Glossary
Quantity takeoff
A quantity takeoff is the itemized list of measured quantities for a job, each with its unit of measure, ready to be priced.
By IntelCost Team ·
A quantity takeoff is the document a takeoff produces: a list of every item of work, each with a measured quantity and a unit of measure. It is what an estimator prices, what a sub bids against, and what a reviewer checks.
What a quantity takeoff contains
Each line usually carries:
- Item description, written the way it will be priced (for example, "Slab on grade, 4 in, 3,000 psi").
- Quantity and unit.
- Where it came from: the sheet, the area or the detail.
- Classification, such as a CSI division, so the list sorts by trade.
Some firms also show waste as a separate factor, so the net measured quantity and the quantity to buy can both be seen.
Units of measure
| Unit | Meaning | Typical items |
|---|---|---|
| LF | Linear feet | Walls, pipe, curb, trim, conduit |
| SF | Square feet | Slabs, flooring, drywall, roofing |
| SY | Square yards | Paving, carpet, seeding |
| CF / CY | Cubic feet / cubic yards | Concrete, excavation, fill |
| EA | Each | Doors, fixtures, devices |
| LS | Lump sum | Items priced as one total |
| TON | Tons | Rebar, asphalt, aggregate |
The unit should match how the work is priced. Concrete is measured as an area or a length on the plan but bought by the cubic yard, so the takeoff has to convert it.
Example
Say a slab is 40 ft by 60 ft and 4 in thick (example values):
- Area: 40 ft x 60 ft = 2,400 SF
- Thickness: 4 in / 12 = 1/3 ft
- Volume: 2,400 SF x 1/3 ft = 800 CF
- Cubic yards: 800 CF / 27 = 29.6 CY
- With 5 percent waste (example): 29.6 CY x 1.05 = 31.1 CY
The same slab gives other lines too: 2,400 SF of vapor retarder before laps, and 200 LF of edge form around the perimeter (40 + 60 + 40 + 60 ft). One measurement, several quantities, each in its own unit. Reusable sets of lines like this are often saved as an assembly.
Net, gross and waste
- Gross quantities are measured overall, openings included.
- Net quantities take out openings and deducts.
- Waste is added afterwards, item by item, because a slab and a run of trim lose material in very different ways.
Keep the three separate. A reviewer can check a net quantity against the drawings; nobody can check a number with waste already buried in it.
Quantity takeoff and pricing
Once the list is done, each line is multiplied by a unit price to reach its cost. In IntelCost, a slab's thickness is carried with the item and sub-items work out the cubic yards, the vapor retarder and the edge form from it. The concrete takeoff guide walks through slabs, footings and walls step by step.