Bookshelf speaker fronts
A Ø100 mm grille of 341 × 3 mm holes is 30.7% open on a 120 × 120 mm panel.
Square-lattice panels →Speaker Grille Pattern Generator - DXF
Concentric rings of round holes centred on the driver. Set the grille diameter, hole size, ring pitch and tangential pitch; the hole count and open area follow, and the export keeps holes on the inner layer with the panel outline cut last.
Lattice cut length · bridge · row spacing
Fills row spacing 0.6t, cut length 5t + 5 (12–60 mm) and bridge 0.8t from the thickness.
Panel size · legs · margin
- Bend zone W
- Corner zone W90
- Wrap strip
- Pattern open area
- 30.7%
- Web
- 1.50 mm
- R_min estimate
- Bend check
Inner cuts · 1stBend guides · no cutOutline · last
Too tight.
Links too thin.
Web too thin.
Cast acrylic is brittle. Acrylic living hinges crack after a few bends; use it for flat vent panels, or cut a swatch before any hinge.
Very dense. The preview draws the first 120,000 cut-outs; the numbers count every one.
Proof preview · not a cut file
Free proof
Pro · cut-ready files of this design
Early Launch Price · 50% Off
7-Day Maker & CNC Pass · every Pro export
Proof saved. The cut-ready version of this design is in the Pro pack below.
Readout
- Panel open area
- 16.8%
- Flat panel
- 120.00 × 120.00 mm
- Slit rows
- Hinge zones
- Top + bottom plates
- Net link
- Min link
- Cut-outs
- 341 holes
- Hole range
- 0.0–0.0 mm
- Total cut length
- 3.69 m
R_min, laser time and open area are estimates from the torsion and area models. Confirm the bend with the 5-strip swatch before a full cut.
Pro pack · built for the design above
Production Laser DXF/SVG & 3D STEP CAD Pack
Layered, de-duplicated, cut-ordered DXF R12 and LightBurn SVG with correct kerf handling, a STEP + STL solid of this hinge, and a 5-step swatch that follows your own design.
| You get | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Every pattern, live 2D/3D, W, R_min, open area | Yes | Yes |
| Proof PNG (≤ 1000 px) + formula TXT | Yes | Yes |
| Kerf-compensated DXF R12 + LightBurn SVG | — | Yes |
| STEP AP214 + binary STL solid | — | Yes |
| 1:1 swatch + datasheet PDF | — | Yes |
Early Launch Price · 50% Off
7 days of every Pro export
Launch Offer · Save 50%
Cancel any time
Best Value · 50% Off
One payment, no renewal
Ready-made designs
Grilles for common drivers
Click one to load it into the studio above; every value stays editable.
How to use it
Four steps from sheet to cut file
No Generate button: every step redraws the 2D path, the 3D bend and the numbers at once.
- 01Match the driverSet the grille diameter to the cone or surround diameter; 100 mm suits a 4-inch driver.
- 02Choose hole and ring pitchHole size and ring pitch set the web; tangential pitch sets how many holes each ring holds.
- 03Read count and open areaOpen area = 100 × N × d² / D² for the circle you set.
- 04Export the DXFHoles cut first on the blue layer, the panel outline last on red.
Sizing
Driver size to grille diameter
Starting points; match your driver's cone and surround.
| Driver | Grille | Holes | Hole count | Open area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 in | Ø75 mm | 2.5 mm at 3.5 mm | 341 | 37.9% |
| 4 in | Ø100 mm | 3.0 mm at 4.5 mm | 341 | 30.7% |
| 5.25 in | Ø130 mm | 3.5 mm at 5.0 mm | 485 | 35.2% |
| 6.5 in | Ø160 mm | 4.0 mm at 6.0 mm | 566 | 35.4% |
| 8 in | Ø200 mm | 5.0 mm at 7.0 mm | 566 | 35.4% |
Nominal driver sizes are approximate: a 4-inch driver usually has a cone and surround close to 100 mm, and the mounting flange outside it can stay solid. Measure the surround and set that as the grille diameter for the cleanest look.
Layout
How the rings are laid out
The grille has a centre hole and rings at k × ring pitch. Ring k holds floor(2π × k × ring pitch / tangential pitch) holes, so neighbouring holes on a ring sit about one tangential pitch apart. Rings are added while the outer edge of the hole stays inside D/2.
Acoustics
Open area guidance (rule of thumb)
As a rule of thumb, grilles above about 30% open area are close to transparent for woofers and mid drivers, and tweeters prefer 40% or more with thin stock. A 3 mm panel acts like a short tube at every hole, so keep holes at least as wide as the sheet is thick.
These are starting points, not measurements. If a grille sounds dull, raise the hole size first: on the 4-inch preset, 3.5 mm holes keep all 341 positions and lift open area from 30.7% to 41.8% while the web stays at 1.00 mm.
Where it fits
Use cases and related tools
Real jobs makers cut with these numbers, and the tool page that fits each one.
Subwoofer and woofer covers
A 6.5-inch woofer takes a Ø160 mm grille; 566 holes of 4 mm give 35.4%.
Living hinge generator →Fan guards
The same ring layout works for 80–140 mm fans; keep the web above 1.2 mm in 3 mm stock.
Slot vents →Check a radius before cutting
Work out W and the minimum radius for any sheet with the formula explained step by step.
Kerf bending calculator →Send the file to the laser
Layer colours, cut order and import settings for LightBurn, Glowforge, xTool, RDWorks and VCarve.
DXF & SVG guide →Compare every pattern
See all 12 hinge and vent patterns with their flexibility or open-area formula before you choose.
Pattern library →Questions
Frequently asked questions
R_min values are estimates from the torsion model; confirm with a test cut.
How many holes does a radial grille have?
One centre hole plus rings k = 1, 2, … while k × ring pitch + d/2 fits inside D/2. Ring k holds floor(2π × k × ring pitch / tangential pitch) holes. Ø100 mm with 3 mm holes at 4.5 mm pitch gives 10 rings and 341 holes.
What open area does a speaker grille need?
As a rule of thumb, grilles above about 30% open area are hard to hear at normal listening levels, and 40% or more is safer for tweeters. Treat this as guidance, not an acoustic measurement.
Should the grille match the cone or the whole driver?
Matching the cone and surround keeps the moving area open and leaves solid wood over the mounting flange and screws. The 4-inch preset uses Ø100 mm, the 6.5-inch Ø160 mm and the 3-inch Ø75 mm.
Why does a bigger hole keep the same hole count?
The rings are set by ring pitch and tangential pitch, not by the hole size. Going from 3 mm to 3.5 mm holes on the 4-inch grille keeps 341 holes and raises open area from 30.7% to 41.8%.
Can I cut the grille in MDF?
Yes, MDF is common for speaker baffles. Keep the web above the 1.2 mm minimum for 3 mm stock and expect slower cutting: the laser time estimate uses 15 mm/s base speed for MDF against 20 mm/s for birch.
Same engine
The rest of the toolkit
Every tool shares one geometry engine, so numbers match between pages and files.