diff --git a/OpenNest.Engine/BestFit/BestFitFilter.cs b/OpenNest.Engine/BestFit/BestFitFilter.cs
index 3791d9b..527b46c 100644
--- a/OpenNest.Engine/BestFit/BestFitFilter.cs
+++ b/OpenNest.Engine/BestFit/BestFitFilter.cs
@@ -7,7 +7,14 @@ namespace OpenNest.Engine.BestFit
         public double MaxPlateWidth { get; set; }
         public double MaxPlateHeight { get; set; }
         public double MaxAspectRatio { get; set; } = 5.0;
-        public double MinUtilization { get; set; } = 0.3;
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// A high-aspect pair is kept anyway when this much of its rotated bounding box is
+        /// actual part area. Utilization is only ever an exception here, never a rejection:
+        /// thin-framed, hollow, or concave (e.g. S-shaped) parts have inherently low
+        /// part-to-bbox utilization, yet can nest tightly — their quality is judged by the
+        /// pair bounding-box area the results are sorted on, not by utilization.
+        /// </summary>
         public double UtilizationOverride { get; set; } = 0.75;
 
         public void Apply(List<BestFitResult> results)
@@ -40,16 +47,6 @@ namespace OpenNest.Engine.BestFit
                     continue;
                 }
 
-                if (result.Utilization < MinUtilization)
-                {
-                    result.Keep = false;
-                    result.Reason = string.Format(
-                        "Utilization {0:P0} below minimum",
-                        result.Utilization
-                    );
-                    continue;
-                }
-
                 result.Reason = "Valid";
             }
         }
diff --git a/OpenNest.Tests/BestFit/NfpBestFitIntegrationTests.cs b/OpenNest.Tests/BestFit/NfpBestFitIntegrationTests.cs
index 4c0d6f4..5c277e3 100644
--- a/OpenNest.Tests/BestFit/NfpBestFitIntegrationTests.cs
+++ b/OpenNest.Tests/BestFit/NfpBestFitIntegrationTests.cs
@@ -42,6 +42,34 @@ public class NfpBestFitIntegrationTests
         Assert.True(bestUtilization > 0.5);
     }
 
+    [Fact]
+    public void FindBestFits_KeepsLowUtilizationFrame_CutoutsDoNotRejectPair()
+    {
+        // A thin-walled hollow frame nests tightly despite tiny part/bbox utilization.
+        // Utilization must never reject a pair; ranking is by pair bounding-box area.
+        var finder = new BestFitFinder(48, 96);
+        var drawing = TestHelpers.MakeFrameDrawing(w: 20, h: 6, t: 0.5);
+
+        var results = finder.FindBestFits(drawing);
+
+        Assert.NotEmpty(results.Where(r => r.Keep));
+        Assert.All(results.Where(r => r.Keep), r => Assert.Equal("Valid", r.Reason));
+        var best = results.Where(r => r.Keep).First();
+        Assert.True(best.Utilization < 0.3);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void FindBestFits_ResultsAreSortedByPairBoundingArea()
+    {
+        var finder = new BestFitFinder(48, 96);
+        var results = finder.FindBestFits(TestHelpers.MakeFrameDrawing());
+
+        Assert.True(results.Count > 1);
+        Assert.True(
+            results.Zip(results.Skip(1), (a, b) => a.RotatedArea <= b.RotatedArea).All(x => x)
+        );
+    }
+
     [Fact]
     public void FindBestFits_NoOverlaps_InKeptResults()
     {
diff --git a/OpenNest.Tests/TestHelpers.cs b/OpenNest.Tests/TestHelpers.cs
index 8c5e747..a231a78 100644
--- a/OpenNest.Tests/TestHelpers.cs
+++ b/OpenNest.Tests/TestHelpers.cs
@@ -67,6 +67,23 @@ internal static class TestHelpers
         return new Drawing("square", pgm);
     }
 
+    public static Drawing MakeFrameDrawing(double w = 20, double h = 6, double t = 0.5)
+    {
+        // Thin-walled hollow frame: outer CW, inner cutout CCW (CNC convention).
+        var pgm = new Program();
+        pgm.Codes.Add(new RapidMove(new Vector(0, 0)));
+        pgm.Codes.Add(new LinearMove(new Vector(0, h)));
+        pgm.Codes.Add(new LinearMove(new Vector(w, h)));
+        pgm.Codes.Add(new LinearMove(new Vector(w, 0)));
+        pgm.Codes.Add(new LinearMove(new Vector(0, 0)));
+        pgm.Codes.Add(new RapidMove(new Vector(t, t)));
+        pgm.Codes.Add(new LinearMove(new Vector(w - t, t)));
+        pgm.Codes.Add(new LinearMove(new Vector(w - t, h - t)));
+        pgm.Codes.Add(new LinearMove(new Vector(t, h - t)));
+        pgm.Codes.Add(new LinearMove(new Vector(t, t)));
+        return new Drawing("frame", pgm);
+    }
+
     public static Drawing MakeLShapeDrawing()
     {
         // CW winding matches CNC convention (OffsetSide.Left = outward)