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 0.1.1227

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 0.1.1227
File Size Uploaded Provenance Actions
packingsolver-0.1.1227.tar.gz 946.5 kB With provenance Details for packingsolver-0.1.1227.tar.gz

Built distributions (wheels)

Table of built distributions (wheels) for packingsolver 0.1.1227
File Actions
packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-win_amd64.whl CPython 3.12 abi3 Windows x86-64 Details for packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-win_amd64.whl
packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-win32.whl CPython 3.12 abi3 Windows x86-32 Details for packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-win32.whl
packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_27_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl CPython 3.12 abi3 Linux glibc 2.28+ x86-64, Linux glibc 2.27+ x86-64 Details for packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_27_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl
packingsolver-0.1.1227-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-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_26_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl
packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_x86_64.whl CPython 3.12 abi3 macOS 11.0+ x86-64 Details for packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_x86_64.whl
packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl CPython 3.12 abi3 macOS 11.0+ ARM64 Details for packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl

Total release size: 30.0 MB

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1227.tar.gz

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1227.tar.gz
Size 946.5 kB
Tags Source
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
cbfe930e6e57aa5d012644f8a4814e981b5b66949d502fdf11e1a8eb60aaab91
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
a991cc4655a0b2883cad2da62e441a3de155bb22919a8080f7cdcd59a26d6352
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 25, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-win_amd64.whl

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-win_amd64.whl
Size 4.2 MB
Tags CPython 3.12 Windows x86-64 abi3
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
d925fe54d26852670b4521107f0b7c3ac703b0a3636aeb4544332e0ee4d8d8f9
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
c3902aa6730846002e406fa77b5468e4bf0aa96bf0a67a645ff1b469cd58249f
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 25, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-win32.whl

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-win32.whl
Size 3.8 MB
Tags CPython 3.12 Windows x86-32 abi3
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
d1d229f2f231e356cf1c65388345d6a7877d562482fac628db9d231a88d5d5ee
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
f35af4ac201273e62ffe6c4405224e8e73cc517ccb8319ab294bd6d2cea18d9b
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 25, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_27_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_27_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl
Size 6.1 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
68e4a6274ec00115f8abd7933b1665ba4e6ab40e8241a39ec904bb44c4bf90d8
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
478af9b9bacb26cd984aa2dbdb3d2ac1d33bec132cc6fb13c17a527495bc6934
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 25, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_26_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-manylinux_2_26_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl
Size 5.6 MB
Tags CPython 3.12 Linux glibc 2.26+ ARM64 Linux glibc 2.28+ ARM64 abi3
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
4cc8f04007078168e03323b6488ee33acd6349b83efbe40cf0788b4807f4efdb
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
f937013464fae18507ca6ab60607fb590a8a7bbc44be9730dfecc217dbd2a939
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 25, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_x86_64.whl

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_x86_64.whl
Size 5.0 MB
Tags CPython 3.12 abi3 macOS 11.0+ x86-64
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
7d0acfffcf3fd1968dfdf98d427c82f55e8b23b52ab9e934709c04d1500024c8
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
c4277dad3fb11caaee6f4c6be8c2eef787294ac1289c7a92cecc42822fcac6fd
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 25, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl

Download URL packingsolver-0.1.1227-cp312-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl
Size 4.4 MB
Tags CPython 3.12 abi3 macOS 11.0+ ARM64
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
641a52476198ff20a0da0a60f4fb5e8ed7e3b236dfdcd3ac445c74399697640b
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
c9981faa50c87e1f4ede939abb253de0ccef8574118d61d0d0ba6e9922101a35
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 25, 2026.

Transparency log

Security for packingsolver 0.1.1227

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-0.1.1227.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 25, 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

0.1.1227 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