Quantity Takeoff Services: Accurate Material & Labor Takeoffs for Contractors
Quantity takeoff services turn your plans into a clear list of materials, quantities and labor, so you can price a bid without measuring every sheet by hand. Build Plans And Estimates prepares trade-by-trade construction takeoff services for general contractors, subcontractors, developers and architects, delivered in Excel with marked-up plans.
- Material and labor quantities
- Excel sheet and marked-up plans
- 24-48 hour turnaround on standard projects
What Is a Quantity Takeoff?
A quantity takeoff is the process of measuring and counting everything a project needs from its drawings and specifications: cubic yards of concrete, square feet of drywall, linear feet of pipe, the number of doors. The result is an itemized list of quantities, each with a unit and a location on the plans.
It is the first step of every estimate. Pricing comes afterward. A cost estimate takes those quantities and applies material prices, labor rates, equipment, overhead and profit. A takeoff tells you how much; an estimate tells you how much it costs.
Quantity takeoff services hand the measuring work to a dedicated team. You send the plans, and you get back verified quantities you can price yourself, order against, or pass to your subcontractors.
Quantity Takeoff vs. Material Takeoff vs. Cost Estimate
These three terms are often mixed up. Here is how we use them, so you always know what you are ordering.
| Term | What it covers | What you receive | Prices included? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantity takeoff | Every measurable item: materials, plus labor units or manhours if requested | Itemized quantities with unit and plan location | No |
| Material takeoff | Physical materials only, with waste factors | Material list ready for ordering | No |
| Cost estimate | The takeoff plus material prices, labor rates, equipment, overhead and profit | A priced bid or budget | Yes |
Need the full price as well? See our cost estimating services and construction estimating services.
Our Quantity Takeoff Services by Trade
We prepare takeoffs one trade at a time or for the whole project. Choose the trades you need, and each link below shows how that scope is measured.
Not sure which trades to order? Browse all our trades or read about our construction takeoff services overview.
Who Needs Quantity Takeoff Services?
Quantity takeoff services help anyone who has to price, order or compare costs from a set of plans.
General contractors
Bidding several jobs at once means measuring several plan sets at once. A takeoff service keeps every bid moving and gives you the quantities to price against. See our commercial and residential support.
Subcontractors
Trade contractors win work by pricing only their own scope quickly. We measure just your trade from the full plan set, so you do not sort through sheets that do not apply.
Developers
Reliable quantities early in design help you test budgets and compare options before commitments are made. Our preliminary estimate service builds on them.
Architects
Quantities during design development show how a material choice changes cost, while you can still change the drawings.
Owner-builders and homeowners
If you are managing your own build, a takeoff gives you an itemized list to compare supplier quotes and avoid over-ordering.
Suppliers
A clean material list from the plans lets you quote accurately and answer contractors faster.
Why Outsource Your Takeoff?
Outsourcing quantity takeoff services is not right for everyone. If you measure plans every day of the year, a full-time estimator can make sense. For most contractors, whose bid volume rises and falls, these are the reasons to outsource takeoff:
Lower fixed cost
An in-house estimator brings salary, benefits, software licenses and training whether or not you have plans to measure. Outsourcing charges per project.
Faster turnaround
A dedicated team starts on your plans immediately, so you can meet bid deadlines without pulling your crew off live jobs.
Fewer missed items
Takeoff is all we do. Repeating the same checks on every set of plans catches scope that rushed, part-time measuring often misses.
Focus on core business
You spend your hours on site visits, supplier calls and client meetings, not on counting outlets and measuring walls.
Room to scale
Bid season rarely arrives evenly. You can order more takeoffs in a busy month and none in a quiet one.
How Our Quantity Takeoff Process Works
Submit your plans
Send drawings, specifications and any addenda through our contact form or by email, and tell us which trades you need. We accept PDF and CAD files.
Scope review and proposal
We review the documents, confirm the scope, and send a proposal with the total fee. Approve by email and pay the first 50% so work can begin.
Takeoff
Our estimators calibrate the scale, then measure and count each item using professional takeoff software.
Quality check
A second review compares the takeoff against the drawings and specs, and open questions are flagged, not guessed.
Delivery
You receive the Excel sheet and marked-up plans by email or through our website. The remaining balance is due on delivery.
