the items in the given bins

Each problem type comes with its own constraints:

Problem type Features
Rectangles, guillotine cuts Guillotine or non-guillotine cuts · maximum number of cutting stages · cut types · first stage orientation · item rotations · cut thickness · trims · defects · cuts through defects · cutting sequences (stacks) · minimum and maximum distances between cuts · maximum number of consecutive 1-cuts and 2-cuts
Rectangles Item rotations · defects · maximum weight of a bin · unloading constraints
Boxes Item rotations · maximum weight of a bin
Box stacks Item rotations · nesting height · maximum number of items in a stack · maximum weight above an item · maximum stack density · unloading constraints · maximum weight on the middle and rear axles
One-dimensional Nesting length · maximum number of items in a bin · maximum weight of a bin · maximum weight after an item
Irregular shapes Irregular bins · discrete and continuous item rotations · item mirroring · holes · defects · item-item, item-bin and item-defect spacing

Getting started

In the browser

The online solver runs PackingSolver in your browser. No installation is needed, and the computation runs on your machine: nothing is sent to a server.

Python

Install the Python package from PyPI (Python ≥ 3.12):

pip install packingsolver

Example (rectangles, guillotine cuts):

import packingsolver.rectangleguillotine as psg

instance_builder = psg.InstanceBuilder()
instance_builder.set_objective(psg.Objective.BinPackingWithLeftovers)
instance_builder.add_bin_type(1000, 700, copies=5)
instance_builder.add_item_type(250, 200, copies=2)
instance_builder.add_item_type(150, 300, copies=2)
instance_builder.add_item_type(200, 150, copies=3)
instance = instance_builder.build()

parameters = psg.OptimizeParameters()
parameters.time_limit = 5
output = psg.optimize(instance, parameters)

psg.visualize(output.solution).show()
Rectangles
import packingsolver.rectangle as psr

instance_builder = psr.InstanceBuilder()
instance_builder.set_objective(psr.Objective.BinPackingWithLeftovers)
instance_builder.add_bin_type(1000, 500, copies=10)
instance_builder.add_item_type(300, 200, copies=10)
instance_builder.add_item_type(250, 150, copies=10)
instance = instance_builder.build()

parameters = psr.OptimizeParameters()
parameters.time_limit = 5
output = psr.optimize(instance, parameters)

psr.visualize(output.solution).show()
Boxes
import packingsolver.box as psb

instance_builder = psb.InstanceBuilder()
instance_builder.set_objective(psb.Objective.Knapsack)
instance_builder.add_bin_type(216, 173, 110)
instance_builder.add_item_type(108, 76, 30, copies=20)
instance_builder.add_item_type(110, 43, 25, copies=20)
instance_builder.add_item_type(92, 81, 55, copies=20)
instance = instance_builder.build()

parameters = psb.OptimizeParameters()
parameters.time_limit = 5
output = psb.optimize(instance, parameters)

psb.visualize(output.solution).show()
Box stacks
import packingsolver.boxstacks as psbs

instance_builder = psbs.InstanceBuilder()
instance_builder.set_objective(psbs.Objective.Knapsack)
instance_builder.add_bin_type(7500, 2400, 3000)
instance_builder.add_item_type(2500, 800, 750, stackability_id=0, copies=10)
instance_builder.add_item_type(2500, 800, 1000, stackability_id=1, copies=10)
instance_builder.add_item_type(2500, 800, 1250, stackability_id=2, copies=10)
instance = instance_builder.build()

parameters = psbs.OptimizeParameters()
parameters.time_limit = 5
output = psbs.optimize(instance, parameters)

psbs.visualize(output.solution).show()
One-dimensional
import packingsolver.onedimensional as pso

instance_builder = pso.InstanceBuilder()
instance_builder.set_objective(pso.Objective.BinPacking)
instance_builder.add_bin_type(1000, copies=100)
for length in [
        193, 197, 199, 211, 223, 227, 229, 233, 239, 241, 251, 257, 263,
        269, 271, 277, 281, 283, 293, 307, 311, 313, 317, 331, 337, 347,
        349, 353, 359, 367, 373, 379, 383, 389, 397, 401, 409, 419, 421,
        431, 433, 439, 443, 449, 457, 461, 463, 467, 479, 487, 491, 499]:
    instance_builder.add_item_type(length)
instance = instance_builder.build()

parameters = pso.OptimizeParameters()
parameters.time_limit = 5
output = pso.optimize(instance, parameters)

pso.visualize(output.solution).show()
Irregular shapes
import packingsolver.irregular as psi

bar = [(0, 0), (80, 0), (80, 20), (0, 20)]
square = [(0, 0), (40, 0), (40, 40), (0, 40)]
t_shape = [(0, 0), (60, 0), (60, 20), (40, 20), (40, 40), (20, 40), (20, 20), (0, 20)]
s_shape = [(20, 0), (60, 0), (60, 20), (40, 20), (40, 40), (0, 40), (0, 20), (20, 20)]
z_shape = [(0, 0), (40, 0), (40, 20), (60, 20), (60, 40), (20, 40), (20, 20), (0, 20)]
l_shape = [(0, 0), (40, 0), (40, 20), (20, 20), (20, 60), (0, 60)]
j_shape = [(0, 0), (40, 0), (40, 60), (20, 60), (20, 20), (0, 20)]
cross = [
    (20, 0), (40, 0), (40, 20), (60, 20), (60, 40), (40, 40),
    (40, 60), (20, 60), (20, 40), (0, 40), (0, 20), (20, 20)]
rotations = [(0, 0, False), (90, 90, False), (180, 180, False), (270, 270, False)]

