Preconstruction & Estimating
What is Quantity Takeoff?
A quantity takeoff measures and counts everything a project needs: square feet of drywall, linear feet of pipe, counts of doors and fixtures, extracted from drawings or a BIM model. It is the factual foundation every cost estimate is built on.
In practice
Traditionally an estimator measures PDFs sheet by sheet; model-based takeoff pulls quantities from BIM; and AI takeoff uses computer vision to detect and measure elements automatically. Accuracy here compounds, takeoff errors become estimate errors become margin errors.
Tools for Quantity Takeoff
Togal.AI
Automated construction takeoffs and estimating
Beam AI (Attentive.ai)
Computer vision extracts scope, materials and quantities from drawings to produce takeoffs and support bids.
Kreo Software
AI construction takeoff and estimating software
Fresco
AI takeoff automation delivering ~99% accuracy and cutting estimator takeoff time by ~70%.
Rudus
AI-powered takeoff and estimation platform for concrete contractors.
BidLight
ML classifiers read BIM geometry and metadata to predict cost, labor and equipment needs directly from your model.
CostWaves
Automated quantity takeoff and cost estimation from BIM models using transparent rule-based logic.
Related terms
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