See the payment terms on our pricing page.
What You Get With Our Quantity Takeoff Services
Each order of quantity takeoff services is delivered in a format you can use straight away. Items are organized under CSI MasterFormat, the standard division system used across North American construction.
Excel takeoff sheet
Every item with description, quantity, unit and plan location, so each number can be traced.
Color-coded marked-up plans
Measured areas and counted items are highlighted on your drawings for quick checking.
CSI MasterFormat organization
Items are grouped by division, so they drop into your estimate or bid forms.
Waste factors
Net and gross quantities shown separately, so you can see exactly what waste was added.
Labor and manhours (optional)
Labor units per item if you want to price installation as well.
Assumptions and exclusions
A short list of what was included, excluded and assumed, to avoid surprises later.
Quantity Takeoff Software and Accepted File Formats
Good quantity takeoff services depend on good tools. We measure on calibrated digital plans, so every quantity ties back to a markup you can inspect.
Software we use
- Bluebeam
- PlanSwift
- Accubid
- FastPIPE
- FastDUCT
- Quest Estimating
- Trimble
- RSMeans data
- Microsoft Excel
Files we accept
- DWG
- DXF
- TIFF
Vector PDFs and CAD files give the most precise measurements, but legible scanned sets work too. If your plans are in another format, contact us before you submit.
Accuracy and Quality Control
Every takeoff delivered through our quantity takeoff services is reviewed before it reaches you. A second check compares the numbers with the drawings and specifications, and cross-checks that details on one sheet match the plans and schedules on others. When an addendum arrives, we update the affected quantities and note the change.
Common takeoff mistakes we check for
- Missed scope. Items that appear only in the specs or on a detail sheet never make it into the count.
- Wrong scale. One uncalibrated sheet throws off every measurement on it.
- Ignored waste. Net quantities alone mean you run short on site.
- Wrong units. Mixing square feet with square yards, or linear feet with pieces, quietly breaks the pricing.
- Missed addenda. Bidding on superseded drawings is the costliest mistake of all.
Turnaround Time and Pricing for Quantity Takeoff Services
Turnaround
Most standard projects are completed in 24-48 hours. Large plan sets, many trades or unclear drawings take longer. Tell us your bid deadline when you send the plans, and your proposal will confirm the delivery date.
Pricing
We price per project, not per hour. Half of the fee is due before work starts and the balance when the takeoff is delivered. Details are on our pricing page.
What affects the price
- Project size and number of sheets
- Number of trades included
- Complexity of the design
- Drawing quality and clarity
- Optional labor and manhours
Manual vs. Digital Takeoff
Manual takeoff means printed plans, a scale ruler and highlighters. It still works for very small jobs, but it is slow, hard to check and painful to redo when plans change. Digital takeoff measures directly on the PDF or CAD file.
Manual
Printing costs, hand calculation, no audit trail, and a full redo for every revision.
Digital (how our quantity takeoff services work)
Click-to-measure on calibrated plans, quantities tied to visible markups, quick updates when addenda arrive, and clean export to Excel.
Sample Quantity Takeoff: A Real Project Excerpt
This sample comes from a residential project in North Hollywood, California, of about 980 sq ft. It is a full workbook from our quantity takeoff services, with quantities, waste factors and units for every trade. The table below shows a short excerpt of the quantity columns only.
| Division | Item | Net qty | Waste | With waste | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 Concrete | 1'-4" x 1'-0" continuous footing with (2) #5 rebar | 6.5 | 5% | 6.8 | CY |
| 03 Concrete | 8" thick stem wall, 2'-4" high, #4 rebar at 16" o.c. | 7.6 | 5% | 8.0 | CY |
| 06 Wood | 2x4 wood studs at 24" o.c., 8'-0" wall height | 136 | 0% | 136 | EA |
| 06 Wood | 15/32" structural plywood sheathing at roof | 827.2 | 5% | 868.5 | SF |
| 07 Thermal | R-15 batt insulation at walls | 1,324.3 | 5% | 1,390.5 | SF |
| 08 Openings | Vinyl windows, tags A through J (one line per tag) | 10 | 0% | 10 | EA |
| 09 Finishes | 5/8" Type X gypsum wall board | 3,491.9 | 5% | 3,666.5 | SF |
| 09 Finishes | 4' x 8' gypsum board sheets for the line above | - | - | 115 | Sheets |
| 26 Electrical | Ceiling recessed LED light fixtures | 10 | 0% | 10 | EA |
Notice that counted items such as studs, windows and fixtures carry no waste, while area and volume items carry 5%. Notice too how a drywall area converts into a sheet count you can order from. The full workbook also includes pricing; a takeoff-only order delivers the quantity columns shown here.
