Menu path
Estimate > Panel Allowances
How it Works
This comprehensive settings panel controls how Roof Wizard calculates panel allowances, generates cutting lists, and handles the various estimation workflows for metal roofing panels available in Roof Wizard.
🧾 Panel Allowances Overview
Set standard allowances for clearances or setbacks around ridges, hips, valleys, and gutters. These values are used by the Estimate > Offset-roof command to generate new roof planes with proper spacing.
Field | Description |
Gutter Overhang | Amount to add to panels for overhang into the gutter. Also added automatically to blocks. |
Box Gutter Clearance | Amount to add to panels for overhang into the box gutter. |
Hip Clearance | Clearance along each side of a hip. |
Ridge Clearance | Clearance along each side of a ridge. |
Gable Clearance | Clearance along a gable. |
Valley Clearance | Clearance along each side of a valley. |
Apron Clearance | Clearance along an apron. |
Batten Thickness | Thickness from rafter to underside of sheet/panel. Also used for insulated metal panel thickness calculations. |
Note: Only the Gutter overhang is applied to the roof model when using any of the Blocking or Block-Cut routines.
🔧 Blocking Options
Setting | Description |
Show Pitch on Block Label [Y/N] | Display roof pitch on block labels. |
Round Panels in Each Block [Y/N] | Rounds panel numbers to whole numbers in initial pass. Affects both regular 'Blocking' and 'Block-Cut' methods. Select 'No' for tighter results with less material allowance. |
Reducing the Width of Straight Blocks [Y/N] | Looks across eave width to optimise panel counts. Compares rounded blocks vs. whole run calculations. Only works when Rounding is enabled. |
Rounding the Sheets in Each Block [Y/N] | 'No' treats blocks separately, rounds after grouping (e.g., 3.6 + 2.2 = 5.8 → 6 sheets). 'Yes' rounds each block first (e.g., 4 + 3 = 7 sheets).  |
Holes in Roof Planes | Options: 'Ignore All' or 'Ask Each Time'. If 'Ask Each Time', prompts whether holes affect blocking. |
Drawing Style of Block | Options: 'Original' or 'Block-Cut'. Block-Cut allows extraction and subdivision using Block-Cut method. |
Block-Cutting Text Size | Sets annotation text size for subdivided blocks in field reports.  |
🛠 Generate-Offcuts Options
Setting | Description |
Show Pitches [Y/N] | Displays pitch with off-cut area annotations.  |
Show Panels [Y/N] | Displays number of sheets in off-cut groups.  |
Annotation Format | Choose 'Standard' or 'Abridged'. Abridged shows same information in shortened form for easier field reading.  |
🧾 Generate-Panels Options
Setting | Description |
Panel Side Underlap Distance | Distance one panel overlaps the next (subtracted from overall width). Normally set to zero unless using factory pre-cut/angle cut sheets. Requires SIDELAP.DAT file in User folder to enable. |
Show Panel Direction Arrows [Y/N] | Shows lay direction arrows on screen and in reports. |
Panel Lay Direction | Sets panel laying direction: left to right, right to left, or optimised (software selects best direction based on logical starting edge). |
How Side Underlap works – You set the panel to the coverage width (say 761mm) and then add an underlap/sidelap amount in the panel Allowances (say 91mm) which is ignored from a panel layout perspective, so the panel layout on screen and in the report templates is correctly represented. The panel underlap is applied at nesting time (Estimate > Linear Nesting) to ensure panels are nested as per the full fabrication width (761+91 = 852mm) of the panel and the PCF file for each job is created and sent to production for the anglecut machine (which nests and cuts full fabrication width panels).
🔧 Tally-Panels Options
Setting | Description |
Combine Similar Length Sheets | Sheet lengths within this tolerance are merged together (shorter lengths merge into longer). |
Round-Off Sheets to Next (mm) | Rounds up to specified increment. Use -1 for no rounding (0 rounds to nearest 10mm). For stock length panels, set to stock multiples (e.g., 300mm or 500mm). |
Annotate Panels With | Choose panel annotation: Identifier Only, Panel Length Only, Rounded Panel Length Only, Identifier and Panel Length, Identifier and Rounded Panel, or Nothing. |
Annotate Text Size | Text size in millimetres for report annotations. |
Apply the minimum panel length [Y/N] | Applies minimum panel length set in Set-Up > Metal Panels. Panels below minimum are combined into longer panels. |
Round-Off Sheets options:
🛠 Combine Minimum Length Panels
Works only when 'Apply the minimum panel length' is set to Yes. Three combination methods:
Method | Description |
Combine for Maximum Lengths | Combines short panels until reaching maximum specified length. |
Combine for Minimum Lengths | Combines panels to exceed minimum length, then starts new grouping. |
Each Panel becomes Min. Len | Every panel shorter than minimum becomes minimum length panel. |
Combining short lengths - Combined sheets are shown on the panel layout drawing:
Let’s look at a simple example.
We selected a panel where the minimum length was set at 400mm (15.75″).
With the Combine Min. Len. Panels set to [Combine for Maximum Lengths] you get the following sort of outcome (Combining all until you reach the maximum length, at which time you will get x number at 2200 and the rest combined to whatever length is less than 2200):
With the Combine Min. Len. Panels set to [Combine for Maximum Lengths] you get the following sort of outcome (Combining all until you reach the maximum length, at which time you will get x number at 2200 and the rest combined to whatever length is less than 2200):
With it set to [Combine for Minimum Lengths] you get the following (combining minimum length panels until they are larger than the minimum length at which point it marks off on them and then starts a new amount):
The [Each Panel becomes Min. Len] then you get the following (each panel shorter than the minimum lengths becomes the minimum length):
💡 Additional Settings
Setting | Description |
Move Text for Sheets Shorter Than ... | Sets length threshold where annotations move outside roof model borders automatically.  |
Add Square Brackets to Sheet Dimension [Y/N] | Controls whether square brackets appear around panel lengths. |
Apply Offset Values without Offsetting [Y/N] | Generates cutting list as if offsets were applied without drawing offsets on job. |
Manually Tally Panels [Y/N] | Disables automatic tallying for large jobs or specific panel types. |
🔧 File Management Controls
Button | Function |
Load | Loads pre-defined allowance set for specific roof system. |
Delete | Deletes selected pre-defined allowances file. |
Save-As | Saves current allowances for future jobs. Create multiple files for different roof systems/panel profiles. |
OK | Saves values for use in all jobs. |
Cancel | Closes dialog without saving changes. |
💡 Tip: Create separate allowance files for each panel profile and roof system you work with regularly. This ensures consistent settings across similar projects.