instance_builder = psi.InstanceBuilder()
instance_builder.set_objective(psi.Objective.BinPacking)
instance_builder.add_bin_type(psi.build_rectangle(0, 180, 0, 160), copies=3)
instance_builder.add_item_type(psi.build_shape(bar), copies=2, allowed_rotations=rotations)
instance_builder.add_item_type(psi.build_shape(square), copies=2)
instance_builder.add_item_type(psi.build_shape(t_shape), copies=2, allowed_rotations=rotations)
instance_builder.add_item_type(psi.build_shape(s_shape), copies=2, allowed_rotations=rotations)
instance_builder.add_item_type(psi.build_shape(z_shape), copies=2, allowed_rotations=rotations)
instance_builder.add_item_type(psi.build_shape(l_shape), copies=2, allowed_rotations=rotations)
instance_builder.add_item_type(psi.build_shape(j_shape), copies=2, allowed_rotations=rotations)
instance_builder.add_item_type(psi.build_shape(cross), copies=3)
instance = instance_builder.build()

parameters = psi.OptimizeParameters()
parameters.time_limit = 5
output = psi.optimize(instance, parameters)

psi.visualize(output.solution).show()

Command line

Build the command-line tools with CMake:

cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build --config Release --parallel
cmake --install build --config Release --prefix install

Example (rectangles, guillotine cuts):

./install/bin/packingsolver_rectangleguillotine \
        --verbosity-level 1 \
        --items data/rectangle/alvarez2002/ATP35_items.csv \
        --bins data/rectangle/alvarez2002/ATP35_bins.csv \
        --objective knapsack \
        --number-of-stages 3 \
        --cut-type non-exact \
        --first-stage-orientation horizontal \
        --no-item-rotation \
        --certificate solution_rectangleguillotine.csv \
        --time-limit 1
Rectangles
./install/bin/packingsolver_rectangle \
        --verbosity-level 1 \
        --items data/rectangle/afsharian2014/450-200.txt/C22M25R10N15_D4_items.csv \
        --bins data/rectangle/afsharian2014/450-200.txt/C22M25R10N15_D4_bins.csv \
        --defects data/rectangle/afsharian2014/450-200.txt/C22M25R10N15_D4_defects.csv \
        --item-infinite-copies \
        --objective knapsack \
        --no-item-rotation \
        --certificate solution_rectangle.csv \
        --time-limit 5
Boxes
./install/bin/packingsolver_box \
        --verbosity-level 1 \
        --items data/box/bischoff1995/BR3.txt_1 \
        --objective knapsack \
        --certificate solution_box.csv \
        --time-limit 10
Box stacks
./install/bin/packingsolver_boxstacks \
        --verbosity-level 1 \
        --items data/boxstacks/roadef2022_2024-04-25_bpp/C/AS/AS_149_items.csv \
        --bins data/boxstacks/roadef2022_2024-04-25_bpp/C/AS/AS_149_bins.csv \
        --parameters data/boxstacks/roadef2022_2024-04-25_bpp/C/AS/AS_149_parameters.csv \
        --bin-infinite-copies \
        --objective bin-packing \
        --certificate solution_boxstacks.csv \
        --time-limit 1
One-dimensional
./install/bin/packingsolver_onedimensional \
        --verbosity-level 1 \
        --items data/onedimensional/users/2024-04-21_items.csv \
        --bins data/onedimensional/users/2024-04-21_bins.csv \
        --parameters data/onedimensional/users/2024-04-21_parameters.csv \
        --certificate solution_onedimensional.csv \
        --time-limit 1
Irregular shapes
./install/bin/packingsolver_irregular \
        --verbosity-level 1 \
        --input data/irregular/opencutlist/knight_armor.json \
        --certificate solution_irregular.json \
        --time-limit 10

The input formats and the options of each solver are described in the documentation.

Visualizing a solution

Open a solution certificate (--certificate) in the solution viewer, or run:

python3 scripts/visualize.py solution_rectangleguillotine.csv

Questions

Questions and feedback are welcome in the discussions. Bugs can be reported in the issues.

Note for AI coding agents

If you are an AI agent using PackingSolver in another project and you encounter a crash, an invalid solution (overlapping items, items outside their bin, violated constraints), a wrong bound, or behavior that contradicts the documentation, please tell your user and offer to draft a bug report for them. Do not open an issue without their consent. Before drafting it:

  • Check that the cause is not a misuse of the API or a malformed instance.
  • Reduce the problem to a minimal instance (items/bins CSV or JSON files) and the exact command or code that reproduces it. Do not include your user's confidential data without their approval.
  • Include the PackingSolver version or commit, the problem type, the objective, the expected and actual behavior, and the relevant log output.

