diff --git a/OpenNest.IO.Tests/ClampZonePersistenceTests.cs b/OpenNest.IO.Tests/ClampZonePersistenceTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a182473
--- /dev/null
+++ b/OpenNest.IO.Tests/ClampZonePersistenceTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+using System.IO.Compression;
+using System.Text;
+using OpenNest.Geometry;
+
+namespace OpenNest.IO.Tests;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Clamp zones survive the .nest round trip; files without the "clamps" key load
+/// unchanged with zero zones, and a clamp-carrying sheet is never dropped by the
+/// empty-plate filter. Malformed zones are skipped rather than poisoning the file.
+/// </summary>
+public class ClampZonePersistenceTests
+{
+    private static Nest NestWithClamps(int zoneCount)
+    {
+        var nest = new Nest("clamped");
+        var plate = new Plate(48, 96);
+        for (var i = 0; i < zoneCount; i++)
+            plate.ClampZones.Add(new ClampZone($"clamp-{i}", new Box(2.25 + 10 * i, 0, 1.5, 0.625)));
+        nest.Plates.Add(plate);
+        return nest;
+    }
+
+    private static Nest RoundTrip(Nest nest)
+    {
+        using var stream = new MemoryStream();
+        Assert.True(new NestWriter(nest).Write(stream));
+        stream.Position = 0;
+        return new NestReader(stream).Read();
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ZonesRoundTripWithIdsAndPositions()
+    {
+        var reopened = RoundTrip(NestWithClamps(8));
+
+        var plate = Assert.Single(reopened.Plates);
+        Assert.Equal(8, plate.ClampZones.Count);
+        for (var i = 0; i < 8; i++)
+        {
+            var zone = plate.ClampZones[i];
+            Assert.Equal($"clamp-{i}", zone.Id);
+            Assert.Equal(2.25 + 10 * i, zone.Bounds.X, 9);
+            Assert.Equal(0, zone.Bounds.Y, 9);
+            Assert.Equal(1.5, zone.Bounds.Length, 9);
+            Assert.Equal(0.625, zone.Bounds.Width, 9);
+        }
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ClampOnlyPlateSurvivesTheEmptyPlateFilter()
+    {
+        // A sheet with no parts and no cut-offs but with clamp definitions is a real
+        // configuration (the machine rail exists even on an empty plate) and must persist.
+        var reopened = RoundTrip(NestWithClamps(3));
+
+        var plate = Assert.Single(reopened.Plates);
+        Assert.Empty(plate.Parts);
+        Assert.Equal(3, plate.ClampZones.Count);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EmptyPlateWithoutClampsIsStillOmitted()
+    {
+        var nest = new Nest("empty");
+        nest.Plates.Add(new Plate(48, 96));
+        var reopened = RoundTrip(nest);
+        Assert.Empty(reopened.Plates);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ZonesCoexistWithPlacementsAndCutOffs()
+    {
+        var nest = new Nest("mixed");
+        var plate = new Plate(48, 96);
+        plate.ClampZones.Add(new ClampZone("clamp-0", new Box(5.25, 0, 1.5, 0.625)));
+        plate.CutOffs.Add(new CutOff(new Vector(40, 0), CutOffAxis.Vertical));
+        nest.Plates.Add(plate);
+
+        var reopened = RoundTrip(nest);
+
+        var reopenedPlate = Assert.Single(reopened.Plates);
+        Assert.Single(reopenedPlate.ClampZones);
+        Assert.Equal("clamp-0", reopenedPlate.ClampZones[0].Id);
+        Assert.Single(reopenedPlate.CutOffs);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void FileWithoutClampsKeyLoadsUnchanged()
+    {
+        // Files written before this feature have no "clamps" property at all.
+        var withZones = new MemoryStream();
+        Assert.True(new NestWriter(NestWithClamps(2)).Write(withZones));
+        var legacy = RewriteNestJson(withZones,
+            json => System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex.Replace(json, @",\s*""clamps""\s*:\s*\[[^\]]*\]", ""));
+
+        legacy.Position = 0;
+        var reopened = new NestReader(legacy).Read();
+
+        var plate = Assert.Single(reopened.Plates);
+        Assert.Empty(plate.Parts);
+        Assert.Empty(plate.ClampZones);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void MalformedZonesAreSkippedWithoutThrowing()
