In construction, a quantity takeoff is a list of all the physical materials necessary to complete a job and their costs. It does not consider labor costs, permits, overheads, equipment, or other incidentals.

What is the meaning of quantity takeoff?

What Is a Quantity Takeoff? – Explaining what a quantity takeoff is in construction is relatively straightforward. Essentially, a quantity takeoff refers to estimating materials. You review the project plans and take off information about what physical materials the architect, engineer or draftsperson specifies to assemble the project.

Estimating takeoffs Construction takeoffs Earthwork takeoffs Material takeoffs Material estimating Material counts Quantity surveying

Regardless of what you call them, quantity takeoffs are material-specific. As a rule-of-thumb, quantity surveyors or takeoff specialists don’t account for other project needs like labor, overheads, permits, insurance, equipment or incidentals. They stick to isolating material requirements and transposing that information into cost-based estimates. Technology has changed the quantity takeoff method, and for larger construction companies, computerization has been invaluable. Today, advanced processes like Building Information Modeling (BIM) raised the technological bar with more complicated systems than used in the past.

However, computers significantly increase estimation accuracy. This helps to solve the age-old problem of low productivity and excessive waste elegantly outlined in a commissioned report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Computer-aided design (CAD) programs revolutionized the building industry. Many modern projects are built twice.

They start life as virtual environment models that work out the bugs and then move forward with reduced-risk structures in the real environment. While computerization has increased takeoff accuracy and speed, the human element in quality takeoff examples can’t be replaced.

What does take off mean in construction terms?

If you’ve been in the construction business for any length of time, you probably know what a takeoff is or at the least have heard the term before. But if you’re new to the industry, there’s a good chance you don’t know what a takeoff is! No problem. By the time you’re done reading this article, you’ll learn all you need to know about takeoffs. If you’ve been in the construction business for any length of time, you probably know what a takeoff is or at the least have heard the term before. But if you’re new to the industry, there’s a good chance you don’t know what a takeoff is! No problem. By the time you’re done reading this article, you’ll learn all you need to know about takeoffs.

• What is a takeoff? A takeoff in construction is the process where contractors determine how much of each material they will need to complete a project.
• Many also refer to it as a quantity or material takeoff.
• Now that you know what a takeoff is, let’s talk about what their uses are.
• Contractors use takeoffs in construction for many reasons including, submitting a bid for a job, creating an estimate for a job or simply determining how much of each material to buy.

Let’s take a quick look at each of these scenarios:

Submitting a bid : When you bid on a job, it’s important to know how much of each material you’ll need so you can determine the material costs in your bid. Without this valuable info, you could underbid the job and lose money or overbid and miss out on the job. Instead, performing an accurate takeoff is an incredibly important factor in whether you win your bid. Creating an estimate : Part of creating an estimate is knowing how much material you’ll need. You could just give it your best guess or perform a takeoff and get a lot more accurate information. Once you know how much material you need, you can price everything, add in your labor hours, tax, waste percentage and other costs to complete your estimate. Figuring out how much material to buy : Even if you aren’t submitting a bid or developing an in-depth estimate, you’ll still need to know how much material to buy. Under-buying is less than ideal because it causes jobsite delays and extra trips to buy more materials. Over-buying has more consequences because it cuts into your profit (and that’s something no one likes)!

As you can see, there are many reasons why you might want to do a takeoff in construction. In fact, if you’re working off of blueprints, there’s really no reason why you wouldn’t need to perform a takeoff. With a takeoff, you can more accurately estimate materials, saving you time and money as you work on your project.

As you begin working in the construction industry, you will want to know the difference between a takeoff and an estimate. A takeoff is simply determining the amount of all the materials needed for a job. That’s it! Takeoffs don’t include any material costs associated with them or extra costs that an estimate will have.

In contrast, an estimate takes the takeoff a few steps further. Estimates apply costs to all the materials determined by the takeoff and add in other costs the contractor will face. These extra costs include things like travel costs, tax, applying a waste factor, labor costs and any other extra costs you’ll face while completing that project.