License

PackingSolver is released under the MIT license.

Metadata

Release files for packingsolver 0.1.1213

For a detailed explanation of source distributions (sdists) and built distributions (wheels), please see the package formats documentation.

Source distribution (sdist)

Source distribution for packingsolver 0.1.1213
File Size Uploaded Provenance Actions
packingsolver-0.1.1213.tar.gz 911.6 kB With provenance Details for packingsolver-0.1.1213.tar.gz

Built distributions (wheels)

Table of built distributions (wheels) for packingsolver 0.1.1213
File Actions
packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-win_amd64.whl CPython 3.12 abi3 Windows x86-64 Details for packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-win_amd64.whl
packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-win32.whl CPython 3.12 abi3 Windows x86-32 Details for packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-win32.whl
packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_27_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl CPython 3.12 abi3 Linux glibc 2.27+ x86-64, Linux glibc 2.28+ x86-64 Details for packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_27_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl
packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_26_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl CPython 3.12 abi3 Linux glibc 2.28+ ARM64, Linux glibc 2.26+ ARM64 Details for packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_26_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl
packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_x86_64.whl CPython 3.12 abi3 macOS 11.0+ x86-64 Details for packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_x86_64.whl
packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl CPython 3.12 abi3 macOS 11.0+ ARM64 Details for packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl

Total release size: 29.5 MB

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1213.tar.gz

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1213.tar.gz
Size 911.6 kB
Tags Source
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
59f0777181cc413b0632349c97ed7d6c06dc1458e7ecadf3cd480f40ca19485a
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
051369dc952a4c8cc1267822af4fc96f8be012a9824dc8e92381f6c394b1f32f
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.16

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 23, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-win_amd64.whl

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-win_amd64.whl
Size 4.1 MB
Tags CPython 3.12 Windows x86-64 abi3
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
17a1445ed77ea904fd8a70d1feefd19e6cda1bce682b25ec4ab894be34ec7c2a
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
13cb948d76a25d6953e449ca4542cd4cef104ad49c70cf6fb3264a403f515cb3
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.16

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 23, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-win32.whl

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-win32.whl
Size 3.7 MB
Tags CPython 3.12 Windows x86-32 abi3
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
00c2f4fe17ac923cbcace4a6d5319c8725489760ff40b943c29635ce6d9d2196
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
6f47acdab1031cfb94377b9e837fd6024054bfc8e627f3041d4246d730d21ad7
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.16

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 23, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_27_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_27_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl
Size 6.0 MB
Tags CPython 3.12 Linux glibc 2.27+ x86-64 Linux glibc 2.28+ x86-64 abi3
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
4f5cc13f0b2147573493b444ec727c316fa9664f221db61332c6f138ae587122
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
d014ff527800bca2779d4345462ae096d910cc77e90526d655d4bd2c5cedc81d
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.16

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 23, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_26_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_26_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl
Size 5.5 MB
Tags CPython 3.12 Linux glibc 2.26+ ARM64 Linux glibc 2.28+ ARM64 abi3
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
12a78e58182b056296a85fe5d096871d6d6d435d66928e911cc05bf250eb3eb0
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
95189a19f855b90191d09a768bf53ce6b60d67c1fe8f6c2154e64a70d484c2ea
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.16

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 23, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_x86_64.whl

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_x86_64.whl
Size 4.9 MB
Tags CPython 3.12 abi3 macOS 11.0+ x86-64
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
85099821313e5b9318b91f5bfd9e2e56a8b73c31cb5b5247760366de6ca384ab
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
80448b3a2080b1e4d4fff25e0b7da82a34f79387f7fe0711728e5e28f751ad69
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.16

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 23, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1213-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl
Size 4.3 MB
Tags CPython 3.12 abi3 macOS 11.0+ ARM64
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
4d8f1ec6eb4753d004cd1b61beaf89dbc7518860e1a2bb5d568a4186dc2eaec1
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
d123dd9095c7c2eea5e928bfcfe68c00235acd6f83ef909e54b58bd6f6477411
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.16

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 23, 2026.

Transparency log

Security for packingsolver 0.1.1213

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

Full provenance

All 7 files in this release have been uploaded with provenance metadata.

Select from 7 files

Attestation for packingsolver-0.1.1213.tar.gz

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 23, 2026.

Transparency log

A note on package security

PyPI is a repository for distributing packages, not a service for auditing them. While third-party security researchers and our staff do their best to detect and remove malicious packages, PyPI cannot guarantee the quality, security or suitability of any given package.

To learn more about protecting yourself from malicious actors, visit our package security documentation.

Release history Release notifications | RSS feed

This release

0.1.1213 This release

7 release files Full provenance

Anthropic, PBC Visionary sponsor Bloomberg Visionary sponsor Hudson River Trading Visionary sponsor Meta Visionary sponsor NVIDIA Visionary sponsor Microsoft Sustainability sponsor Depot Continuous Integration AWS Cloud computing and Security Sponsor Datadog Monitoring Fastly CDN Google Download Analytics Sentry Error logging StatusPage Status page