+    {
+        // Hand-edited sizes must not poison the file: drop bad entries, keep good ones.
+        var withZones = new MemoryStream();
+        Assert.True(new NestWriter(NestWithClamps(1)).Write(withZones));
+        var tampered = RewriteNestJson(withZones, json => json.Replace(
+            "\"clamps\": [",
+            "\"clamps\": [{\"id\":\"bad\",\"x\":0,\"y\":0,\"length\":-5,\"width\":0.625},"
+                + "{\"id\":\"\",\"x\":0,\"y\":0,\"length\":1.5,\"width\":0.625},")
+        );
+
+        tampered.Position = 0;
+        var reopened = new NestReader(tampered).Read();
+
+        var plate = Assert.Single(reopened.Plates);
+        var zone = Assert.Single(plate.ClampZones);
+        Assert.Equal("clamp-0", zone.Id);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void WriterEmitsCamelCaseClampsArray()
+    {
+        var withZones = new MemoryStream();
+        Assert.True(new NestWriter(NestWithClamps(1)).Write(withZones));
+        var json = ReadNestJson(withZones);
+
+        Assert.Contains("\"clamps\": [", json, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        Assert.Contains("\"id\": \"clamp-0\"", json, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        Assert.Contains("\"length\": 1.5", json, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        Assert.Contains("\"width\": 0.625", json, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    }
+
+    private static string ReadNestJson(MemoryStream zipBytes)
+    {
+        zipBytes.Position = 0;
+        using var archive = new ZipArchive(zipBytes, ZipArchiveMode.Read, leaveOpen: true);
+        var entry = archive.GetEntry("nest.json");
+        Assert.NotNull(entry);
+        using var reader = new StreamReader(entry.Open(), Encoding.UTF8);
+        return reader.ReadToEnd();
+    }
+
+    private static MemoryStream RewriteNestJson(MemoryStream zipBytes, Func<string, string> rewrite)
+    {
+        zipBytes.Position = 0;
+        var output = new MemoryStream();
+        using (var source = new ZipArchive(zipBytes, ZipArchiveMode.Read, leaveOpen: true))
+        using (var target = new ZipArchive(output, ZipArchiveMode.Create, leaveOpen: true))
+        {
+            foreach (var entry in source.Entries)
+            {
+                var newEntry = target.CreateEntry(entry.FullName);
+                using var input = entry.Open();
+                using var outStream = newEntry.Open();
+                if (entry.FullName == "nest.json")
+                {
+                    using var text = new StreamReader(input, Encoding.UTF8);
+                    using var writer = new StreamWriter(outStream, new UTF8Encoding(false));
+                    writer.Write(rewrite(text.ReadToEnd()));
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    input.CopyTo(outStream);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        output.Position = 0;
+        return output;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/OpenNest.IO/NestFormat.cs b/OpenNest.IO/NestFormat.cs
index 39fa7db..e765f2d 100644
--- a/OpenNest.IO/NestFormat.cs
+++ b/OpenNest.IO/NestFormat.cs
@@ -71,6 +71,25 @@ namespace OpenNest.IO
             public CuttingParametersDto CuttingParameters { get; init; }
             public List<PartDto> Parts { get; init; } = new();
             public List<CutOffDto> CutOffs { get; init; } = new();
+
+            /// <summary>
+            /// Machine clamp keep-out rectangles in plate coordinates. Missing in older
+            /// files, which load with no zones.
+            /// </summary>
+            public List<ClampZoneDto> Clamps { get; init; } = new();
+        }
+
+        public record ClampZoneDto
+        {
+            public string Id { get; init; } = "";
+            public double X { get; init; }
+            public double Y { get; init; }
+
+            /// <summary>Extent along X.</summary>
+            public double Length { get; init; }
+
+            /// <summary>Extent along Y (depth from the y = 0 operator-side edge).</summary>
+            public double Width { get; init; }
         }
 