• Many contractors often use a construction cost estimating software to make the job easier.
• Contractors and subcontractors are the main people involved in doing takeoffs.
• Because they are the ones completing the project and are experts in their field, they have the qualifications to determine the supplies required to finish a project.

However, some contractors may work with an estimator, who will take the contractor’s takeoff proposal and assign prices to the amounts listed. Construction cost estimating is one of the key parts of the process. When writing a takeoff for a construction project, contractors need to include various information about the project to pass along the most accurate prices and amounts.

• Takeoffs should include all materials involved in the construction project, including raw materials to build features and add manufactured fixtures to a more completed project.
• Both are essential parts of the project and contribute to its cost.
• Common examples of raw materials include things like wood, concrete and steel, which contractors can use to build other structures and features.

Examples of manufactured fixtures include lights, cables, pipes and windows. There are two ways that takeoffs can be performed — manually and digitally. Contractors complete manual takeoffs using physical blueprints that they print out. To do your takeoff, you measure the blueprint using a scale ruler to get the dimensions you need.

For example, if you’re painting a room, you’ll measure all four walls of the room, calculate the square footage, calculate the negative space you won’t need to paint from doors, windows and entryways and subtract that from the total square footage. Once you have that, you’ll figure out how much paint you need to paint that square footage by dividing the square footage by how much coverage a gallon of paint will provide.

Although this is probably the simplest example possible, there are still a lot of measurements and calculations that contractors need to make to come to the correct amount of materials you’ll need. It’s easy to measure something wrong or make a mistake calculating which can be costly, especially when you’re doing a big job.

• Digital takeoffs use takeoff software and digital blueprints.
• The first step is to load your plans into the takeoff software.
• After it uploads, you can get started measuring your plans using the takeoff tools in the software.
• This is a simple process that involves using your computer’s mouse to click around the blueprint to measure the walls, floors, pipe lengths or other elements you may need to measure.

The great thing about digital takeoffs is that the software does all the calculations for you, which results in little to no mistakes! You’ll also know the exact amount of materials you’ll need every time! Contractors use takeoff software or manually calculate data, depending on the materials and resources required for the project.

Raw materials: When incorporating raw materials into calculations, contractors need to include their dimensions so they can calculate with accuracy. These dimensions include factors like height, width, depth and even weight. Manufactured fixtures: Because manufactured fixtures come with a set price, contractors only need to include the estimated quantity they need in their takeoff to provide an accurate price. Materials for flat surfaces: Contractors use some manufactured features, like roofing and tiling materials, to create flat surfaces within their projects. Because they are flat, estimators don’t need their dimensions like raw materials. Instead, contractors need to provide the area these materials will cover to provide an accurate price for this construction element.

Knowing what contractors will need to provide can help prepare them for performing takeoffs for future and current construction projects and receive more accurate price estimates. We’ve already touched on several of the benefits of using takeoff software over performing takeoffs by hand, but let’s examine some more reasons to use takeoff software:

Speed : Using takeoff software is so much faster than manual takeoffs. While manually calculating takeoffs can take hours days, a software can make the same calculations in less time. Saving time pays off on small jobs but can make a huge difference if you’re working on a large project. Accuracy : There is lots of room for error when measuring by hand and using a calculator for calculations. To say the least, these errors can be costly! Let takeoff software do all your calculations for you so you don’t have to worry about errors anymore. Access : If you’re using cloud-based takeoff software, where you can log into it from your web browser, your plans will be available to you whenever you have an internet connection. This means you can access them from work, home, while traveling or even on the jobsite! It’s a great convenience when you need to review something or check out the material quantities you need. Organization : If you’ve been dealing with printed blueprints, you know how difficult it is to stay organized when you have piles of them laying around. Even finding the right one can be a challenge! When using digital takeoff software, you’ll simply search for the project name and the blueprint will come right up in the software. No more stacks of blueprints cluttering up the office!

Easy! Many takeoff software vendors offer free 7-day or 10-day trials of their software. It’s a great way to test them out and see if you like using them. Unfortunately, after that, the trial ends, often before you’ve had enough time to really try out the software.