How to Choose a Quantity Takeoff Company
Use this checklist to compare quantity takeoff services, including ours. Our about page explains who prepares your takeoff.
- Trade experience. Ask which trades they measure every week, not which ones they can "also do".
- Trade coverage. One provider for all your trades means one format and one point of contact.
- Turnaround in writing. A promised delivery date should appear in the proposal.
- Revision policy. Know in advance how addenda and plan changes are handled and charged.
- Sample work. Ask to see a real takeoff before you order.
- Software and file formats. Make sure they can open your files and deliver in Excel.
- Clear scope and exclusions. The deliverable should say what is and is not included.
Quantity Takeoff Services FAQs
What is included in quantity takeoff services?
Our quantity takeoff services include itemized quantities for the trades you choose, listed with unit and plan location in an Excel sheet. You also receive color-coded marked-up plans, waste factors, and notes on assumptions and exclusions. Labor hours and manhours are optional additions if you want to price installation as well.
How much do quantity takeoff services cost?
Pricing is per project, not per hour. The fee depends on project size, the number of trades, plan complexity and drawing quality. Send your plans and we review them, then issue a proposal with the total fee. Half is due before work starts and the balance when the takeoff is delivered.
How long does a quantity takeoff take?
Most standard projects are completed in 24-48 hours. Larger plan sets, several trades at once, or poor-quality drawings take longer. Tell us your bid deadline when you submit the plans, and we will confirm the delivery date in your proposal before any work begins.
What is the difference between quantity takeoff and cost estimating?
A quantity takeoff measures what the project needs: quantities, units and locations. Cost estimating takes those quantities and adds material prices, labor rates, equipment, overhead and profit to produce a total price. Takeoff answers how much; estimating answers how much it costs.
Can you do takeoff for specific trades only?
Yes. You can order a single trade, such as concrete or drywall, or several trades from the same plan set. Pricing follows the scope, so a one-trade takeoff costs less than a full-project takeoff. Tell us which sheets and trades you want and we will quote only that work.
Which file formats do you accept?
We accept PDF, DWG, DXF and TIFF plan files, along with specifications and addenda. Vector PDFs and CAD files measure most precisely, while scanned sets work if the scale is legible. If your plans are in another format, contact us before submitting and we will advise.
Do you include labor and waste factors?
Waste factors are applied to material quantities and shown separately, so you can see the net and gross numbers. Labor is optional: we can add labor units and manhours per item. Tell us your preferred waste percentages, or we will use standard industry assumptions and list them in the notes.
Is outsourcing takeoff cheaper than hiring in-house?
Often, yes, when bid volume is uneven. An in-house estimator brings salary, benefits, software licenses and training whether or not you have plans to measure. Outsourcing charges per project. If you take off plans every day of the year, a full-time hire may cost less per job.
How accurate are your takeoffs?
Every takeoff is measured on calibrated digital plans and reviewed against the drawings and specifications before delivery. Accuracy still depends on drawing quality, so we flag unclear dimensions and missing details as questions instead of guessing. Our assumptions are listed in the deliverable so you can check them.
Do you offer revisions if plans change?
Yes. Send the revised sheets or addenda and we update the affected quantities rather than starting over. Because scope changes add work, we confirm any additional fee before updating. Corrections to errors in our own takeoff are made as part of the original job.
Upload Your Plans and Get a Quote Today
Quantity takeoff services give you the numbers behind every bid: measured quantities, clear units and a record of how each one was found. Send your drawings to Build Plans And Estimates, and we will return a takeoff you can price with confidence. Our estimating services are available for residential, commercial and industrial work, wherever your project is located.
- Quantities by trade, delivered in Excel
- Marked-up plans for easy checking
- Typical 24-48 hour turnaround
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