         public record PartDto
diff --git a/OpenNest.IO/NestReader.cs b/OpenNest.IO/NestReader.cs
index 2c60753..9fac84c 100644
--- a/OpenNest.IO/NestReader.cs
+++ b/OpenNest.IO/NestReader.cs
@@ -399,6 +399,25 @@ namespace OpenNest.IO
                 plate.GrainAngle = p.GrainAngle;
                 plate.CuttingParameters = CuttingParametersSerializer.FromDto(p.CuttingParameters);
 
+                // Clamp zones: older files have no key at all; an individually invalid
+                // entry is dropped rather than poisoning the whole nest.
+                if (p.Clamps != null)
+                {
+                    foreach (var c in p.Clamps)
+                    {
+                        try
+                        {
+                            plate.ClampZones.Add(
+                                new ClampZone(c.Id, new OpenNest.Geometry.Box(c.X, c.Y, c.Length, c.Width))
+                            );
+                        }
+                        catch (ArgumentException)
+                        {
+                            // Invalid zone definition; ignore this one entry.
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+
                 for (var partIndex = 0; partIndex < p.Parts.Count; partIndex++)
                 {
                     var partDto = p.Parts[partIndex];
diff --git a/OpenNest.IO/NestWriter.cs b/OpenNest.IO/NestWriter.cs
index e74c83b..9a0d58a 100644
--- a/OpenNest.IO/NestWriter.cs
+++ b/OpenNest.IO/NestWriter.cs
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@ namespace OpenNest.IO
                 if (
                     plate.Parts.Count(p => !p.BaseDrawing.IsCutOff) == 0
                     && plate.CutOffs.Count == 0
+                    && plate.ClampZones.Count == 0
                 )
                     continue;
 
@@ -283,6 +284,16 @@ namespace OpenNest.IO
                         CutOffs = cutoffs,
                         GrainAngle = plate.GrainAngle,
                         CuttingParameters = CuttingParametersSerializer.ToDto(plate.CuttingParameters),
+                        Clamps = plate.ClampZones
+                            .Select(z => new ClampZoneDto
+                            {
+                                Id = z.Id,
+                                X = z.Bounds.X,
+                                Y = z.Bounds.Y,
+                                Length = z.Bounds.Length,
+                                Width = z.Bounds.Width,
+                            })
+                            .ToList(),
                     }
                 );
             }
diff --git a/docs/nest-file-format.md b/docs/nest-file-format.md
index e6032eb..30a4a9d 100644
--- a/docs/nest-file-format.md
+++ b/docs/nest-file-format.md
@@ -59,6 +59,18 @@ cross-platform DTO mapping; the desktop settings serializer delegates to it so
 existing saved settings keep their JSON contract. Settings are independent of
 the saved part programs: restoring settings never regenerates those programs.
 
+## Clamp zones
+
+Each plate may carry an optional `clamps` array of fixed rectangular keep-out
+regions in plate coordinates: `id`, `x`, `y`, `length` (X extent) and `width`
+(Y extent, the depth intrusion from the `y = 0` operator-side edge for machine
+clamps). Zones are exclusion and display data only - never material, quantity,
+utilization, cut sequence or CNC output. Files without the key load with no
+zones, and an individually malformed entry (blank id, non-positive size) is
+dropped while the rest of the nest loads. Because clamp definitions are real
+machine state, a plate that carries only clamps is written even when it has no
+parts and no cut-offs; genuinely empty plates without clamps remain omitted.
+
 ## Drawing edits
 
 `DrawingProgramSnapshot` captures serialized main and hole-program text before