At STACK, we offer a completely free version of our takeoff software. It’s not a trial, so you are welcome to use it for as long as you’d like. Take your time and give it a spin! Of course, we also offer paid versions of our takeoff software which offers additional features that many contractors find useful.

Discover a new way to complete takeoffs for construction projects and sign up for a free STACK account today ! Creating an accurate takeoff is essential for contractors to generate successful bids and earn more revenue on their projects. Using takeoff software can benefit contractors greatly by giving them an easy-to-use interface that will save them time and create more precise measurements.

Contractors use STACK every day to power a better preconstruction process. Our software helps provide a modern solution to a longstanding step in construction and contracting with a cloud-based system you can access anywhere you have internet access. Our cost estimating software comes with the ability to collaborate with other teams in real-time and helps create professional and branded bid proposals.

Speed up your takeoff process, get accurate measurements, bid and win more profitable work with STACK’s takeoff software. Get started today and sign up for free, or contact STACK Construction Technologies with any questions about how our software can serve your contracting projects. Creating an accurate takeoff is essential for contractors to generate successful bids and earn more revenue on their projects. Using takeoff software can benefit contractors greatly by giving them an easy-to-use interface that will save them time and create more precise measurements.

Contractors use STACK every day to power a better preconstruction process. Our software helps provide a modern solution to a longstanding step in construction and contracting with a cloud-based system you can access anywhere you have internet access. Our software comes with the ability to collaborate with other teams in real-time and helps create professional and branded bid proposals.

Speed up your takeoff process, get accurate measurements, bid and win more profitable work with STACK’s takeoff software. Get started today and sign up for free, or contact STACK Construction Technologies with any questions about how our software can serve your contracting projects.

What is quantity takeoff in bim?

5D BIM modeling and cost estimation – The feature of 5D; model-based estimation and quantity estimation function of BIM holds the roots to significant automation and innovation in the building construction industry.5D BIM modeling connects a 3D object, its parts and the entire assembly model to the external third party cost estimating software.

• Whenever a change in the design geometry or quantity is changed, the changes are automatically reflected in the cots.
• This alliance between BIM platforms and cost calculation software allows the quantity surveyor, estimators, and planners to evaluate the impacts of design changes on costs and stay on the budgets.

It also reduces the iterations for estimation, approximation needs, and bidding becomes accurate.5D BIM – an onscreen quantity takeoff; offers an interface that supports better decision making to engineers and contractors. It dives predictability in the building construction project, brings certainty in planning the logistics and scheduling.

What is the process of taking off?

The term ‘ taking off ‘ refers to the process of identifying elements of construction works that can be measured and priced, This is necessary to produce bills of quantities and requires that the design is complete and a specification has been prepared.

1. Analysis of drawings and specifications allows the cost consultant (usually a quantity surveyor ) to prepare a taking off list, which lists all of the individual elements that comprise the works,
2. These elements can then be measured in number, length, area, volume, weight or time then collated and structured to produce an unpriced bill of quantities,

This process is sometimes referred to as ‘working up’. Where there may be uncertainty about some elements, they may be entered onto a query sheet that can be issued to the appropriate members of the consultant team for clarification. The unpriced bill of quantities will have price and rate columns for tenderers to complete,

1. The bill of quantities is issued to tenderers for them to prepare a price for carrying out the works,
2. The bill of quantities assists tenderers in the calculation of construction costs for their tender, and, as it means all tendering contractors will be pricing the same quantities (rather than taking off quantities from the drawings and specifications themselves), it also provides a fair and accurate system for tendering,

Best practice for the preparation of bills of quantities is set out in the New Rules of Measurement ( NRM ) published by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and replacing Standard Method of Measurement, seventh edition ( SMM7 ). Adopting the New Rules of Measurement means that all projects are taken off in the same way and in the same order following consistent rules.

