Abstract: An adaptive simulated annealing genetic algorithm is presented for the optimal layout problem of rectangles,which is a NP-complete problem and possesses widespread applications in the industry.Adaptive genetic algorithm,which uses circular crossover operator and circular mutation operator,is adopted to change the probability of crossovers and mutations automatically.Simulated annealing algorithm is used to modify the individuals whose fitness values are higher than the average value of the population.The presented hybrid algorithm syncretizes the global search capability of the adaptive genetic algorithm and the local search capability of the simulated annealing algorithm.The comparison results show that the optimal packing of rectangles can be effectively solved by combining the adaptive simulated annealing genetic algorithm with the improved bottom-left algorithm.