Wood Buyer's Guide

The Costly Mistake in Rip Yield Calculations (And How to Fix It)

Written by Haley Sunderland | Feb 27, 2025 2:00:00 PM

Getting accurate rip yield numbers is crucial for making smart manufacturing decisions. But if you’re only relying on your rip line computer’s calculations, you might be overestimating your yield—and overpaying for in-house ripping.

We recently encountered a manufacturer who believed they were getting a 90% yield from their gang rip saw, while our outsourced rip line was reporting just 83% from the exact same material. At first, this discrepancy made no sense—until we uncovered the error.

The Common Mistake in Rip Yield Calculations

Many manufacturers assume the percentage displayed on their rip saw’s computer is the true yield. But that’s not always the case. The problem? The rip saw doesn’t account for cutbacks, bad rips, or footage lost due to defects.

Without tracking the real footage in versus out, manufacturers end up with inaccurate yield numbers. And that means they could be underestimating the true cost of keeping their ripping in-house.

How to Accurately Calculate Your Rip Yield

To avoid this mistake, follow these four simple steps:

  1. Measure the exact footage going into the saw. We vision tally all incoming material to ensure the footage count is accurate before it even touches the saw.
  2. Run the material through the gang rip. Let the saw do its job.
  3. Measure the exact footage coming out. This step is crucial. Account for all cutbacks and bad rips that were discarded—don’t just rely on the rip saw’s reported footage.
  4. Compare the footage in vs. out. This is your true rip yield percentage.

Why This Matters

When our client adjusted their calculations to this method, they realized their actual yield was much lower than they thought. And after crunching the numbers, they found that outsourcing their ripping to us was significantly more cost-effective than keeping it in-house.

Don’t let bad data lead to bad financial decisions. If you’re ready to see how outsourcing can improve your bottom line, book a call to learn more about our dimensional program.