1. Increasingly, software packages are available to assist in the preparation of preparation of bills of quantities, and building information modelling systems can be used to produce bills of quantities from information already contained within the model,
2. The process in Building Information Modelling ( BIM ) is often referred to as material or quantity takeoff, which uses the underlying 3D parametric model to calculate materials takeoff for cost estimation, as well as in some cases embodied carbon calculations by adding the density factor and CO2 e per kg or volume of material,

In this process care must be taken that digital models are a fair representation of the actual product or component, for examples metal window frames being modelled as hollow extrusions rather than solid elements, the later can impact the material take-off dramatically increasing for example the assumed aluminium used by weight.

Bills of quantities are normally only prepared on larger projects, On smaller projects, or for alteration work, the contractor can be expected to measure their own quantities from drawings and schedules of work, Schedules of work are ‘ without quantities ‘ instructional lists that allow the contractor to identify significant work and materials that will be needed to complete the works and to calculate the quantities that will be required.

For more information, see How to take off construction works,

Approximate bill of quantities, Approximate quantities cost plan, Bill of quantities, Common Arrangement of Work Sections ( CAWS ). Common mistakes in bill of quantities, Comparison of SMM7 with NRM2, Computers in tendering, Construction work packaging, Contract documents Cost plans, Elemental cost plan, Extra over (EO), How to take off construction works, Measured quantity, New Rules of Measurement, Spot items, Standard Method of Measurement ( SMM7 ). Tender, Tender documentation, Tender pricing document, Uniclass, Working up construction works,

What is a quality take off?

Quantity take-offs (QTO) are a detailed measurement of materials and labor needed to complete a construction project. They are developed by an estimator during the pre-construction phase. This process includes breaking the project down into smaller and more manageable units that are easier to measure or estimate.

The level of detail required for measurement may vary. These measurements are used to format a bid on the scope of construction, Estimators review drawings, specifications and models to find these quantities. Experienced estimators have developed procedures to help them quantify their work. Many programs have been developed to aid in the efficiency of these processes.

With BIM quantity take-off can be conducted almost automatically given that the type of materials, their quantity and price is included in the model. It is known that construction projects often run overtime and over budget and one of the reasons is lack of accuracy in quantity takeoff and estimates.

How do you take off quantities?

Taking off quantities – Taking off quantities from drawings involves a quantity surveyor recording on take off paper the quantities and descriptions of materials and labour required to prepare a bill of quantities or schedule of rates. Best practice for taking off quantities is contained in the New Rules of Measurement: Detailed measurement for building works (NRM2) compiled and published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, (RICS).

What is the example of take off?

To suddenly start to be successful or popular: Her singing career had just begun to take off. With all that publicity, the business really took off. His career really took off after that concert.

What are the two types of take offs?

Vertical/Short takeoff landing (V/STOL) – Vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft that are able to take off or land vertically or on short runways. Vertical takeoff and landing ( VTOL ) includes craft that do not require runways at all.

• Generally, a V/STOL aircraft needs to be able to hover; helicopters are not typically considered under the V/STOL classification.
• A rolling takeoff, sometimes with a ramp ( ski-jump ), reduces the amount of thrust required to lift an aircraft from the ground (compared with vertical takeoff), and hence increases the payload and range that can be achieved for a given thrust.

For instance, the Harrier is incapable of taking off vertically with a full weapons and fuel load. Hence V/STOL aircraft generally use a runway if it is available.I.e. Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing ( STOVL ) or Conventional Take-off and Landing ( CTOL ) operation is preferred to VTOL operation.

V/STOL was developed to allow fast jets to be operated from clearings in forests, from very short runways, and from small aircraft carriers that would previously only have been able to carry helicopters, The main advantage of V/STOL aircraft is closer basing to the enemy, which reduces response time and tanker support requirements.

In the case of the Falklands War, it also permitted high performance fighter air cover and ground attack without a large aircraft carrier equipped with a catapult. The latest V/STOL aircraft is the F-35B, which entered service in 2015.

Why is it called material take off?

Material take off ( MTO ) is a term used in engineering and construction, and refers to a list of materials with quantities and types (such as specific grades of steel ) that are required to build a designed structure or item. This list is generated by analysis of a blueprint or other design document.

What is quantity take off in Revit?

