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PRO

Drawing Takeoff

Upload PDF drawings exported from CAD. Drawing Takeoff reads the schedules on the sheets, counts every tag on the plans with the page it’s on, and shows where a count differs from its schedule.

Try Drawing Takeoff free See plans and pricing

Included with PRO, with no weekly limit. Free trial: 1 a week, PDFs up to 10 pages. Tools never use your comparison allowance.

What it does

  • Finds the schedules on your sheets: any table with a Mark, Tag, Ref or Type column, with the quantity when there is one.
  • Counts every scheduled tag across all the plans, including sheets drawn rotated, and lists the pages where each one appears.
  • Compares each count with the schedule quantity and marks it Matches or Differs.
  • Lists scheduled tags that are not on the drawings, and tags on the drawings that are not in a schedule.
  • Treats D-01, D/01 and D01 as the same tag, and keeps sub-numbers such as TL-04.1 apart.
  • Names other code families it finds, such as finish codes, so you can run it again to count them.
  • Downloads to Excel with the counts and where each tag was found.
  • With PRO: marks each count on the drawing, drafts questions for the designer, compares a revised set with an earlier takeoff, checks a supplier’s quotation against the counts, and remembers your corrections for later takeoffs.
Counts from one takeoffIllustrative example
TagScheduleDrawingsResult
D-01 Single door1212Matches
D-02 Double door43Differs
W-02 Louvre20Not on drawings
D-02 is scheduled 4 times but labelled 3 times on the plans.

How it works

  1. Upload the drawings

    One PDF exported from CAD with selectable text, with the plans and their schedules.

  2. Add tag letters if you need them

    Tags in the schedules are counted anyway. Add letters such as LT to count tags that have no schedule.

  3. Check the counts

    Start with tags that differ or are missing, open the pages listed, and confirm on the drawing.

  • Tags are counted, nothing is measured. Tags drawn only as symbols, without text, can’t be counted, and lengths and areas are not part of a takeoff.
  • Your file is read once and never stored. Only the result is saved, so you can reopen or delete it.

Questions

Is Drawing Takeoff free?

It is a PRO tool you can try for free. The Free plan includes 1 trial takeoff every week on drawing sets of up to 10 pages, with the Excel download. PRO has no weekly limit and reads larger sets.

What does PRO add to a takeoff?

Each count marked on the drawing, questions for the designer drafted from the results, a comparison with your takeoff of an earlier revision, a supplier’s quotation checked against the counts by tag, and corrections that are remembered for your later takeoffs. When a count is shown on the drawing, the PDF opens in your browser and is not uploaded again.

Does it measure lengths and areas?

No. It counts tags written as text on the drawings and checks them against the schedules.

Which drawings work?

PDFs exported from CAD with selectable text, including sheets drawn rotated on the page. Scanned drawings and photographs can’t be read.

Does it use my comparisons?

No. Tools have their own weekly runs and never use your comparison allowance.

  • BOQ Health Check

    Check a priced BOQ or quotation for quantity × rate errors, totals that don’t add up, duplicate lines and inconsistent rates. Free for 3 checks a week.

  • Bid Leveling

    Line up 2 to 5 supplier quotes against your BOQ. Missing items are priced in, so you can see who is cheapest on the same scope. Included with PRO.

Start with a free account

Drawing Takeoff is included with PRO, from $3.75 a month billed yearly. Free accounts can try it 1 time a week. Your files are never stored.

Try Drawing Takeoff free See how QuoteRecon works