CONSTRUCTION QUANTITY TAKE-OFFS – Our team of trained specialists work carefully to provide detailed measurements for construction material quantities and costs. Using the latest in BIM technology, VIATechnik takes advantage of the benefits in using Revit software.

Within the BIM, contractors are able to present a visual model along with a list of material quantities that show their effects on construction costs. The benefits of Revit can also allow room for editing quantities to show immediate updates and impact on costs. Our clients benefit from our Revit quantity take-offs by being able to impress their clients by illustrating visually in the model the quantities and related construction costs.

Is your BIM not complete enough or accurate enough to be able to pull the quantities? VIATechnik’s Revit engineers can provide “gap modeling” and add the details you need to be in the model for the quantity take-off effort. The best way to start a project with our team is through the form below.

This will help us have the most appropriate person contact you. We will respond within 24 hours. You can also call us at (312) 462-1060 or email us at The best way to start a project with our team is through the form below. This will help us have the most appropriate person contact you. We will respond within 24 hours.

You can also call us at (312) 462-1060 or email us at,

What is the difference between BOQ and takeoff?

Preparing a bill of quantities requires that the design is complete and a specification has been prepared. A detailed measurement of materials and labor required to complete a construction project is known as quantity takeoff.

What is BIM and Lod?

The Level of Development (LOD) Specification is a reference that enables practitioners in the AEC Industry to specify and articulate with a high level of clarity, the content and reliability of Building Information Models (BIMs) at various stages in the design and construction process.

What is take off called?

An F/A-18 taking off from an aircraft carrier Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as liftoff, For aircraft that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a transition from moving along the ground on a runway,

What are the risks of take off?

How important is LOC-I at take-off risk in GA? – Take-off is the most risky phase of flight regarding the risk of Loss of Control in Flight accidents. Data on LOC-I accidents, both fatal and non-fatal, indicate that the highest number of accidents occurs during take-off.

How do you calculate construction quantity?

There are many methods used for calculating quantities of materials. Which one goes with your plan depends on the design and shape of the building. Each method is characteristically different from other. Calculation of quantities of material needs a proper technical understanding of materials and construction.

• The five major methods are described here for you and they come up with the right measurement of materials you need.1.
• Centre Line Method: Centre line method is applicable to the square building with symmetrical offsets.
• To calculate the quantities of materials, you need to multiply the total centre line length with breadth and depth of the construction.

The centre line length will be reduced by half of breadth of every junction where the main wall is joined with the cross walls, partitions or verandah. The junctions must be taken into consideration while calculating the centre line length of a wall. The quantity estimation brought out by this method is accurate and fast.2.

Crossing method: Crossing method is designed for calculating materials needed for masonry walls. In this method, the lengths and breadths of walls at plinth level (the base on which a column is raised) are included. The internal dimension of the room and the thickness of the walls are also important to calculate the quantities.

Symmetrical offsets should be counted as they play a major role in the calculation of quantity of materials.3. Out to out and in to in method: This method follows P.W.D system for computing materials and this seems to be the most accurate method among all.4.

Bay method: This bay method is applicable in garages, factory, and railway platform where identical structures are visible. Bay in a construction term means a compartment of a building. The cost of one room is calculated first and it is multiplied by the number of bays.5. Service unit method: The term service unit method is designed for building with identical rooms.

This method is applicable in the construction of college, hospital, cinemas, prison, and more. When it is a construction of a hospital, the service unit will be a bed. Likewise, for cinema/stadium, it is seats. Calculating quantities of materials follow the above-mentioned methods.

What stage in the project should quantity take off take place?

What stage in the project should a quantity takeoff take place? – Calculations of quantity takeoff is a critical stage in construction. Most contractors rely on quantity takeoffs to come up with a detailed cost estimate for a project. They then use the cost estimates when bidding for projects.

How do you measure quantity?

Many quantities are defined in terms of other quantities. Thus density, symbol ρ, is defined as mass per unit volume. Thus if the mass and volume of a sample of a substance are known, the density is calculated by dividing the mass by the volume, density = mass/volume or ρ = m/V.